Confederate Generals
This page displays artifacts of Confederate Generals during the Civil War. The following artifacts aid in our understanding of what really went on in that time period, similar to how pictures assisted Matthew Brady in informing the public of the true nature of war.
This is the pistol used by P. G. T. Beauregard in the civil war. He was the Confederate general who ordered the first shots of the Civil War to be fired, which was the bombardment of Fort Sumter. He went on to lead the Confederate victory at the first Bull Run. Additionally, he created the Confederate battle flag, which is the symbol the Confederacy is best known for, carrying his pistol the whole way. The pistol shows how officers kept weapons close at all times due to inherent risks during the dangerous civil war.
This is the sword that the Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson used in his fighting of Union soldiers. This sword was chosen to symbolize the cutting edge (no pun intended) technology (of the time). The sword could be used to cut through bone and hack the union infantry and cavalry soldiers. Additionally, the sword caused great psychological effects to those who saw it. People ran in fear from “Stonewall” because of his sword and his intimidating stature.
General George Pickett was a confederate general who served under Robert E. Lee. The following is a compendium of all of the letters that he wrote to his wife throughout the Civil War. This compendium is an important artifact because it provides primary sources of information into Pickett’s life during the war; it gives information such as why Pickett decided to fight in the war, to how he felt after the Battle of Gettysburg, and all the way through the end of the war. It provides the intimate feelings of a Confederate general during his struggle through the Civil War.
The Confederate army was devastated by casualties, disease and desertion, therefore resulting in the Union’s successful attack on Petersburg on April 2, 1865. Lee then abandoned Richmond and retreated west attempting to escape to the southwest and join up with Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee in North Carolina. However, his forces were soon surrounded and he surrendered them to Grant on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. This artifact is a painting that an artist created after the event in order to show all the generals standing in one room coming to an agreement to end the war. This painting is very effective in how they all are coming to a compromise calmly with no uprisings as they stand there tall and proud of who they all really are. Americans.
In 1859, JEB Stuart earned a patent for the sword hanger (or sword belt) he designed. The United States government gave him money for the “right to use” license and Stuart immediately contacted a friend of his to manufacture this hanger. Stuart’s creation of the sword hanger was a cavalry standard issue from the Civil War to the Indian Wars and used up until 1900.
Grant and Lee. N.d. Photograph. www.mrkash.comWeb. 5 Dec 2013.<http://mrkash.com/activities/grant&lee.html>.
"Jackson Artifacts | Museum of the Confederacy." Jackson Artifacts | Museum of the Confederacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
"Jeb Stuart Sword Belt Hanger." At Civil War Sutler. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
"Surrender At Appomattox." National Parks Service. National Parks Service, 23 Nov. 2013.Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
The Science and Technology Collection - Louisiana State Museum. Digital image. The Science and Technology Collection - Louisiana State Museum. Louisiana State Museum, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
The Heart of a Soldier, As revealed in the Intimate Letters of Genl. George E. Pickett. 1996. Photograph. The University of North Carolina at Chapel HillWeb. 3 Dec 2013. <http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/pickett/pickett.html>.
"Jackson Artifacts | Museum of the Confederacy." Jackson Artifacts | Museum of the Confederacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
"Jeb Stuart Sword Belt Hanger." At Civil War Sutler. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
"Surrender At Appomattox." National Parks Service. National Parks Service, 23 Nov. 2013.Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
The Science and Technology Collection - Louisiana State Museum. Digital image. The Science and Technology Collection - Louisiana State Museum. Louisiana State Museum, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
The Heart of a Soldier, As revealed in the Intimate Letters of Genl. George E. Pickett. 1996. Photograph. The University of North Carolina at Chapel HillWeb. 3 Dec 2013. <http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/pickett/pickett.html>.