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Battledrum Visual Exhibit

Copy to accompany Civil War photos in a traveling exhibit for high school students.

Panel: Women

General Summary
Duty, honor, and pride called women into the army as well as men. They, too, wanted to serve their country, and they found many creative ways to do so. Some women raised money at home; others fought in the war dressed as men. Others, like those pictured here, found that they could serve the soldiers first-hand, dressed as women. Some were spies who stole secrets from the other side. Still other women found that they could help soldiers by healing them, and thus enlisted as nurses.

1st Photo:
Rose O’Neal Greenhow, a Confederate spy, is pictured here with her youngest daughter, Little Rose. During the Civil War, Greenhow used army officials, senators, and office clerks to spy for the Confederacy in Washington D.C. “I am a Southern woman,” she wrote, “born with revolutionary blood in my veins.” In 1861, Greenhow was captured and sent to Old Capitol Prison with her daughter. From there, she continued her espionage, passing notes through her cell window until authorities were forced to board the window. In this picture, taken by Mathew Brady outside Mrs. Greenhow’s cell, the boarded window is clearly visible.

Panel: Drums

1st Photo
Civil war drums took on their own identity as boys carved initials and painted battle names into the drum shell. These rope-tension snare drums are made out of wood and animal skin. The skin stretches across the top and bottom of a circular wooden shell. Drummer boys could adjust the tension of the drums by moving leather braces, called “ears,” up or down ropes running the length of the drum. These “ear” adjustments allowed the boys to drum loudly through all weather conditions. Drummer boys attached their drum to a single hook on a drum sling. As the boys played their commands, the drums hung precariously, bouncing to the rhythm of the march.

5th Photo
Between 1861 and 1865, the U.S. Army purchased more than 32,000 rope-tension drums. Though a General Order in 1862 disbanded all regimental brass bands, the drum corps marched on. Drums were an indispensable part of the war. The drummer boys and their drums made sure soldiers were prepared for battle, awake for breakfast, and in step on the field.