Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) holds the largest Civil War collection in the National Park Service with more than 40,000 cataloged objects. These include weapons, uniforms, flags, military equipment, and battle relics. The core of the park's museum holdings is the Rosensteel Civil War Collection that was started by Gettysburg native John H. Rosensteel in July 1863. The Rosensteel family donated it to the NPS in 1972.

Other significant holdings in the park are the William Gladstone Collection which includes objects related to the U.S. Colored Troops and the involvement of African Americans in the Civil War. The Gettysburg collection also includes major archival holdings related to the battle and the later creation of the National Military Park . The archives house 70 significant collections including original maps, drawings, blueprints, manuscripts, journals and the Tipton photograph collection. Together these holdings represent one of the park's and our nation's most important cultural resources.

A distinctive feature of the Gettysburg collection is the number of common, everyday items of the Civil War soldier it preserves. Many of the objects can be associated with the soldier who created or used these items. The virtual Camp Life exhibit highlights this unique aspect of the collection.

Gettysburg Visitor Center and Museum Facilities

The Gettysburg museum exhibits are currently housed in the Visitor Center and in the Cyclorama Center. The latter facility displays a significant painting in the collection, the "Cyclorama of the Battle of Gettysburg."

The exhibits interpret the battle of Gettysburg and the overall struggle of the American Civil War. Many exhibits in the museum deal with the military aspects as well as the impact of the battle on the local civilian populace and communities. Other exhibits interpret the significance and impact of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and the Soldier's National Cemetery.

The objects you see in this virtual exhibit, Camp Life: Civil War Collections from Gettysburg NMP, are currently on display in the park's museum.

Help Preserve the Resources

Significant portions of the collection are in jeopardy and inaccessible due to inadequate staffing, preservation treatment, storage facilities, and environmental controls. If you would like to learn more about the National Park Service efforts to protect these collections, please contact:

Superintendent
Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325

home