A Glimpse into the Archives...

On one of the last days of my internship, I had the opportunity to explore a handful of the one million plus artifacts in the archives of Gettysburg National Military Park. Greg Goodell, the archivist, had a few items out on an exam table for a group that had gone through earlier that day. He was kind enough to give me the grand tour. Included is just a sampling of the many cool things I got take a close look at. Above is a Union Zouave's uniform in amazingly good condition.

A Confederate soldier painted this serene landscape scene on his canteen.

Some colorful Union hats...

This is one cool item as well. This was a camp smoking jacket used throughout the war by a South Carolina colonel. Obviously, he wasn't going to let war get in the way of his creature comforts.

And he hit the field in style, having South Carolina seal buttons for the coat. (Sorry for the poor quality of this close-up.)

And here is a Confederate winter greatcoat used in the war, a pretty rare item. In the glass case behind the coat is a small 12th Corps flag with a green star on it. Some very cool items from the park's collections. It is in the long term plans that most of these items will be rotated through the museum galleries. Special thanks to Greg Goodell for letting me take pictures and showing me around!