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Like Grass Before the Scythe The Terrible Price of the American Civil War
600,000 Americans Died in the Civil War… That is more than have died in all the other wars combined in which Americans have fought. With our current population, the equivalent would be 15 million Americans dead or wounded. Why Did the War Exact Such a Terrible Price in Dead & Wounded? Changing Technology Strong Commitment of Each Soldier To His State and to the Cause Awful Living and Sanitary Conditions
The Life of the Common Soldier Excavated personal and medical items along with period photographs tell of the hard life and suffering of the ordinary soldier.
Changing Technology As in many wars, technology evolved faster than battle tactics and the common soldier suffered the price. Relics illustrate the evolution of guns and artillery from smoothbore to rifled, change to breech-load and repeating rifles, and the extensive experimentation with artillery ammunition.
From Volunteer Militia to a National Army Excavation of early battles yields relics of the many splendid uniforms that militias from North and South wore to war. Indeed, neither government could equip the huge numbers of early volunteers. State governments and militia units themselves ordered their gear in a wide variety of styles. Relics dug from later in the war illustrate the shortages the Confederate army faced and the emergence of the first true national army of the United States. As that national army developed, each man was issued standard uniforms and equipment
Sample of relics on Display from the Harry Ridgeway Collection:

The Ridgeway Civil War Archive:

The Ridgeway Archive is a research record of various examples of Civil War artifacts authenticated, photographed and documented by Harry Ridgeway. Many of the artifacts included in the museum collection will be included in this record, as well as many relics photographed or owned by Harry Ridgeway not included in the museum collection. It is the intention to develop this into an extensive research venue for Civil War artifacts. At this writing the archive is under construction, although there are several hundred artifacts documented, there are a couple thousand artifacts included in the museum collection yet to be included as well as others owned by other collectors that will also be included. So please be patient with this project, and check back in periodically, watch it grow.

The pictures included in this archive are the property of Harry Ridgeway, all rights reserved. Permission to use the pictures for research and scholarly use may be granted, please inquire. Permission will not be granted to use the pictures for any commercial purpose, so please do not ask if your intention is commercial.

Below are a few more samples, these pictures below are not high resolution, better pictures will be included in the Ridgeway Archive: