Guns of Gettysburg on Display at Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center

Visitors to Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center will have a rare opportunity to touch a piece of American history on Saturday, May 26th.  Original weapons used in the Civil War will be on display in the group lobby of the Visitor Center from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The exhibit, presented by the Ordnance Detachment of the Civil War Dance Foundation, will display the most common weapons used in the Battle of Gettysburg, including muskets, rifles, rifle-muskets, carbines, revolvers, swords and sabres.  Unlike most museum exhibits, however, this display will allow close examination of the artifacts and even light handling by visitors.

Knowledgeable living historians in period attire will explain the weapons and some of the new technology of the war, including breechloaders, the Maynard tape and pellet priming systems, and pinfire and rimfire cartridges.  They will also tell the story of the little-known role of women and children in manufacturing ammunition and about the hundreds who died in accidents doing that dangerous work.