Instagram story viewer> @civilwarmed> Posts

Civil War Medicine Museum

@civilwarmed

8.5K

followers

584

following

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine tells the stories of courage, care, and healing amidst America's bloodiest war.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

#OnThisDay in 1864, the northernmost land action of the Civil War took place in Vermont. Twenty-one Confederate soldiers who had escaped capture by the Union Army and had been taking refuge in Canada, planned a raid on the three banks in St. Albans, as part of a larger plan to raise money for the Confederacy and lure Union troops north to defend the Canadian border. The robbery of the first bank was successful, with the raiders taking cash from the vault and from patrons who had come to make deposits. The men forced their prisoners to swear allegiance to the Confederacy before locking them in the bank. A Union officer, Captain George Conger, of the 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment, who was home on leave, gathered a group of townspeople to fight back. Encountering this unexpected resistance, the raiders retreated, attempting to set fire to the town as they went. The Confederates were able to escape to Canada with $88,000 U.S. dollars. They were eventually arrested by the Canadian government, but because Canada was a neutral nation and the raiders had been acting as Confederate soldiers, they were not allowed to be extradited to the United States. The money, however, was returned to the St. Albans bank.

Image: Confederate raiders rob the bank at St. Albans (St. Albans Historical Society and Museum) by @civilwarmed

20

0

6 hours ago

Join us on Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m. Step back in time aboard a vintage 1966 double-decker bus for a fascinating one-hour journey through Downtown Frederick, exploring the city’s critical role in the Civil War and the evolution of battlefield medicine.

Get your tickets now at the link in bio. by @civilwarmed

14

0

a day ago

Explore Gettysburg’s Field Hospitals!

Discover the places where Union and Confederate soldiers received care in the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. The "Battle of Gettysburg Field Hospital Guide," prepared by the Historic Gettysburg Adams County Preservation Society, highlights documented field hospital sites throughout Gettysburg and Adams County, complete with a handy map to help you explore these historic locations.

A must-have for Civil War history enthusiasts and battlefield explorers!

Get your copy in our Frederick, Maryland, store or online at the link in bio. by @civilwarmed

26

0

2 days ago

🎬 That’s a Wrap!

The story of Civil War medicine is an important one to tell—and we’re finding new ways to bring it to life!

We’ve wrapped filming with our friends at Wide Awake Films, creating new videos and interactive experiences that will be part of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine’s major redesign. These powerful new exhibits will help us share the stories of Civil War medicine and connect the medical innovations of the past to the lifesaving practices of today.

We can’t wait to share it all with you!

But we can’t do it without your help! We’ve come so far, and we need your support to cross the finish line. Help us finish what we’ve started and be part of the next chapter in our museum’s history!

👉 Donate today at the link in bio.
@wideawakefilms @thelibertyrifles @furious_tea @oldtimeyrags by @civilwarmed

80

2

3 days ago

Dare to pose with embalmer Richard Burr? 👻 Stop by our Spooky Selfie Station and snap your scariest shot.

Post it to your socials and tag @civilwarmed with #civilwarmed to enter our Spooky Selfie Contest! by @civilwarmed

24

0

4 days ago

Meet Jack and Nelly, the hardworking mules pulling our reproduction Civil War Wheeling ambulance for the cameras! We’re working with Wide Awake Films and our friends from The Liberty Rifles to bring Civil War medicine history to life for exciting new videos and interactive experiences for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine’s major redesign! @thelibertyrifles

Help us finish what we’ve started! Be part of the next chapter in our museum’s history. @wideawakefilms

👉 Donate today: https://www.civilwarmed.org/capital-campaign-saving-lives-then-now/ by @civilwarmed

90

0

5 days ago

#HumpDayHistory
(Civil War medicine facts to get you through the longest day of the week.)

A Hospital Steward and Grant’s Last Toothbrush

James Mingay of Company F, 115th New York Infantry was captured at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on September 15, 1862. He was later promoted to a hospital steward on December 16, 1863, and put in charge of a hospital at Beaufort, S.C.

Mingay owned an apothecary (drugstore) in Saratoga Springs, NY from the 1860s-1880s. Mingay and his wife Louise were respected members of the community and avid world travelers. When General Ulysses S. Grant went to nearby Mt. McGregor in 1885 to write his memoirs and live out his last days, he acquired a toothbrush from Mingay’s nearby store to use in his final weeks at Grant Cottage. The brush and box are still on display in Grant Cottage.

Hospital Steward James Mingay of the 115th New York in a Hospital Steward uniform.

Photo: Library of Congress

Grant’s toothbrush purchased from Mingay’s store. The toothbrush and box are on display at Grant’s Cottage Historic Site.

Photo: Melissa A. Winn

In his final days, Grant received many visitors at the cottage on Mount McGregor, including friends, admirers, and even Confederate opponents who made their way to the home to pay him last respects.

To see more about this, one of the last photographs taken of Grant, see our YouTube video at the link in bio.

Photo: Melissa A. Winn Collection by @civilwarmed

50

2

5 days ago

Haunted History Tours are Back! Tour the most haunted building in Frederick – the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Explore the building’s history amidst the darkened galleries and offices!.

Tours will be given on October 17, 24, and 25, from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. This year we are offering two special Halloween tours on Saturday, October 31, from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. During these special Halloween night tours, you’ll have additional time to tour the galleries without a guide. Get your tickets at the link in bio. by @civilwarmed

18

0

6 days ago

🎬 Lights, Camera, Action!

We’re on set today with Wide Awake Films and friends from The Liberty Rifles filming exciting new videos and interactive experiences for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine’s major redesign!

We’ve come so far, but we need your help to cross the finish line! Help us finish what we’ve started! Be part of the next chapter in our museum’s history.

👉 Donate today at the link in bio. @wideawakefilms @thelibertyrifles @furious_tea by @civilwarmed

83

0

6 days ago

In 1865 Union General Uysses S. Grant’s Military Secretary, Lt. Col. Ely Parker, pictured here, helped draft documents for Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Parker, born with the Native American name Hasanoanda and later known as Donehogawa, was a Seneca Indian leader who had joined the Union Army in 1863 as an engineer. General Grant, an acquaintance of Parker, appointed him to his staff in 1864. When Lee arrived to sign the documents, he reportedly said to Parker, “I’m glad to see one real American here,” to which Parker responded, “We are all Americans, sir.” In 1871, President Grant appointed Parker as the first Native American Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

Photo Credit: National Archives by @civilwarmed

43

0

7 days ago

We enjoyed attending the opening of “Sacrifice on Seminary Ridge,” a powerful new photography exhibit at the Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center, presented in partnership with Military Images magazine!

Through historic photographs and compelling personal stories, the exhibit explores the experiences of wounded soldiers and the dedicated caregivers who tended to them in the months following the Battle of Gettysburg, when the historic seminary served as a military hospital.

📸 On display October 9–December 6, 2026. Don’t miss this moving glimpse into the human cost of war and the extraordinary efforts to save lives!

Members of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine enjoy day-of-visit membership benefits with our friends at Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center. @seminaryridgemuseum @militaryimagesmagazine by @civilwarmed

53

0

9 days ago

Exciting things are happening behind the scenes! 📦 We’re unboxing material samples for our Museum’s major redesign, and every detail brings us one step closer to transforming the visitor experience!

Help us finish what we’ve started! Be part of this exciting new chapter. Donate today at the link in bio and help us make history! taken in National Museum of Civil War Medicine by @civilwarmed

21

0

10 days ago