Civil War exhibit at Old Red Museum highlights North Texans’ involvement

by Chad Jones

On Saturday, June 21, the historic Old Red Museum in Dallas unveiled its new exhibit, "The Civil War Through the Eyes of North Texans."

Photo by Chad Jones

A hand-painted Confederate violin preserved so well the paint still looks wet.

Running until August 17, the collection highlights local men and women's involvement in, and reactions to, the American Civil War, as well as life in 19th-century Texas in general. Particular emphasis is placed on Mr. John Taylor Coit (of Coit Road fame), a lawyer by trade who later trained confederate recruits at Trinity Mills (present-day Carrollton).

"A very interesting fact about North Texas during the war is that no battles were fought here," said Bryan Lean, Exhibit Curator & Director of the North Texas History Center, who partnered with the Old Red for this exhibit.

As a result, D-FW served more as a staging, supply and training center for the Confederate army and the Texas regiments who would be shipped around the country, fighting in all major battles of the war.

While Texas did secede from the Union in 1861, becoming a charter member of the Confederate States of America, the Old Red exhibit makes a point to emphasize local dissidents—such as Mr. Charles B. Moore, a millwright and craftsman who came to Texas in 1856, found land near McKinney, then felt compelled to leave in the coming years due to his disgust for slavery.

Likewise, thousands of other Texans (a thousand being quite a large number back then), upset with their state's decision, would also leave for a new life in the northern states. The division of North Texas on the issue is best expressed in the voting records (see below), with Collin County overwhelmingly voting against secession, while 24% of Dallas and 43% of Denton also desired to stay in the Union.

The exhibit features bloodied military uniforms, dozens of letters, an original brick from Ford's Theatre, ingenious weaponry used by Americans against each other, and on and on.

Photo by Chad Jones

Soldiers on both sides were not allowed to gamble or drink in the camps, meaning they naturally did it a whole lot. The chip in this case is a squished bullet.

Photo by Chad Jones

Great second sentence.

hardtack, which looks remarkably like your average Saltine cracker." class="gallery">

No Civil War exhibit would be complete without some hardtack, which looks remarkably like your average Saltine cracker.

Photo by Chad Jones

The darker the county, the more its citizens voted against secession. Way to go, Collin County.

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Photo by Chad Jones

Again, Collin County did not dig the possibility of war. Though a few hundred votes on such a huge issue might seem small, Bryan Lean contends these figures were actually rather large given the population at the time, estimating probably 50-70% of eligible voters did so. Meanwhile, present-day Dallas County can't get anyone to vote on anything.

tintype photograph of a Union soldier, 8 or 10 years old. "The North and South both began the war with strict age limits," said Lean, "but as time went on both sides lowered and lowered the minimum. You had old men fighting against children."" class="gallery">

Photo by Chad Jones

A tintype photograph of a Union soldier, 8 or 10 years old. "The North and South both began the war with strict age limits," said Lean, "but as time went on both sides lowered and lowered the minimum. You had old men fighting against children."

(Letter from Catharine Bunting Coit to her husband John T. Coit)." class="gallery">

Photo by Chad Jones

"My dearest husband, I am returned this afternoon from shopping in Plano..." (Letter from Catharine Bunting Coit to her husband John T. Coit).

Photo by Chad Jones

Curator Bryan Lean demonstrates a Civil War neurosurgeon's "hand-twist skull drill" on Old Red's frightened Jessica Jernigan.

Photo by Chad Jones

Background: a cast iron Parrot Shell, Britten Shell, etc. Foreground: a Coal Torpedo such as this one, designed to look like an ordinary piece of coal, would explode when placed into a train or steamboat's firebox.