Courtesy photo
Unlike many communities across the commonwealth, Salem was spared much of the destruction caused by the Civil War. The Union Army marched on Salem twice during the War. The first came December 16, 1863 when General William Averell’s troopers marched into Salem, and a second when General David Hunter’s soldiers came on June 21, 1864. When soldiers marched through an area, bullets were often left behind.
You can see these bullets on display this weekend as part of the Salem Museum’s Hands-On History Saturday program. This month, Hands-On History highlights “American Military History.”
To learn more about Salem during the Civil War, come to Military Living History Day. On March 23 from 10-4 experience a unique array of living historians, representing almost every major military conflict in American history from the Revolutionary War through Operation Desert Storm. Soldiers and civilians will be represented.
Talks throughout the day will focus on the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and WWII. For those interested in the Civil War, “That Awful Spring: The Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House, May 5 – May 21, 1864” will be presented at 12 noon. Talk presented by Alex Burke, the Salem Museum’s assistant director and Civil War scholar.
