2024 News

Visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center can now view new, upgraded mannequins dressed as American Civil War soldiers on display in the Museum Lobby. The Gettysburg National Military Park and Gettysburg Foundation’s curatorial team recently worked diligently to restore and update the reproduction uniforms on new mannequins.

This mannequin upgrade allows for a more accurate representation—based on primary source research—of an individual regiment’s appearance during the Gettysburg campaign. The two new mannequins represent the 12th United States Infantry and the 37th North Carolina State Troops.

At Gettysburg, the 12th United States Infantry served in the Army of the Potomac’s 5th Corps. The 12th United States Infantry saw action on July 2, 1863, in and around The Wheatfield and suffered 92 casualties during the late afternoon Confederate assault. The 37th North Carolina regiment saw significant action on July 1, 1863. And on July 3, 1863, the regiment participated in the “Pickett’s Charge” assault, suffering 61% casualties.

“Our icon mannequins provide a unique opportunity to open a window to the past for our visitors. With extensive research through photographic and written records, we can reconstruct soldiers as they would have actually appeared—something we cannot always do with original artifacts,” said Gettysburg National Military Park Museum Curator Gregory Goodell. “As seen in our two current mannequins, the clothing, arms and equipment of Gettysburg's combatants is both diverse and sometimes counter to current popular preconceptions. Future changes to the mannequins will continue to show the diversity of appearance of the armies at Gettysburg and, we hope, encourage visitors to dive more deeply into the material culture of Civil War armies,” added Goodell. 

Visitors to the Museum & Visitor Center can view the new, upgraded mannequins in Civil War soldier uniforms free of charge in the Museum Lobby near the entrance to the Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War. 

To purchase tickets for the experiences and museum admission at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, call the Gettysburg Foundation’s Guest Relations team at 717-334-2436 or visit GettysburgFoundation.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the Ticket Counter inside the Museum & Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, Pa.