New Civil War Exhibit Opens Today at NYS Military Museum

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — A ribbon-cutting ceremony will mark the official opening of a new Civil War exhibit at the New York State Military Museum.

Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, the adjutant general of New York, will officially open the exhibit Saturday morning at the museum in downtown Saratoga Springs.

The exhibit, entitled "Empire for Union," traces New York state's history during the four-year war using more than 100 artifacts from the museum's extensive collection of Civil War items

The exhibit is permanent at the museum, with artifacts to be rotated for display.

New York state began collecting items from Civil War battlefields in 1863, when the Legislature directed military officials to preserve battle flags, newspaper clippings and other artifacts to tell the story of New York's soldiers and sailors fighting for the Union.