Exhibition Reviews

"To Sustain the Union: Central Illinois in the Civil War." McLean County Museum of History, 200 N. Main St., Bloomington, IL 61701.
     Temporary exhibition, Nov. 10, 2001–Aug. 2004. M, W–Sa 10–5, Tu 10–9, Su 1–5; adults $2, children 12 and under $1. 1,000 sq. ft. Sharon S. MacDonald, guest curator; Susan Hartzold, staff curator.
     Internet: museum information <http://www.mchistory.org> (Jan. 5, 2003).

I had high expectations for this exhibition; the McLean County Museum of History has a well-deserved reputation for informative and entertaining exhibitions that place the history of central Illinois in a broader context. Unfortunately, although "To Sustain the Union" is informative and sometimes entertaining, it ultimately presents a generic military-focused version of the Civil War, neglects the home front, and fails to discuss how soldiers from central Illinois were different than those from elsewhere.	1
Although the museum's visitor's guide claims that "To Sustain the Union" covers "every aspect of the war, from the soldiers' daily lives to the battles they fought, to the efforts of home," this is primarily a military history exhibition, and the emphasis is clear even before visitors enter the exhibit hall. Outside the exhibit door a large panel asks each visitor to "muster in" (sign the guest book), take a card outlining the life of a central Illinois soldier, and follow the course of his enlistment through the exhibit. The next stop is the "Quartermaster General's Depot," which displays and describes the equipment Civil War soldiers carried. On the floor in front of the display are two packs, one (weighing thirty-six pounds) containing the gear issued to Union infantry during the war and a second (weighing fifteen pounds) containing the gear many soldiers actually carried on the march. This section quickly engages the visitor, and strapping on a backpack effectively lets the visitor shoulder the burden of a Union infantryman.	2
Upon visiting the exhibition "To Sustain the Union: Central Illinois in the Civil War," visitors are invited to "enlist" in the Union army and receive their equipment from the Quartermaster General's Depot. Photograph by Trevor Jones.
Inside the exhibit hall examples of such creativity are harder to find. The text describes McLean County before the war and includes some interesting flip labels exploring the conveniences Bloomington, the county seat, either possessed or lacked in 1861. Trying to guess if Bloomington had banks (yes) or indoor toilets (no) places the antebellum period in context and paints a vivid picture of Bloomington in the 1860s. The exhibition could benefit from more interactive elements but too often relies solely on text to get its message across. A complex timeline runs around the upper portion of the panels throughout the exhibition, juxtaposing major Civil War events with events in McLean County. Unfortunately, the timeline is crammed with facts and figures, the text is small, typos detract from its quality, and it ultimately contributes little to a visitor's understanding of the impact of the war on the area.	. . .