Lee and Grant Exhibit Coming
September 1, 2010 at Powers Museum in Carthage, Missouri

By the end of the Civil War, most Americans considered either Robert E. Lee or Ulysses S. Grant to be a hero. The reputations of the two generals, molded in part by a sectional bias that would enhance the achievements of one often to the detriment of the other, would wax and wane over the next 140 years.

The exhibit Lee and Grant provides a major reassessment of the lives, careers, and historical impact of Civil War generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. It also encourages audiences to move beyond the traditional mythology of both men and rediscover them within the context of their own time — based on their own words and those of their contemporaries. Lee and Grant presents photographs, paintings, prints, coins, reproduction clothing, accoutrements owned by the two men, documents written in their own hands, and biographical and historical records to reveal each man in his historical and cultural context, allowing audiences to compare the ways each has been remembered for almost 150 years.

"Visitors will enjoy discovering similarities and differences between Lee and Grant that are rarely pointed out," said Dr. William M. S. Rasmussen, exhibition co-curator and the Lora M. Robins Curator of Art at the Virginia Historical Society. "These generals have been explored by historians for decades, but Lee and Grant is the first exhibition to present the two men together so that visitors can make decisions about them, side by side, based on facts. We hope that after they view Lee and Grant, visitors will give more thought to the legacies of both generals."

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, Let Us Have Peace, 1865, c. 1920, oil on canvas, from the exhibition Lee and Grant; courtesy Virginia Historical Society.

The exhibit’s showing in Carthage, Missouri, at the Powers Museum (1617 West Oak Street) will serve as the City of Carthage’s kick-off to its commemoration of the Civil War Sesquicentennial which will continue into 2011 with several special events and activities throughout the following year. Also as part of the Lee and Grant traveling exhibit, there will be numerous lectures, hands-on activities, period demonstrations, and appearances by scholars presenting historical people involved with the exhibit or other Civil War personalities. These exhibit add-ons will take place at the museum and throughout Carthage. The museum will be open expanded days and hours during this exhibit and up-to-date information on the specific schedule will be released later and will also be available on the museum’s web site www.powersmuseum.com or by calling 417-237-0456.

Lee and Grant has been made possible by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibit was originally developed by the Virginia Historical Society, and co-curated by Dr. William M. S. Rasmussen, Lora M. Robins Curator of Art at the Virginia Historical Society and Dr. Robert S. Tilton, Chairman of the Department of English, University of Connecticut, Storrs. This exhibit is toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance through NEH on the Road. NEH on the Road offers an exciting opportunity for communities of all sizes to experience some of the best exhibitions funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Mid-America Arts Alliance was founded in 1972 and is the oldest regional nonprofit arts organization in the United States. For more information, visit www.maaa.org or www.nehontheroad.org.

View the Virginia Historical Society's online exhibit based on their Lee and Grant traveling exhibit (large format).

This exhibit is sponsored by the following:

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