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After Franklin Pierce died in 1869, many Granite Staters thought he deserved to have a statue at the State House. Pierce had been a popular politician with many friends. Not only had he represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Congress, he was the only person from New Hampshire to be elected president of the United States. Other people disagreed and felt that he had made too many mistakes as president. Finally in 1914 this statue of Franklin Pierce was placed at the front corner of the State House lawn.

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The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company made more than textiles over the years. They had a big machine shop where they made all of their own machines for producing textiles, so they were able to make other machines too. During the Civil War, they made rifles for the U.S. Army. There were 300 workers making 125 rifles each day. Altogether Amoskeag made over 27,000 rifles for the U.S. Army from 1861 to 1865.

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During the Civil War, the U.S. government did not provide identification tags for U.S. Army soldiers. (These are called "dog tags" today.) Soldiers wanted their families to know if they were hurt or killed on the battlefield. So, many soldiers made or bought their own ID tags. This tag belonged to Joseph C. Chapman, a farmer from Windsor, New Hampshire. Chapman volunteered to serve in the U.S. (Union) Army. He survived the war, went home to Windsor, and died in 1920.

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This rifle was made by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester, New Hampshire, for the U.S. (Union) Army during the Civil War. Although the Amoskeag company is known for producing textiles (cloth), they also made locomotives, fire engines, and sewing machines. During the Civil War, the company also made rifles, like this one, for Union soldiers.

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This coat was worn by 14-year-old John Johnson during the Civil War. Johnson was a drummer boy in the U.S. (Union) Army. Drummer boys were really important for communication on the battlefield. Drumbeats told soldiers when and where to march and helped them stay in formation. Drumbeats also communicated orders from officers to troops on the battlefield.

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This small wooden medicine case was used by Dr. Stillman J. Quinby, a U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War. Civil War medicine was very dangerous and difficult for wounded soldiers. At that time, doctors didn't understand yet how to prevent infections. They did not wash their hands or clean their medical instruments between surgeries. Many wounds became infected. There was no medicine back then, like antibiotics such as penicillin, to cure infections. Many soldiers became sick and died from infected wounds. Also, diseases spread rapidly among the troops, and there were no medicines to cure them. More soldiers died from illness during the Civil War than from battle injuries.

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These bandages were used by Sarah Low, a woman from Dover, New Hampshire, who was a nurse during the Civil War. She worked in hospitals in Washington, D.C., taking care of sick and wounded U.S. Army (Union) soldiers. There were never enough bandages or other supplies. Nurses often had to make their own bandages. Women at home also made bandages and sent them to army hospitals or the battle front as a way to support the soldiers.

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This drum was used during the Civil War by Nathan Gove of Concord, New Hampshire. Gove joined the U.S. (Union) Army when he was 11 years old. He played the drum in a regimental band made up other soldiers from New Hampshire. The band performed important work. They played music at funerals, for parades, and while soldiers were marching. Their music inspired the other soldiers. They also played certain music to let soldiers know when to wake up, eat, and go to sleep. During battles, they helped take care of the wounded.

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This is a piece of hardtack from the Civil War. Hardtack is a simple biscuit or cracker made from flour, water, and salt. It is inexpensive to make and lasts a long time, so it was often eaten by sailors and soldiers. This hardtack was brought home by a U.S. Army (Union) soldier from Hanover, New Hampshire, at the end of the Civil War. It was part of his military rations. Rations are a fixed portion of food that soldiers receive each day from the army. Union soldiers' rations were usually a pound of bread or hardtack and a pound of meat, like salt pork (like smoked bacon).

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These items would have been carried by a Civil War soldier. Clockwise from the top, this photo shows a lantern, a frying pan, folding silverware, a plate with a hardtack biscuit on it, a match safe to keep the matches dry, and a tin cup.

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This is a campaign banner from the presidential election of 1860. The front of the banner is on the left side and the back of the banner is on the right. It was painted by an artist from Manchester, New Hampshire. The figure on the top, riding a horse, is Abraham Lincoln. The figure on the bottom is John Breckinridge. Breckinridge was from Kentucky, and he was the southern Democratic candidate for president in 1860. Many southern politicians felt that the first Democratic candidate, Stephen Douglas from Illinois, was not pro-slavery enough so they nominated their own candidate. What do you notice about the way the artist represents the two candidates?

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This is a Civil War memorial statue called "Soldier at Rest" in front of the city hall in Claremont, New Hampshire. It was put up by the people of the town of Claremont in 1869, not long after the Civil War ended. The plaque on the front says "erected in honor of the soldiers of Claremont who died in the rebellion of 1861-1865 by their grateful fellow citizens." There are plaques on the other three sides of the statue as well. Each of those plaques has a list of names. The names are of soldiers from Claremont who died in the Civil War. The statue was designed by an artist named Martin Milmore, who also designed Civil War memorials in Amherst, Keene, and Peterborough. This photo is from 2021.

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Over 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors served in the U.S. (Union) Army and Navy during the Civil War. Their service helped end the war and free over four million enslaved people in the South. This memorial to those soldiers and sailors was erected in Washington, D.C., in 1998. The statue was designed by Ed Hamilton and is called "The Spirit of Freedom." The inscription on the front of the base reads "Civil War to civil rights and beyond/This memorial is dedicated to those who served in the African American units of the Union Army in the Civil War/the 209,145 names inscribed on these walls commemorate those fighters of freedom." The inscription on the granite wall behind the statue reads "Who would free themselves must strike the blow/better even die free than to live as slaves/Frederick Douglass March 2, 1863." The curved walls all around the memorial have the names of all the African American men who served in the war. The memorial was paid for by a private foundation, but is now run by the National Park Service.

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This statue of Abraham Lincoln is in his hometown of Hodgenville, Kentucky. It was erected in 1909, the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The sculptor was Adolph A. Weinman. The statue is made of bronze and the inscription on the front of the granite base is simply "Lincoln." On the back of the base, it says "Two miles south of this town Abraham Lincoln born February twelfth eighteen hundred and nine. Erected with appropriations made by the legislature of Kentucky and the Congress of the United States."

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This is a statue of Ulysses S. Grant, who commanded the U.S. (Union) Army during the Civil War. Later he was elected president. This statue is located in Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Vicksburg was the site of a famous Civil War battle in 1863. Grant led the Union forces to victory. This gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and was important in the defeat of the Confederacy. This statue was erected in 1918 and the sculptor was F. C. Hibbard.

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After Franklin Pierce died in 1869, many Granite Staters thought he deserved to have a statue in front of the State House. He was the only person from New Hampshire to have been elected president of the United States. Other people disagreed and felt he had made too many mistakes as president. In 1914 this statue, designed by August Lukeman, was placed at the front corner of the State House lawn.

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John Parker Hale was the country's first abolitionist senator. He was a politician from New Hampshire who spoke out against slavery and the expansion of slavery into new territories in the United States. In 1892, a statue of him was placed in front of the State House in Concord.

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Daniel Webster was one of the most famous American politicians in the 19th century. He was born in New Hampshire and started his political career there. Later, he moved to Massachusetts and continued to work in politics. He was a U.S. senator and the U.S. secretary of state, which meant that he represented the United States with other countries. In 1886, a statue of him was placed in front of the State House in Concord. It was such an important occasion that the state government held a big celebration. Over 30,000 people attended!

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This is an early example of a Republican campaign banner. The Republican political party was founded in New Hampshire in 1853. It was formed by a group of political leaders in New Hampshire who did not want slavery to spread into any places in the United States where it did not already exist. Soon this party spread into other northern states. By 1860, Republicans had won elections for many offices in New Hampshire, including governor.