Union Navy Exhibition Opens at Fort Ward Museum

A new exhibition, “Aboard Ship with the Jack-Tars of the Union Navy,” opens October 2 at the City of Alexandria’s Fort Ward Museum. The theme focuses on the U.S. Navy during the Civil War, and is being held in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Navy on October 13, 1775.  The exhibition will continue through 2026.

The Federal Navy, which began as a small and unprepared force at the outbreak of the Civil War, quickly expanded to succeed in blockading over 3,500 miles of Confederate coastline, securing the South’s major waterways, and engaging in a number of significant combat operations. By the end of the war in 1865, the U.S. Navy was the world’s largest naval force and a key factor in the North’s eventual victory. 

The strength of the U.S. Navy would not have been possible without the service of the thousands of sailors, or “jack-tars,” who manned the ships.  A typical ship’s crew included men and boys of various ages and ethnic backgrounds, including a significant number of Black seamen who served on integrated crews.  The exhibition features examples of the tools, equipment, clothing articles, weapons and personal items used by Union sailors from Fort Ward Museum’s Civil War collection.  Major themes focus on naval dress, which identified men by various ranks and roles, communications aboard ship, navigation, and weaponry used in combat.  The exhibition includes a special profile on Commander James Harmon Ward, Fort Ward’s namesake, who was the first Union Navy officer to die in the Civil War.

Fort Ward is the best preserved of the extensive system of Union forts that comprised the Civil War Defenses of Washington.  Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site is located at 4301 West Braddock Road in the City of Alexandria.  

For more information, please call 703.746.4848 or visit alexandriava.gov/FortWard.  

About the Office of Historic Alexandria 

The Office of Historic Alexandria preserves and shares the history of the City of Alexandria with eight museums, historic sites, archives, archaeology, tours, exhibits and public programs. Through powerful storytelling and confronting the City’s past, Historic Alexandria enriches the present and inspires the future. We enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors and serve as a partner in the City’s equity and inclusion initiatives. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Historic.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended.  To request a reasonable accommodation or an alternate format, email FortWardMuseum@alexandriava.gov, or call 703.746.4848, or Virginia Relay at 711.

If you prefer communication in another language, free interpretation and translation services are available to you, please email LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or call 703-746-3960.