Notes on U.S. Ordnance, 2 vols.--_James E. Hicks_ U.S. Muskets, Rifles, and Carbines--_Arcadi Gluckman_ Firearms of the Confederacy--_Claud Fuller and Richard Stuart_ CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL PROCLAMATION No. 3882 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION The years 1961-1965 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the American Civil War. That war was America's most tragic experience. But like all truly great tragedies, it carries with it an enduring lesson and a profound inspiration. It was a demonstration of heroism and sacrifice by men and women of both sides, who valued principle above life itself and whose devotion to duty is a proud part of our national inheritance. Both sections of our magnificently reunited country sent into their armies men who became soldiers as good as any who ever fought under any flag. Military history records nothing finer than the courage and spirit displayed at such battles as Chickamauga, Antietam, Kenesaw Mountain and Gettysburg. That America could produce men so valiant and so enduring is a matter for deep and abiding pride. The same spirit on the part of the people back home supported those soldiers through four years of great trial. That a Nation which contained hardly more than 30 million people, North and South together, could sustain 600,000 deaths without faltering is a lasting testimonial to something unconquerable in the American spirit. And that a transcending sense of unity and larger common purpose could, in the end, cause the men and women who had suffered so greatly to close ranks once the contest ended and to go on together to build a greater, freer and happier America must be a source of inspiration as long as our country may last. By a joint resolution approved on September 7, 1957, the Congress established the Civil War Centennial Commission to coordinate the nationwide observances of the one hundredth anniversary of the Civil War. This resolution authorized and requested the President to issue proclamations inviting the people of the United States to participate in those observances. NOW THEREFORE, I, DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, President of the United States of America, do hereby invite all of the people of our country to take a direct and active part in the Centennial of the Civil War.