Militia

 This map of the east coast includes the blockades that the Union navy put up around Confederate ports. The concept was the overall strategy that would win the war. Called Anaconda, it meant blockading the ports, seizing control of the Mississippi, and strangling the Confederacy. It was the plan conceived by Winfield Scott, the hero of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, the general-in-chief who knew he was too old to lead armies onto the field.

The Trent Affair flared up during the Civil War, with the capture of Confederate diplomats by Union officers on a British ship near Cuba. It built up tensions, as it violated British neutrality. While the Union government weighed its options, the British prepared for the possibility of war.

British regulars manned the defences in Canada, augmented by ill-trained Canadian militia. There weren't enough of either. It was recognized that this was going to have to change.

This is a model of the SS Great Eastern, which transported British soldiers to North America during the Trent Affair.

This display case includes equipment for British regulars.

This large display features an image of the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII laying the cornerstone of Parliament in Ottawa. 

By the spring of 1862, colonial leaders were busy increasing the numbers of the militia.

The efforts included upgrading to better weapons.