The billboard advertisements for the new Discovering the Civil War exhibition at the Houston Museum of Natural Science strike a heavy tone, asking "What have we done?" in all caps.

There are many more questions raised inside the exhibit, put together in part by the National Archives, but while the events may be haunting, the visuals are designed to draw visitors in.

As the title suggests, this isn't about going over the facts of the Civil War as we know them — the battles, the politics, and the like. Instead, the exhibit focuses on the small-scale effects of the war, and how events affected real people of the time.

The walls layer photographs, letters and other documents of the era, blown up and grouped around specific events and personal experiences: Citizens arguing over secession, 14-year-olds writing letters from the battlefield, doctors securing patents for new prosthetic limbs. There's a lot to read, sure, but the focused subject matter and the interactive visual and audio displays are engaging.

There are some particularly interesting vignettes, including a section on Civil War spies, the tools they used to code messages and the scientific advancements spawned by the war. History buffs will want to check out the original declaration of secession by South Carolina from 1860, an original copy of the 13th Amendment and, from Feb. 16 to 21, 2012, Lincoln's original Emancipation Proclamation. (Until then, visitors can see a replica.)

There are also diplomatic letters, including one in Chinese, a census book that includes Confederate president Jefferson "Jeff" Davis, and a ledger of crimes committed against blacks in Texas and the response.

Think all this is ancient history? Curators specifically avoided choosing an area near Houston to avoid potentially inflaming any old wounds.

When you're bored of historic documents, head to the second part of the exhibit, which features an amazing range of artifacts assembled by Houston Civil War collector John Nau. There are Union and Confederate uniforms, guns (including one that doubles as a grinder) and other battlefield relics.

There's also a special section devoted to the battle for control over the port of Galveston and the USS Westfield, which was rediscovered in 2005 and is being excavated and restored by the Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation at Texas A&M.

It's a big, splashy exhibit, and there are plenty of items to examine, but Discovering the Civil War struggles to escape the feeling that making it through is akin to eating one's vegetables. There's a lot to take in, but the work is worthwhile.

"Discovering the Civil War" is on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science through April 29, 2012.