Prepare for battle

Civil War museums, memorabilia and history buffs abound in the Gettysburg region, which seems like a no-brainer, right? But all lack one thing … you guessed it-cats!

Twin sisters Ruth and Rebecca Brown from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, got hooked on the Civil War in middle school. They started making soldiers out of modeling clay when they were 11 years old and always loved cats, so naturally, their first creations were cat soldiers. In uniform. With beards.

Now the sisters are living their dream and running the Civil War Tails diorama museum in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Their museum boasts a series of dioramas that give museum-goers a three-dimensional look at the Civil War-the battles, the living conditions, even the heartbreak-all rendered with a one-to-one ratio of miniature cat-soldiers and supporting characters (also feline in form).

The nearly-2,000 clay kitties are meticulously constructed and stand no taller than an inch. The sisters create each figure, often sharing personal stories that stem from their production in the museum's blog, appropriately titled, "Mewsings."

The museum celebrated its first anniversary this week, so in honor, we bring you some delightfully detailed images of the Civil War Tails dioramas. Click here to learn more about the museum (or to visit and see the kitties in person!).

Your eyes don't deceive you. Those are cats!

Fort Sumter during the second day of bombardment.

Capturing a quiet moment as a cat-soldier writes home.