The Civil War took place from 1861 to 1865 on American soil. Through these years, there was photographers on the battlefield capturing important moments. Obviously, the process wasn’t as easy as it is now. Photography in the Civil War was important for jobs, for people off the battlefield to see what was occurring, and for the primary sources with the photographs we have now. Matthew Brady was one of the most famous photographers during this time. He was the “father of photojournalism” (civilwar.org). There are thousands of photographs of camp life taken by Brady. Brady also took portraits of important political figures like Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. He was born in Warren County, New York, and his parents were Irish immigrants …show more content…
The process took longer, but the citizens sure did appreciate it. Bob Keller, president of the Center of Civil War, states, “It (photographs) was their most visceral, closest link to their loved ones.” There were around five thousand photographers by the time the war broke out, so there were millions of photos being taken. These photos were displayed in mostly New York City and Washington D.C., and later were engraved into magazines and newspapers (Eric Niier). The photographs are sometimes compared to the live videos of the Vietnam war in the late twentieth century, and how they are compared (civilwar,org). The process to get these photos was long. First of all, their equipment was very heavy and hard to carry around. Then, the process called the wet-plate process had to occur. The mixture of dangerous chemicals (collodion) is used to coat the plate glass to make it sensible to the light. In the darkroom, next, you put the plate in silver nitrate, put it in a light-tight container, and then put it in the camera. Then, the cap of the camera was removed for two to three seconds, so the plate can be exposed to the light. This imprinted the image on the plate. Then the photographers took the plate, next, to the darkroom and developed the image in pyrogallic acid. To protect, they washed it with water and put a coat of varnish on it. This image can now be printed on paper and mounted. Some historians call the Civil War the “true watershed moment in the history of
It was a long, drawn-out process that was being planned for months after the Civil War ended. Works Cited "American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. -. Web.
The Civil War had a very large affect on all of the States. It changed men from gentlemen that went to church every Sunday and never cussed to people who rarely went to church and cussed all the time. Some of the people in the war were also very corrupt and did not do things as they should be done. The way that the enemy was looked at was even changed. All of these things were talked about in "The Civil War Diary of Cyrus F. Boyd".
"A picture is worth a thousand words," we say. From the eyes and mind of the archivist studying the pictures of Robert Ross' experience with war, they are worth a lot more. The photographs in the epilogue of Timothy Findley's "The Wars" play an important role in Findley establishing both a trust with the reader, and a sense of realism to his war story. This satisfies the need for realism in his tale. The result of this image that is brought forth through the medium of the photograph, is that we are forced to see the "before" and "after" of Roberts "experience" and figure out our way through what is deposited in between: the cause and effect.
There are many different ways in which the war was represented to the public, including drawings, newspaper articles, and detailed stereographs. Stereographs such as John Reekie’s “The Burial Party” invoked mixed feelings from all of those who viewed it. It confronts the deaths caused by the Civil War as well as touches upon the controversial issue over what would happen to the slaves once they had been emancipated. This picture represents the Civil War as a trade-off of lives- fallen soldiers gave their lives so that enslaved black men and women could be given back their own, even if that life wasn’t that different from slavery. In his carefully constructed stereograph “The Burial Party,” John Reekie confronts the uncertainty behind the newly
The Civil War was unlike any other war ever fought in America and had many effects on the home front for both the North and the South. It is stated to be the first ever total war, which is a war against not only the civilians but also the armies. The Civil War is also considered the first modern war fought by the U.S. troops. Lincoln asked volunteers to sign up for only three months. Many people thought the war wouldn’t last long. However, the war continued on for four years. The Union armies had around 2,500,000 to 2,750,000 men and the Confederate army had approximately 750,000 to 1,250,000 men. The entire North and South society was affected by the war and desired for many social and economic assets. The Civil war brought new military techniques which caused the armaments to be more destructive. Ironclad ships and railroads were sufficiently used within the war. The north had a motive; they wanted to weaken the South’s longing to victory. The North tried to achieve this last motive by inflicting wholesale destruction upon the South (Janda, 1995). More than a hundred people seemed to be spies or secessionists in Maryland. In time, they were arrested due to not being faithful to the union and their state. Pro-secessionist newspapers were shut down, and telegrams and mail were censored (Perret, 2004).
Brought into this world on October 17, 1821, Alexander Gardner’s work as a Civil War photographer has often been accredited to his mentor, the better-known Mathew Brady. Only recently has the true extent of Alexander Gardner’s work been acknowledged, receiving the credit that has been long overdue. Born in Paisley, Scotland, Gardner and his family were quite the movers. Relocating to Glasgow, Scotland, shortly after his birth, and later in 1850, to the United States with his brother James in attempt to establish a community in Iowa (CWO). In need of more money to fund the establishment, Gardner returned back to Glasgow and purchased what would soon become one of largest newspapers in the city, and one of the most known newspapers in the entire country, the Glasgow Sentinel. The newspaper made a considerable amount of profit for Gardner and he returned to the United States a year later in 1851, but this time paying another state a visit, New York.
Shaw, William B., et al. A Photographic History of the Civil War. Six Volumes. New York, New York: The Blue and Grey Press, 1987.
Upon his arrival in America, Brady had opened a gallery of Mr. Daguerre’s photographs named the “Daguerrean Miniature Gallery,” which could be found intersecting Broadway and Fulton in New York, This event occurred in 1844. Later that very same year Brady entered and won an annual fair of the “American Institute,” He won first place. Brady’s second gallery, “A Gallery of Illustrious Americans,” which featured the most well-known men and women of Brady’s day and age (including Robert E. Lee and Abraham “Abe” Lincoln, who later used Brady’s photographs for support in campaigning for presidency over America) was not published until 1850.
“War at its basic level has always been about soldiers. Nations rose and fell on the strength of their armies and the men who filled the ranks.” This is a very powerful quote, especially for the yet young country of the United States, for it gives credit where credit is truly due: to the men who carried out the orders from their superiors, gave their blood, sweat and tears, and in millions of cases their lives while fighting for ideals that they believed their country or government was founded upon, and to ensure the continuation of these ideals. Up until the end of the 20th Century, they did so in the worst of conditions, and this includes not only the battle scene, but also every day life. In this essay, I will examine the daily life of the Civil War soldier, including: identifying WHO he was, drill and training, camp life, supplies he used, clothes he wore, food he ate, on the battlefield, psychological aspects including morale and his attitude toward the war, and his sexual life. That’s right, you read it correctly: HIS SEX LIFE!
The Civil War had many large technological advancements that would greatly evolve warfare. The war introduced the first ironclad ships, the first repeating rifles and carbines, and the first metallic rifle and pistol cartridges. The military didn't solely rely on this new technology, however. Older weapons and other tools were still trusted, such as paper cartridges and smoothbore muskets.
One of the most colorful characters of the Civil War was a General named William T. Sherman. During the period of the war (1861-1865), General Sherman went full circle from being forced to retire on trumped up charges that he was insane, to becoming a key player in bringing this bloody war to a close. He entered the annals of military history as one of the greatest and most distinguished generals of all time. William T. Sherman was born to Charles N. Sherman and Mary Hoyt Sherman in Lancaster, Ohio, on February 8, 1820. General Sherman can trace his family history back to England.
Life during the Civil War was not a pleasant time. There was basically utter chaos
Another important person would be Major General George Sykes. He was born on October 9th, 1822 in Dover, Delaware. He graduated from West Point with the Class of 1842 and from there he went to Florida to join in on the second Seminole war. Governor William Burton served in many states during the Civil War, like New Mexico and Texas. He was considered one of the best officers in the Army. In the regular army he was known as “Tardy George.” General George Sykes died while he was in the army on active duty in Texas as the 20th
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took the first photograph in 1827 but the process took almost 8 hours and the picture still came out fuzzy. “Photographers had to carry all of their heavy equipment, including their darkroom, by wagon. They also had to be prepared to process cumbersome light-sensitive images in cramped wagons.”As a result of this long process it was way too much of a hassle to use photography at the time. As technology advanced photographers in the Civil War were the first to figure out how powerful the use of photography would be. The view of wars from that point on were changed forever because of the photos that were taken at the Civil War. It is said that, “...the Civil War became a true watershed moment in the history of
"Smithsonian Curator Looks at Civil War's Influence on American Art." VTDigger. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.