I’ve heard from a number of you about the cover story in our last issue, “Wounded Warriors.” The gist of the comments: Seeing soldiers and sailors with amputated limbs brought an uncomfortable and upsetting reminder of the horrors of war.
I had a similar reaction during the development of the story. Curating dozens of photographs of identified men with damaged or missing limbs—posed with slings, crutches, or seated in wheelchairs—and researching their stories proved a sobering experience. Anne, my wife, who assists in the post-production process, expressed similar emotions.
Poring over these images forces us to confront the brutal truth of war’s toll.
Reflecting on your responses and my own reactions, I found myself wondering how our emotions compare to those of Americans who viewed Brady’s photographs of slain soldiers on the battlefield. I’m reminded of the often-quoted New York Times editorial, “Pictures of the Dead at Antietam,” published on October 20, 1862. The essayist described crowds staring silently at the photographs with “terrible fascination,” absorbing the “terrible distinctness” of faces and features.
Are we really so different today? Human nature suggests the same impulses that stirred Americans in 1862 move us still, more than 160 years later.
The power of photography—then and now—remains undeniable. And when we feel that power, we confirm the value these images held for the Civil War generation, for our shared history, and for our collective memory.
One more point to consider. The portraits in “Wounded Warriors” were not the photographs commissioned by the military medical establishment during the latter part of the war. The soldiers acted for themselves. They chose to be photographed. It is fair to state they wanted their families, friends, and comrades to know they had survived a battle wound—and in doing so, revealed the awful reality behind a bullet, ball, or shell.
Whether or not they imagined future generations would come to revere the images they left behind is unknown. But what is clear is this: these haunting photographs continue to speak to us across time, reminding us of courage, sacrifice, and the enduring cost of war.
Ronald S. Coddington
Editor & Publisher
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