Guidebook to Our American Journey
I spend considerable time peering into the faces of a generation of Americans who lived and died long before I came into this world. Their likenesses, captured by photographic artists
Category: 2020 Autumn
The Art of Photo Sleuthing
By Kurt Luther Photography was the dominant form of professional portraiture during the Civil War. Its ubiquity owed in part to its high fidelity and low cost. However, other forms
A Chaplain and Two Soldiers
The belt and cap box worn by this unnamed volunteer tell a soldier’s story. His Southern-made leather belt with a two-piece Confederate buckle is flanked by two buttons that appear
Beaufort’s Mystery Photographer
By Adam Ochs Fleischer The focus of this installment is the backdrop used in the coastal city of Beaufort, S.C., at the beginning of the war. Its tropical scene is
Charley’s Album: A pocket-sized treasure recalls a Connecticut officer’s war experience
By Dione Longley and Buck Zaidel Civil War veterans acknowledged their military service as the most significant experience of their lives. They filled uncounted albums with photographs of their pards
Grant After Vicksburg: Solving the mystery of who took the general’s photograph
By James Bultema For collectors of images, playing detective by answering the “who, what, where, and when” in relation to one’s photograph, is very important in the process of assembling
Agent of the Cotton War
By Ron Maness, with images and artifacts from the author’s collection The root causes of the Civil War have been a topic of debate since the conflict unfolded. Editorials, scholarly
Caught in the Crossfire: A surgeon in Sherman’s Army between quarreling generals
By Frank Jastrzembski One summer’s day in 1864, fear gripped the medical director of the 16th Corps when a feisty brigadier threatened to end his life. The general, Thomas W.
Material Culture
By Ron Field During the decade before the Civil War, numerous volunteer militia companies drilled and paraded in uniforms based on those worn by the Continental Army, and patterned
Perfect Tiger: Connecticut’s Col. Elisha Strong Kellogg
By Dione Longley and Buck Zaidel, with images and artifacts from the Buck Zaidel Collection The 19th Connecticut Infantry’s first exposure to its new lieutenant colonel, Elisha Strong Kellogg, was