Confederate Mona Lisa
By Doug York and Ronald S. Coddington Long before Vicksburg became ground zero in the federal campaign to control the Mississippi, the city thrived as an important transportation gateway. A
Recent Stories
Rare Profile Portrait of the Confederacy’s First General
By John O’Brien When the fledgling Confederate government formally announced the officers appointed general in the regular army, one name topped the list. It was not Bobby Lee or Joe
The Boat that Brought Stonewall Home: A unique panoramic view evokes the life and death of Gen. Thomas J. Jackson
By Warren “H” Shindle Since the earliest days of photography, practitioners created non-continuous sweeping outdoor views with multiple exposures. These separate, patch-worked together images documented city landscapes, such as a
The Origin of Military Images
By Harry Roach The genesis of MI began with two events in 1975 that had a huge impact for me. First, Mrs. Jan Saenger gave me an heirloom albumen print
A Few Minutes and a Street Block: A Massachusetts soldier recalls his wounding at Fredericksburg
By Scott Valentine On an inclement December eve at a Grand Army of the Republic meeting about 30 years after the war, veteran Josiah Murphey experienced a dull ache in
At Franklin, “Killed Dead:” Life and loss of a Georgia lieutenant
By Willis Treadwell with Ronald S. Coddington Following the crushing Confederate defeat at the Battle of Franklin, word of the long casualty lists trickled into communities across the South. Grief-stricken
Truth-Telling from the Civil War’s Silent Witnesses
We are often so consumed with the results of what a Civil War photographer created that the person behind the camera’s lens is ignored. These individuals who captured the war
The Virtuous Knight of the Orphan Brigade: Kentucky’s Lafayette Hewitt
By Brian Boeve and Rusty Hicks Some men were made for high rank, destined for renown as commanders who basked in glory in momentous battles. Others refrained from senior leadership,
Carried into Battle: Images that came under fire—and survived
Port Hudson: Taken from the Body of a Confederate One day in mid-1863, a Confederate soldier died—one of many who fell in defense of Port Hudson, La., the fortress city
Stars and Stripes
One can easily imagine that an adoring young lady handed this small flag to this handsome, clean-shaven boy as he marched through throngs of cheering citizens in his hometown. The