Compiled by an acclaimed Civil War historian, this beautiful volume illustrated with stunning photography examines America's deadliest conflict through the camera's lens.
The Civil War changed America forever. It shaped its future and determined its place in history. For the first time in military history, the camera was there to record these seismic events from innovations in military and naval warfare, to the battles themselves; the commanders at critical moments in the battle, and the ordinary soldier tentatively posing for his first ever portrait on the eve of battle.
Displaying many rare images unearthed by the author, an acclaimed Civil War historian, this beautiful volume explores how the camera bore witness to the dramatic events of the Civil War. It reveals not only how the first photographers plied their trade but also how photography helped shape the outcome of the war, and how it was reported to anxious families across the North and South.
Ron Field is an internationally acknowledged expert on US military history. Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1982, he taught History at Piedmont High School in California from 1982 to 1983, and was then Head of History at the Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water, UK, until his retirement in 2007. In 2005 he was elected a Fellow of the Company of Military Historians, based in Washington, DC, and was awarded its Emerson Writing Award in 2013.
Introduction
Opening Shots, 1859-61
Photography on the Home Front
Photography in Camp and Barracks
Photography at the Front
Photography in Maps and Documents
The Camera with the Navy
Closing Shots, 1865
Afterword
Glossary of Technical Terms
Notes & Bibliography
Index