In 1861, the art of photography came of age just as Civil War erupted and tore the United States apart. As a result, more than 2,000 photographers covered the conflict, making it the first historical event captured fully by the camera. Noted historian William C. Davis has chosen the finest of these images, enhancing the pictures with illuminating text that places them in context. Many of these evocative photos are rarely seen, and portray not only the battles and their tragic aftermath, but also the people caught in the devastation. "
Published to coincide with the 150th anniverary of the battle of Gettysburg, features both familiar and rarely seen Civil War images from such photographers as George Barnard, Mathew Brady, and Timothy O'Sullivan.
Great Photographs of the Civil War brings together in one volume the most evocative Civil War photographs ever published. The images--selected by Time Life editors from thousands of photographs preserved in museums and collections around the country--tell the epic story of a nation divided. Reflected here are the tireless efforts of pioneering photographers who used heavy equipment and portable darkrooms mounted on wagon beds to record this fateful struggle. The editors have assembled 300 gripping images, some of them recognized classics and others rarely seen, into 20 chronological photo essays. Here, the crucial events of the war, from the bloodiest day at Antietam and the Confederate high tide at Gettysburg to the battles for Atlanta and the climactic siege of Petersburg, are conveyed with power and precision in the defining photographs of the conflict that redefined our nation.
In presenting the Photographic Sketch Book of the War to the attention of the public, it is designed that it shall speak for itself. The omission, therefore, of any remarks by way of preface might well be justified; and yet, perhaps, a few introductory words may not be amiss. As mementoes of the fearful struggle through which the country has just passed, it is confidently hoped that the following pages will possess an enduring interest. Localities that would scarcely have been known, and probably never remembered, save in their immediate vicinity, have become celebrated, and will ever be held sacred as memorable fields, where thousands of brave men yielded up their lives a willing sacrifice for the cause they had espoused. Verbal representations of such places, or scenes, may or may not have the merit of accuracy; but photographic presentments of them will be accepted by posterity with an undoubting faith. During the four years of the war, almost every point of importance has been photographed, and the collection from which these views have been selected amounts to nearly three thousand.
The name TIME-LIFE has become synonymous with providing readers with a deeper understanding of subjects and world events that matter to us all. Now, with the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War upon us, TIME-LIFE The Civil War in 500 Photographs will be an indispensable guide to a nation-changing era and the military, social, economic, and political forces that shaped it. The narrative of the Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, is familiarly to almost all Americans, from Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln's noble declaration that "the government cannot endure permanently half-slave, half-free" to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Yet the details of the battles and battlefields, the political maneuverings, and the personalities who defined the war continue to fascinate citizens of all ages. TIME-LIFE The Civil War in 500 Photographs taps into that into that interest, providing a fresh and accessible way to appreciate this most important conflict. It will lay out the war's major developments in arresting, colorized images and cover topics from the backstory through secession, the Union's early setbacks, the Underground Railroad, victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and Reconstruction. For history buffs and the newly curious, The Civil War in 500 Photographs will be the ultimate, easy-to-use guide to four years that changed our nation forever.
This volume contains one hundred of the greatest war pictures ever taken. Union troops in battle, Lincoln at Antietam, the ruins of Richmond, Lee's surrender at Appomattox, and more. It became the Civil War's best-known visual record and helped define how viewers would come to know the war. This classic also became foundational in the history of American photography, combining, for the first time, words and images in a sophisticated and moving account.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
