Portraits in Conflict: A Photographic History of Arkansas in the Civil War (review)

94CIVIL WAR HISTORY Reconstruction in Essex saw blacks enter politics and attempt to reshape their world, but Virginia's redemption ushered in the familiar interplay of race and class, segregation and discrimination. Slaughter casts Essex's slow decline into rural poverty in the best possible light, but oysters and pickles have hardly replaced tobacco as the agricultural basis ofthe county's economy . Slaughter includes a sensitive account ofthe civil rights movement in his narrative, a welcome rarity in local history books. Settlers, Southerners, Americans' broad focus and fresh approach make this a unique local history, one which should both satisfy and educate his local constituency, but to the professional historian, the volume is uneven and ultimately unsatisfying. Although the author attempted to include minorities in his history, the resulting narrative is still highly traditional. Slaughter did not consult valuable primary sources such as the census worksheets, Freedmen's Bureau records, or the files ofthe American Missionary Association, which might have shed more light on his subjects. He does not discuss the social impact of the war, nor does he investigate the roots of modern black political participation. Slaughter's short, choppy paragraphs and uneven transitions detract from his otherwise graceful style. A good copy editor might have smoothed over the gnarly split infinitives, frequent parentheses, and misspelled words. The author resorts to the amateurish continuous past tense to convey action. Essex County might have been better served had it chosen a more scholarly publishing house for its efforts. Despite these caveats, Settlers, Southerners, Americans successfully injects social history into traditional "moonlight and magnolias" local history, in the process enriching both genres, and perhaps pointing toward more polished syntheses. Stuart McGehee Bluefield College Portraits in Conflict: A Photographic History of Arkansas in the Civil War. By Bobby Roberts and Carl Moneyhon. (Fayetteville: The University of Arkansas Press, 1987. Pp. 242. Cloth, $37.00; paper, $22.00.) Among the many distinctions of the American Civil War, the use of the camera to visually document the conflict occupied an important place. What Matthew Brady did on a broad scale in the East, many lesser photographers attempted elsewhere. In Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History ofArkansas in the Civil War, Bobby Roberts and Carl Moneyhon BOOK REVIEWS95 present a portfolio of images from an obscure corner ofthe Trans Mississippi theater. Roberts directs the archives of the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Carl H. Moneyhon is a member ofthe Department of History of this same university. While the photographic legacy of Arkansas' role in the great sectional conflict was modest by standards set east ofthe Mississippi River, several photographers offered their services in this region. Individual enlistees, and newly mustered units, considered a pose before the camera to be an essential part ofthe ritual of war. Although the photographers of Confederate Arkansas soon exhausted their limited supply of chemicals, a new— Union—group accompanied the North's occupation force in 1863. R. H. White and Thomas W. Bankes were among the more prominent representatives . They photographed military installations, naval vessels, newly formed Union units among Arkansans, and hospitals. Hospitals played a vital part in the conflict in Arkansas, since this state possessed one of the most unhealthy climates for the war. Photos of freedmen are included, although lacking in quality. Battlefield scenes are unfortunately absent, aside from those at Helena. A few photographs of the aftermath of the Battle of Port Hudson, Louisiana, where Arkansans made a determined stand, capture some results of battle. The book concludes with images of the consequences ofthe war in Arkansas, to include patriotic societies and the moving experience in 1913 when survivors of both sides paraded together in Little Rock. The assembly of written and photographic sources for the study of Arkansas history has made great strides since World War II. This book reflects this advance on the latter side. Photographic sources for the study of military history often contribute measurably to the understanding of this field. Not only did the pioneer photographers capture military scenes in Arkansas but made possible the first comprehensive visual entree into the history of the state for any period. The text and captions that accompany the photographs in this volume are informative, although...