Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Alabama in the Civil War

Preface and Acknowledgments

This is the tenth volume in the series of photographic histories of the South during the Civil War. Like the previous volumes, it seeks to give that con- flict a human face by presenting the reader an array of still images that preserve the faces of some of the actual participants. Photographs are a valuable primary source, but for the Civil War period—during which they first became widely made—they are often in short supply.Therefore,the images selected for this volume highlight only a narrow sample of the people involved. Nevertheless, the following chapters place these photographs in an historical context that enables the reader to see the war unfold, however unevenly.In telling this story the author has made extensive use of the compiled service records (mercifully digitized by the staff at the Alabama Department of Archives and History) as well as numerous other sources. While this book is hardly an exhaustive study of the war in Alabama or for Alabamians, it does stand as the most thorough overview of the state during that national ordeal. Over the more than five years that I worked on this project, I took desperate comfort in believing that if this book was ever going to be written,then it was already written, and thus to God goes all of the glory. Nonetheless, I am indebted to a great many people who assisted me along the way.First and foremost , I thank Bob Bradley, a curator at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. From the beginning,Bob guided me through that institution’s prodigious collection of photographs (about half of the images presented here come from the state archives). Moreover, he read the entire manuscript, offering insights and suggestions that improved the final product.Finally,he provided the kind of scholarly friendship that makes research a pleasure; I continue to enjoy our many conversations about the Civil War. Other members of the state archives to whom I am indebted include Meredith McLemore, who speedily uploaded hundreds of digital images, and Norwood Kerr, who offered ready assistance whenever I came into the research room. Another person who deserves many thanks is the late Arthur W. Bergeron, who as a reference historian at the U.S. Army Military History Institute (U.S.A.M.H.I.) smoothed the way for me to acquire vii Preface and Acknowledgments many excellent photographs from that repository. In the late s Art actually took on this book assignment,but other obligations interceded.When I resurrected the project in , Art generously gave me everything that he had collected up to that point, including photocopies of relevant articles from the Confederate Veteran and a list of possible private donors. I also found of tremendous value his outstanding book Confederate Mobile (). Sadly, I never got the chance to meet Dr. Bergeron in person.Also of much help from the U.S.A.M.H.I. were Clifton P. Hyatt and Robert M. Mages. Many other folks at various public institutions deserve praise. I wish to thank Marina Klaric of the W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library at the University of Alabama; Blanton Blankenship of the Fort Morgan Museum; Christine Cramer of the Historic Mobile Preservation Society; DonVeasy of the Birmingham Public Library; Dwayne Cox and Joyce Hicks of the Special Collections Library at Auburn University; Carol Ellis of the University of South Alabama Archives; Kelly M. Kennington of Duke University; Bill Rambo of Confederate Memorial Park; Guy Hubbs of Birmingham Southern College; Rebekah Davis of the Limestone County Archives; Adam Watson of the State Archives of Florida; and from my own institution —Auburn University, Montgomery—Fariba S. Deravi, who handled my Grant-in-Aid account, and Jason Kneip and Samantha McNeilly from the school’s special collections, both of whom not only endured my frequent and sudden appearances but also allowed me first dibs on a nearly complete, albeit dilapidated, set of the Official Records that had been slated for the trash. Numerous private citizens also deserve acknowledgment for either donating one or more photo graphs or for steering me toward useful sources. Among the former, I thank Norman E. Rourke, DavidWynnVaughan,WayneWood,Don T.Griffin, John Lloyd and Craig T. Sheldon, John C. Carter, Rayford L. Cannon, Steven R. Butler, Roy H. Bunn, Al Zachry,Wilbur and Illene Thompson,Reita Jones Burress,Barry Lee Collins,Carl S.Smith,J.D.Weeks, and John K. Folmar I. Among the latter, I thank John H. Napier III, Ed...