In this Book
- Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories
- Book
- 2004
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
summary
Archival images and biographical sketches of Union soldiers tell the stories of their lives during and after the Civil War.Before going off to fight in the Civil War, many soldiers on both sides of the conflict posed for a carte de visite, or visiting card, to give to their families, friends, or sweethearts. Invented in 1854 by a French photographer, the carte de visite was a small photographic print roughly the size of a modern trading card. The format arrived in America on the eve of the Civil War, which fueled intense demand for the convenient and affordable keepsakes. Considerable numbers of these portrait cards of Civil War soldiers survive today, but the experiences—and often the names—of the individuals portrayed have been lost to time. A passionate collector of Civil War–era photography, Ron Coddington became intrigued by these anonymous faces and began to research the history behind them in military records, pension files, and other public and personal documents.In Faces of the Civil War, Coddington presents 77 cartes de visite of Union soldiers from his collection and tells the stories of their lives during and after the war. The soldiers portrayed were wealthy and poor, educated and unschooled, native-born and immigrant, urban and rural. All were volunteers. Their personal stories reveal a tremendous diversity in their experience of war: many served with distinction, some were captured, some never saw combat while others saw little else. The lives of those who survived the war were even more disparate. While some made successful transitions back to civilian life, others suffered permanent physical and mental disabilities, which too often wrecked their families and careers. In compelling words and haunting pictures, Faces of the Civil War offers a unique perspective on the most dramatic and wrenching period in American history.
Table of Contents
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- Cartes de Visite
- p. 1
- Saving Old Ironsides
- pp. 4-6
- Wild About Harry
- pp. 10-12
- Political War
- pp. 16-17
- Pursuit of His Dream Interrupted
- pp. 18-19
- After His Return from the Front
- pp. 20-21
- In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
- pp. 22-23
- “He Was Wounded Bad”
- pp. 24-25
- “An Unusual Amount of Patriotism”
- pp. 26-28
- “Daring and Courage”
- pp. 29-31
- He Stayed at His Post
- pp. 32-33
- Officers’ Choice
- pp. 34-35
- Under the Shade of Beautiful Trees
- pp. 36-38
- Silent Homage
- pp. 39-41
- Distinguished Conduct
- pp. 42-44
- Wounded at Bristoe Station
- pp. 45-46
- Reinstated
- pp. 50-52
- Making a Scene
- pp. 53-55
- Hell’s Half Acre
- pp. 56-57
- Latitude 29°20', Longitude 75°30'
- pp. 58-59
- A Pension for the Old Man
- pp. 60-62
- Another Farmer Turned Artilleryman
- pp. 63-64
- “He Was Generally Broke Down”
- pp. 65-67
- He Heard the Call
- pp. 68-70
- In the Valley of the Shadow of Death
- pp. 71-73
- Tennessee Pioneer
- pp. 74-76
- Walt Whitman’s Boss
- pp. 77-79
- “Charge, Double Quick!”
- pp. 80-82
- The Fatal Forlorn Hope
- pp. 83-85
- The Second Storming of Port Hudson
- pp. 86-88
- Model Soldier and Citizen
- pp. 89-91
- Determined to Get Back into the War
- pp. 92-94
- Yielded Up His Life
- pp. 95-97
- Homeland Security
- pp. 98-100
- Caught in a Deadly Crossfire
- pp. 101-103
- Burning Ambition
- pp. 104-106
- Slightly Favored at First
- pp. 107-108
- Hot Skirmish before Pickett’s Charge
- pp. 109-111
- Escorting Rebel Prisoners after Gettysburg
- pp. 112-114
- Cursed Twice
- pp. 115-116
- Learning from Experience
- pp. 117-119
- Rear-Guard Action
- pp. 120-122
- Injured at Rappahannock Bridge
- pp. 123-125
- Saving a Skirmish Line at Chattanooga
- pp. 126-128
- Compelled to Leave the Service
- pp. 131-132
- “When Rebels and Rebellion Are No More”
- pp. 133-135
- Captured during Dahlgren’s Raid
- pp. 136-138
- Injured near Sabine Cross Roads
- pp. 139-141
- Three Generations of Warriors
- pp. 145-146
- The Route to Belle Plain
- pp. 147-149
- “P.S. The Fighting Today Was Terrible”
- pp. 150-152
- Tragedy Times Three
- pp. 153-154
- The Hero of Drewry’s Bluff
- pp. 155-157
- From Commissary to Combat
- pp. 158-160
- “Courageous to the Last”
- pp. 161-163
- Unsolved Mystery
- pp. 164-166
- Foraging in the Green Briar
- pp. 167-169
- Wounded after the Mine Explosion
- pp. 170-172
- Shot at the Crater
- pp. 173-175
- He Followed the Sea
- pp. 176-177
- On Assignment in New Orleans
- pp. 178-180
- A Fortuitous Meeting
- pp. 181-183
- “Dangerously Hurt Internally”
- pp. 184-186
- The Fighting Fifer
- pp. 187-189
- Horse Thief
- pp. 190-191
- The Order That Never Came
- pp. 192-193
- Answering the Call
- pp. 194-196
- Faithful and Meritorious Service
- pp. 197-198
- A Man to Be Counted On
- pp. 199-201
- “A Better Man Never Lived”
- pp. 202-204
- “Ever Afterwards My Enemy”
- pp. 205-207
- “He Was Determined to Die”
- pp. 208-210
- References
- pp. 239-243
- Acknowledgments
- pp. 245-246
Additional Information
ISBN
9781421410395
Related ISBN(s)
9780801878763
MARC Record
OCLC
607445510
Pages
280
Launched on MUSE
2012-12-20
Language
English
Open Access
No