HIS 131 - American History I: Civil War Photography

The American Civil War, however, altered both the face of warfare and of war photography. Like their European predecessors, American cameramen captured initially on glass the eager faces of volunteer soldiers, the martial postures of officers, tented camps, gun emplacements and landscapes scarred by earthworks.

The photographers who documented the Civil War changed forever the way Americans looked at war. A look at some of the photographers and their work is offered.

According to Field, "early war regiments often received some elements of uniform and clothing before they got their weapons and accouterments. According to collector David W. Vaughan, photographers at that time "perceived themselves as artists but were first and foremost entrepreneurs," and would have sought to make money through quality portraits.