Garry Adelman’s Selected Civil War Photography Books

By Garry Adelman · Originally published November 2018 · p. 23

Garry Adelman From the time technology allowed for the mass-production of half-tone photographs, publishers have offered Civil War photography books. Miller’s Photographic History of the Civil War (1911) led the way with a massive ten-volume set that remains invaluable to Civil War historians. Several more studies, with most targeting Mathew Brady or Abraham Lincoln emerged in the following decades. In the last quarter of the last century, William A. Frassanito started a Civil War photo renaissance of sorts with his masterful trilogy covering documentary photography with his landmark Gettysburg: A Journey in Time (1975), followed by Antietam: The Photographic Legacy of America’s Bloodiest Day (1978) and Grant and Lee: The Virginia Campaigns 1864– 1865 (1986). During this period, William C. “Jack” Davis oversaw the best photo assemblies to date with his six-volume Image of War series (1981-4) and two-volume Touched by Fire (1985-6). Since then, numerous authors have produced works that have advanced the modern field of study pioneered by Frassanito— the careful examination of photos coupled with a dogged pursuit of primary sources to learn who took which photos when, where and how. This approach not only helps one learn more about the people and places relevant to Civil War Photography, but helps people glean so much that one can to some extent travel back to the moment of exposure—when the light hit the glass or iron plate in the camera—and create for the reader, as Frassanito put it, “a journey in time.” While several works in the last 26 years have attempted to impress, shock or inform readers, the following are my favorites in order of release. Early Photography at Gettysburg. By William A. Frassanito. 436 pp., 1995. Thomas Publications. Twenty years after his first Gettysburg book, Frassanito produced this massive companion to not only expand upon the subject but to bring to readers two decades of new information, photos and discoveries, many of which were made because of his Gettysburg: A Journey in Time. In this book, Frassanito continues to employ his “then & now” approach paired with simple maps as he delves into Gettysburg’s photographic coverage, packing in more detail than perhaps any other Gettysburg book. From soldiers, civilians, and photographers to buildings, boulders and battlefield features, he covers it all and covers it well, unveiling new insights that help readers not only understand how the battlefield looked in the 1860s, but what it was like. Charleston at War. By Jack Thomson. 240 pp., 2000. Thomas Publications. In this work, the late Jack Thomson applied Frassanito’s approach to the great city of Charleston (and not including the nearby famous forts). He presents a detailed work of one of the Civil War’s most photographed cities. He collected old photos from numerous sources and amply employed the use of shadows to establish dates for these photos. His modern photos are spot-on. And Jack loved telling stories of his adopted city and the book is replete with these as readers follow a young resident from the birth of secession to a city under fire to the eventual Federal occupation. Charleston’s stories are even more compelling while seeing the subjects of the particular stories over time. With a book title conjured by Frassanito himself and the maps by yours truly, I was all but bound to enjoy this book. Happily, it was never a stretch. The Blue and Gray in Black and White. By Bob Zeller. 224 pp., 2005. Praeger. Bob Zeller’s masterwork covers the whole subject and through his stylish and accessible writing readers can go on a journey from the era of American Daguerreotype, to the emergence of stereo (3-D) photography, to the first shots at Fort Sumter, to the birth of photojournalism, to the most thorough treatment of the dawn of combat photography. The major photo series are addressed—Manassas, Gettysburg, Chattanooga, Fredericksburg, Antietam, Atlanta, Richmond, Petersburg—and the confusing photo formats, the complex distribution system and the movements of the photographers—are all presented with ease. If you want to understand Civil War photography and photographers, locate and read this book; there is no other like it. A Very Fine Appearance: By Donald Wickman. 236 pp., 2011. Vermont Historical Society. With this book, Don Wickman has done us all a great service by presenting scores of photos by Vermont photographer George Houghton that had never appeared on the printed page. Houghton accompanied Vermont soldiers to the Washington, D.C. area, and to the seat of war on the Virginia Peninsula while amassing an unparalleled body of photographs. From the raw soldiers, to fresh graves from the Vermonters’ first fight near Yorktown, to an enslaved family, and to my favorite photo of General Winfield Scott Hancock, Houghton’s coverage was extensive and Wickman presents it beautifully. Houghton’s soldier group photos come to life through Wickman’s use of captions and text through which readers get to know these Green Mountain boys. The photo quality is excellent and the book attractively designed to boot! Garry Adelman is the award-winning author, co-author or editor of 20 Civil War books or booklets including Manassas Battlefields Then & Now, Gettysburg In 3-D, Antietam Then & Now, Devil’s Den: A History and Guide and several 99 Historic Images of…” booklets. He is the vice president of the Center for Civil War Photography and has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg for 24 years. He has appeared on numerous productions shown on the BBC, C-Span, Pennsylvania Cable Network and on HISTORY. He works full time as Director of History and Education at the American Battlefield Trust.