Learn more about photography during the Civil War, from techniques used in the 1860s — including 3-D photography — to what photos can reveal about battles to tips on taking photos yourself on the battlefield.
Explore Photography
Step Into Ulysses S. Grant's Council of War
On May 21, 1864 war photographer Timothy O'Sullivan took a series of photos of Ulysses S. Grant's Council of War during the Overland Campaign. The...
Step Into The Sunken Road at Fredericksburg
Kris White visits the location of Andrew Russell's famous 1863 photograph at the Sunken Road after the Second Battle of Fredericksburg. View the 360°...
Step Into The Gettysburg Address
Garry Adelman and Chris Gwinn visit the location where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address and "step in" to the famous 1863 photograph. View...
Lost In the Mail: Dead Letter Office Photos
Not all Civil War letters and photographs met the hands of their target recipients, but the Dead Letter Office offered a second-chance of uniting...
John L. Burns
John Lawrence Burns was born in Burlington, New Jersey , on September 5, 1793 . He is sai d to have beg u n his military service after he enlisted in...
Artillery at Antietam: Step Into this Historic Photo
On September 20, 1862, Alexander Gardner arrived at the Antietam Battlefield to photograph the aftermath of the bloodiest day in American history...
More About Photography
- The Overland Campaign on Paper and Glass »
- Alexander Gardner »
- In Through the Camera's Lens: Savage Station »
- Showing a Battlefield in its Best Light »
- Book: Antietam in 3-D »
- Bound for Freedom's Light: African Americans in the Civil War »
- The East Woods in Photos »
- President Lincoln at the National Portrait Gallery »