Looking at the Eclipse — October 1865

From Harper’s Weekly

(click on image to view larger version)

Harper’s Weekly - February 11, 1865

Photograph of the main eastern theater of war, the siege of Petersburg, June 1864-April 1865.

Photographer - John Reekie

Library of Congress information file and link to digital image file: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpb.01286

The Weekly Register (Lynchburg, Virginia) — May 16, 1864

We are gratified in being able to make the happy announcement that a regular system for a general exchange of prisoners is agreed upon, and will be immediately inaugurated.

Commissioner Ould returned on the 4th instant from Fortress Monroe, at which point he has been under a flag of truce, two or three days past, on business connected with his department, the result of which, is the resumption of the cartel, with the prospect under its provisions, of an immediate exchange of all the prisoners on both sides.

We congratulate the people of the Confederacy on the glad tidings of this announcement; but much more so our prisoners themselves, who have suffered so terribly, endured so heroically, and who deserve the generous and joyous reception we trust they will receive on their return, in the way of private greetings, as well as of popular demonstration.

The Weekly Register (Lynchburg, Virginia) — May 14, 1864

The report of the U. S. Commissary Gen. of Prisoners, accompanying the Secretary of War’s report, shows that the number of Con- federate officers and men captured by the Fed- erals since the beginning of the war is:

One lieutenant general, 5 major generals, 25 brigadier generals, 186 colonels, 146 lieutenant colonels, 244 majors, 2,497 captains, 6,814 lieu- tenants, 16,563 non-commissioned officers 121,156 privates, and 6,800 citizens. Of these they had on hand at the date of the report 29,229 officers and men, among whom were one major general and seven brigadiers. There had been 121,937 rebels exchanged against 110,866 Union men returned. The exchanges of officers on both sides are computed at their exchangeable value in privates. Since the date of the above report there have been less than one thousand exchanges, and very few captures on either side. The figures are, consequently, approximately correct. No statement has been furnished of the number of prisoners held by the Confederates.

The Mobile and Ohio railroad, badly damaged by Sherman, has been sufficiently repaired to admit the regular resumption of trains to Columbus, Miss.

With large digital copies of civil war — or other — photographs, it’s sometimes interesting to zoom in on different sections of images to more closely examin what is there.

The next image, cropped from the photo, shows a ghostly image of a man. This, of course, is someone who was moving during the long exposure required for photographs. He pause long enough to appear as an apparation superimposed over the background.

Part of an encampment can be seen on the right in the background, where the shapes of possibly five soldiers can be seen. Two are squatting; one is standing, reading a newspaper, it appears, with another fellow, possibly shirtless, standing next to him. On the left of this cropped image, there appears to be a a fifth soldier bending over at the waist. Parts of at least four tents can be made out as well as stacked arms — with at least five weapons with bayonets. Behind the soldiers on the left, there seems to be a part of the curve of a road.

In the picture below, a telegraph operator sits in the wagon, with a pen or pencil in his hand, writing.

Petersburg, Va. U.S. Military Telegraph battery wagon, Army of the Potomac headquarters

Photograph from the main eastern theater of war, the siege of Petersburg, June 1864-April 1865; MEDIUM: 1 negative : glass, wet collodion; CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1864 June; photographer: David Knox; Civil War photographs, 1861-1865; compiled by Hirst D. Milhollen and Donald H. Mugridge, Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1977. No. 0357; LOC digital image

Other sizes of this image are available on my flickr page for it.

Engine “Government” [Commodore?] down the “banks” near Brandy, April 1864

Photograph shows a train off the track laying on its side near Brandy Station, Virginia; MEDIUM: 1 photographic print : albumen; CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1864 April; Andrew J. Russell, photographer; Part of Russell’s Military installations, activities, and views, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Va., and vicinity (Library of Congress);

LOC online file: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.08273

The Dictator - sea coast mortor used in the siege of Petersburg, Virginia in 1864

Title: Petersburg, Va. The “Dictator”
Photograph from the main eastern theater of war, the siege of Petersburg, June 1864-April 1865; MEDIUM: 1 negative : glass, wet collodion; CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1864 October; Photographer: David Knox; Forms part of Selected Civil War photographs, 1861-1865 (Library of Congress); Digital image at LOC: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpb.03851

Fort Sumter, December 9th 1863, View of South East Angle

Interior view of Fort Sumter having undergone considerable damage. Soldiers sitting amongst rubble, hauling sacks, and climbing a ladder. Ripped flag flying.

1 drawing on tan paper, title and inscriptions on separate piece of tan paper : black and brown ink ; 28.2 x 33.6 cm. image.

CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1864 January 7.; John Ross Key, 1832-1920, artist.

Signed lower left of image : J.R. Key Jan. 7 64.; Title inscribed on separate paper below image.; Inscribed in brown ink on separate piece of paper : Weldon N.C. April 27th 1864. Approved G.T. Beauregard Genl. Com[dr]. Charleston April 22 1864. Approved D.B. [Harris?] Col & Inf Engr.

Library of Congress page: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a17165; Other images sizes are available on my flickr page for this image.

Fort Sumter, December 9th 1863, Interior view of Three Gun Battery

Interior of fort. Soldier in foreground stands next to cannon, surrounded by equipment & supplies necessary to fire it. Other soldiers and cannons in background.

1 drawing on white paper mounted on tan paper : black and brown ink ; 31.4 x 45.3 cm. (sheet).

CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1864 January 21.; John Ross Key, 1832-1920, artist.

Signed lower left of image : J.R. Key, Jun[e] 21/64.; Title inscribed on tan paper below image; Inscribed in brown ink lower left: Weldon, N.C. April 27 1864. Approved G.T. Beauregard Genl. Com[dr?]. Inscribed in brown ink lower right: Charleston April 22 1864. Approved by D.B. [Harris?] Col & Inf Engr.

Library of Congress page: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a09489; Other images sizes are available on my flickr page for this image.

1 drawing on brown paper : pencil and Chinese white ; 20.7 x 35.4 cm. (sheet).

Signed lower right: ALF. R. Waud.

Title inscribed on sheet.

Published in: Harper’s Weekly, September 5, 1863, p. 572.

1863 June 19.

Library of Congress Civil War Drawing Collection - file for this image

other image sizes available on my flickr pages for this image