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.
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