The Visual Documentation of Antietam: Peaceful Settings, Morbid Curiosity, and a Profitable Business Kristilyn Baldwin
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Volume 1 Article 3 2010 The iV sual Documentation of Antietam: Peaceful Settings, Morbid Curiosity, and a Profitable Business Kristilyn Baldwin Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe Part of the United States History Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Baldwin, Kristilyn (2010) "The iV sual Documentation of Antietam: Peaceful Settings, Morbid Curiosity, and a Profitable Business," The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era: Vol. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe/vol1/iss1/3 This open access article is brought to you by The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The uC pola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The iV sual Documentation of Antietam: Peaceful Settings, Morbid Curiosity, and a Profitable Business Abstract On September 17, 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia into Sharpsburg, Maryland to confront Federal General George McClellan and the Army of the Potomac. The battle that followed became the single bloodiest day in American history. There were approximately 25,000 American casualties and battlefields were left in desolation, strewn with corpses needing burial. The aB ttle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, is a well-documented and important battle of the ivC il War. Endless research has been done regarding its impact on the war, military strategies, and politics. However, there is a unique aspect of Antietam which merits closer attention: its visual documentation. [excerpt] Keywords Civil War, Antietam, visual documentation, battlefield sketches, battlefield photographs This article is available in The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe/vol1/iss1/3 The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era 1 The Visual Documentation of Antietam: Peaceful Settings, Morbid Curiosity, and a Profitable Business Kristilyn Baldwin On September 17, 1862, Confederate photographs. Sketches became widely General Robert E. Lee led the Army accessible, giving sketch artists the chance of Northern Virginia into Sharpsburg, to editorialize whatever aspect they deemed Maryland to confront Federal General important. Some images depicted more George McClellan and the Army of the realism than others, but oftentimes they Potomac. The battle that followed became reflected the artist’s opinion. Political the single bloodiest day in American cartoons, for example, which have been history. There were approximately 25,000 utilized in the United States since before American casualties and battlefields were the Revolution, were wildly popular during left in desolation, strewn with corpses this time. Photography was simply the needing burial.2 The Battle of Antietam, next step in war documentation. It gave or Sharpsburg, is a well-documented and sketch artists a new foundation to work important battle of the Civil War. Endless from, and brought the curious public a new research has been done regarding its impact level of objectivity. Battlefield photos were on the war, military strategies, and politics. frequently reproduced using wood carvings, However, there is a unique aspect of enabling mass publication in newspapers Antietam which merits closer attention: like Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper and its visual documentation. Harper’s Weekly. These popular printed circulations made images of the war Artists have been creating battlefield easily accessible. paintings for centuries, making it an art form of its own.3 However, the Antietam was the first battle ever to mass production of such paintings was be documented photographically. The completely impractical and, unless resulting images allowed the public to see displayed in public, they were rarely seen. the devastation of war for the first time. Technological advances, like cameras and Like later photographs of the period, the the printing press, made mass distribution images captured at Antietam brought of materials much more efficient. Such “reality” to the civilian population. Unlike development came about in the mid-1800s, a sketch, a photograph is sometimes just before the Civil War, making it the first considered a complete, accurate, and publically visible war. unbiased replica of the target. But is this true of Antietam photographs? Author The Battle of Antietam, and other Civil Alison Devine Nordstrom says, “The War battles, were visually documented illusion of reality and inclusiveness which using two basic forms: sketches and 1. I would like to thank Dr. Brooks D. Simpson, Foundation Professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University, for his guidance and support. Figure 1: Antietam, Maryland. A lone grave, photograph by Alexander Gardner, from the Library of Congress Prints 2. Stephen W. Sears, Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam (New Haven: Ticknor & Fields, 1983). and Photographs Division. 3. Alfred Vagts, “Battle-Scenes and Picture-Politics,” Military Affairs 5 (Summer 1941): 87-103. The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era 1 The Visual Documentation of Antietam: Peaceful Settings, Morbid Curiosity, and a Profitable Business Kristilyn Baldwin On September 17, 1862, Confederate photographs. Sketches became widely General Robert E. Lee led the Army accessible, giving sketch artists the chance of Northern Virginia into Sharpsburg, to editorialize whatever aspect they deemed Maryland to confront Federal General important. Some images depicted more George McClellan and the Army of the realism than others, but oftentimes they Potomac. The battle that followed became reflected the artist’s opinion. Political the single bloodiest day in American cartoons, for example, which have been history. There were approximately 25,000 utilized in the United States since before American casualties and battlefields were the Revolution, were wildly popular during left in desolation, strewn with corpses this time. Photography was simply the needing burial.2 The Battle of Antietam, next step in war documentation. It gave or Sharpsburg, is a well-documented and sketch artists a new foundation to work important battle of the Civil War. Endless from, and brought the curious public a new research has been done regarding its impact level of objectivity. Battlefield photos were on the war, military strategies, and politics. frequently reproduced using wood carvings, However, there is a unique aspect of enabling mass publication in newspapers Antietam which merits closer attention: like Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper and its visual documentation. Harper’s Weekly. These popular printed circulations made images of the war Artists have been creating battlefield easily accessible. paintings for centuries, making it an art form of its own.3 However, the Antietam was the first battle ever to mass production of such paintings was be documented photographically. The completely impractical and, unless resulting images allowed the public to see displayed in public, they were rarely seen. the devastation of war for the first time. Technological advances, like cameras and Like later photographs of the period, the the printing press, made mass distribution images captured at Antietam brought of materials much more efficient. Such “reality” to the civilian population. Unlike development came about in the mid-1800s, a sketch, a photograph is sometimes just before the Civil War, making it the first considered a complete, accurate, and publically visible war. unbiased replica of the target. But is this true of Antietam photographs? Author The Battle of Antietam, and other Civil Alison Devine Nordstrom says, “The War battles, were visually documented illusion of reality and inclusiveness which using two basic forms: sketches and 1. I would like to thank Dr. Brooks D. Simpson, Foundation Professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University, for his guidance and support. Figure 1: Antietam, Maryland. A lone grave, photograph by Alexander Gardner, from the Library of Congress Prints 2. Stephen W. Sears, Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam (New Haven: Ticknor & Fields, 1983). and Photographs Division. 3. Alfred Vagts, “Battle-Scenes and Picture-Politics,” Military Affairs 5 (Summer 1941): 87-103. 2 3 Figure 3: Home of a rebel sharpshooter, photograph by Alexander Gardner, July 1863, from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. photographs convey is a large part of their pastoral tone because the public needed power and effectiveness . but their to see the war through such lenses. It is inevitable distortion of actuality encourages important to remember that the people of us to read them with care.”4 It has been the North had fathers, brothers, husbands, well documented that some photographs, sons, and all manner of loved ones fighting like “A Sharpshooter’s Last Sleep,” taken in these battles. Their only perception of by photographer Alexander Gardner in the events came from the few letters they 1863, were inaccurate, falsified images. It received and skewed newspaper articles. is believed that the body of the decedent Second, some people simply had a morbid was moved prior to the photograph being curiosity. Mathew Brady’s exhibit in New taken.5 Although there is no evidence York, called The Dead of Antietam, created to suggest Antietam photographs were quite a response from the public and