Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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￯﾿ﾽand often the names￯﾿ﾽof the individuals portrayed have been lost to time. A passionate collector of Civil War￯﾿ﾽera 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.

SYNOPSIS

Before going off to fight in the Civil War, many Union soldiers posed for a carte de visite—a small photographic print roughly the size of a modern trading card—to give to their loved ones. Visual journalist Coddington presents enlarged versions of 77 of these prints taken from his personal collection, accompanied by descriptions of these men's lives during and after the war. The soldiers profiled represent a wide range of social and economic backgrounds, and their stories reveal a tremendous diversity in their experience of war. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Ron Coddington￯﾿ﾽs research is prodigious and his writing excellent. The biographical sketches of common soldiers in Faces of the Civil War are engaging and endlessly fascinating. He has made and is making an important addition to Civil War study, bringing to life ordinary men who stepped forward to fight for the Union.  — author of The 24th Wisconsin Infantry in the Civil War: The Biography of a Regiment

Edwin C. Bearss

A tour-de-force. The cartes de visite of soldiers proudly posed in their uniforms and the narratives of their lives, drawn from the veterans' service and pension records, enable the reader to better understand the grim realities that confronted Civil War soldiers and sailors on the battlefield, in camp, on the march, at the hospital, and also on the home front. — Chief Historian Emeritus, National Park Service

Bob Zeller

First-class storytelling that skillfully combines words and images to educate and fascinate at the same time. — president, Center for Civil War Photography, Florida

William J.K. Beaudot

Ron Coddington￯﾿ﾽs research is prodigious and his writing excellent. The biographical sketches of common soldiers in Faces of the Civil War are engaging and endlessly fascinating. He has made and is making an important addition to Civil War study, bringing to life ordinary men who stepped forward to fight for the Union.  — author of The 24th Wisconsin Infantry in the Civil War: The Biography of a Regiment

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