Lens of War grew out of an invitation to leading historians of the Civil War to select and reflect upon a single photograph. Each could choose any image and interpret it in personal and scholarly terms. The result is a remarkable set of essays by twenty-seven scholars whose numerous volumes on the Civil War have explored military, cultural, political, African American, women's, and environmental history.
The essays describe a wide array of photographs and present an eclectic approach to the assignment, organized by topic: Leaders, Soldiers, Civilians, Victims, and Places. Readers will rediscover familiar photographs and figures examined in unfamiliar ways, as well as discover little-known photographs that afford intriguing perspectives. All the images are reproduced with exquisite care. Readers fascinated by the Civil War will want this unique book on their shelves, and lovers of photography will value the images and the creative, evocative reflections offered in these essays.
"We view Alexander Gardner's famous 1865 close-up portrait of Lincoln, Mathew Brady's portrait of Ulysses S. Grant in 1864 after the Battle of Cold Harbor, Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveler, and Jeb Stuart in Confederate finery; in the accompanying essays we witness the rapture that these figures continue to cultivate in contemporary viewers. . . . Reading such entries, one is constantly reminde
Anthony W. Lee, The Journal of American History
"These unusually revealing Civil War letters vividly convey the hardships of camp life, the emotional highs and lows of the battlefield, and the various attachments to home, family, and community. Callaway was an articulate and perceptive observer of the conditions and people around him. This is a rich and very readable collection, superbly edited."
Edward L. Ayers, President, University of Richmond
"This collection of images, many of them familiar to Civil War enthusiasts, were selected to serve as a jumping-off point for the essays of twenty-seven scholars on topics suggested by the photos. The photos, topics, and essays are an eclectic mix. By themselves, many of the photos would seem unremarkable, but the often brilliantly written essays compel the reader to view the photos with a fresh p
