Literacy rates were high on both sides during the Civil War—about 90 ... Paintings I ever saw.” After crossing the Potomac, the infantrymen marched to Alexandria, Virginia.

Scores of high-spirited civilians carried picnic baskets and champagne to the battlefield to watch what would turn out to be the first major land engagement of the Civil War. Shown here is the ...

as he utilized new photographic techniques and equipment to create powerful images that left a lasting impact on the visual documentation of historical events. For the first year of the Civil War ...