Union Dead From Confederate Cannon Canister on July 3, 1863

Union Dead From Confederate Cannon Canister on July 3, 1863

Bloated bodies of Union dead after all being killed at once from a Confederate cannon canister shot.

The camera was taken into the wheat-field near the extreme left of the Union line. The heroes had been dead about nineteen hours. It will be observed that their bodies are already much bloated by exposure to the sun. These men were killed on July 3, 1863, by one discharge of "canister" from a Confederate cannon which they were attempting to capture. Tin cans were filled with small balls about the size of marbles and when the cannon was fired the force of the discharge burst open the can, and the shower of canister balls swept everything before it. When this photograph was taken a detail had already passed over the field, and gathered the guns and accoutrements of the dead and wounded. Shoes, cartridge belts and canteens have been removed from these dead heroes as it was frequently necessary to appropriate them to relieve the needs of the living soldiers. From diamond at extreme right of picture these men are identified as belonging to the second division of third army corps.

Rare Photo of the Union Army of 100,000 Men & Camp Along the Pamunky River in 1862

Rare Photo of the Union Army of 100,000 Men's Camp Along the Pamunky River in 1862

The rare photograph was taken on a day in the middle of May in 1862 when the Army of the Potomac was encamped at Cumberland Landing on the Pamunky River. A hundred thousand men rested in this city of tents, 


   THIS photograph is selected from the seven thousand negatives left by Mathew B. Brady, the celebrated government photographer, as one of the most valuable in existence. It seems to be the first instance on the Western Continent, and possibly in the world, in which a camera successfully imprinted on glass the actual vision of a great army in camp. While scenes such as this are engraved on the memories of the venerable warriors who participated in the terrific struggle this remarkable negative preserves for all ages the magnificent pageant of men, who have offered their lives in defense of their country, waiting for the call to the battle-line. The photograph was taken on a day in the middle of May in 1862 when the Army of the Potomac was encamped at Cumberland Landing on the Pamunky River. A hundred thousand men rested in this city of tents, in the seclusion of the hills, eager to strike a blow for the flag they loved, yet such was the tragic stillness that one who recalls it says that absolute quiet reigned throughout the vast concourse like the peace of the Sabbath-day. On every side were immense fields of wheat, promising an abundant harvest, but trammeled under the feet of the encroaching armies. Occasionally the silence was broken by the strains of a national song that swept from tent to tent as the men smoked and drowsed, fearless of the morrow. The encampment covered many square miles and this picture represents but one brigade on the old Custis place, near White House, which became the estate of General Fitzhugh Lee, the indomitable cavalry leader of the Confederacy and an American patriot during the later war with Spain. The original negative, although now forty-five years old, has required but slight retouching in the background.

Civil War Union Army Uniforms Illustrated

Civil War Union Army Uniforms Illustrated

Images and Facts About Union Army Uniforms

UNITED STATES UNIFORMS IN THE CIVIL WAR

REG. CAVALRY PRIVATE.

GEN. GRANT'S UNIFORM.

ARTILLERY LINE OFFICER.

DURYEA'S ZOUAVE.

HAWKIN'S ZOUAVE.

REG. INFANTRY PRIVATE.

DURYEA'S ZOUAVE LINE OFFICER.

CAMPAIGN UNIFORM INFANTRY.

REG. ARTILLERY PRIVATE.

INFANTRY OVERCOAT.

PRIVATE, U.S. INFANTRY. FATIGUE MARCHING ORDER

CORPORAL, CAVALRY, U.S. ARMY. FULL DRESS

PRIVATE, LIGHT ARTILLERY, U.S. ARMY. FULL DRESS

GREAT COAT FOR ALL MOUNTED MEN

Civil War Union Army Generals Trading Cards

Civil War Union Army Generals Trading Cards

Civil War Union Army Generals, U.S. Grant trading card

Civil War, Union Army Generals H.W. Halleck trading card

Civil War Union Army General Benjamin F. Butler trading card.

Civil War Union Army General A. E. Burnside trading card