How it changed the news we see today
The Civil war was the beginning of an era that would forever change the face of our country and a centuries old way of life for hundreds of thousands of people. What led up to the war, how did the beginnings of photography change how we see the news today and how did it impact this war? These are some of the questions to explore how this one event changed public perceptions of war and its impact on future wars and the media
Throughout the majority of the early 1800’s the United States was growing and prospering rapidly, especially in the south where plantation owners used slave labor to work their fields. In the mid 1800’s relations between the north and south became quite strained as the North was against slavery and the South argued that they would not be able to make a profit without their slaves.
With the United States rapidly expanding westward, the north and south argued whether the new territories should be free states or slave states.
At this same time Abraham Lincoln won the election for president, it was a close election and not one slave state supported him. This led to South Carolina seceding from the Union with others to follow shortly after. They were not interested in changing their way of life and formed the Confederate States of America. With their new president Jefferson Davis they began taking over military forts in the south, the last fort to be taken was Fort Sumner. On the morning of April 12, 1861, fifty or some cannons fired on the fort from four different directions, destroying the fort. President Lincoln called for volunteers to enlist in the military while the Confederacy did the same. The Civil War had begun.
Photography in the early 1860’s was still in its infancy, barely 20 years old, this form of media was very difficult to work with while in a studio much less on a battle field. This form of media was still so new the Civil War is considered to be the first war to be documented with photos as well as newsprint.
At the beginning of the Civil War Mathew Brady was a very successful photographer even though he was suffering from diminished eyesight and rarely took photo’s himself. He had a well-trained staff, most of these men would soon become famous photographers who would travel the country to take photos of the ravages of the war.
He developed the methods of taking photographs in the field as well. Quite the feat considering how dangerous the chemicals used were during this era and the fact all the solutions had be mixed by hand as there was no such thing as pre-mixed or ready made anything in this era. One of the major benefits of the photography being taken during this time is that the images were captured on flattened pieces of Tin, referred to as tin type photography. Mr. Brady was so successful and famous he not only became the official Union Army Photographer, both sides would enlist him to take photos of their generals and presidents.
President Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis sat for Mathew Brady for their official photographs as did both General Lee and General Grant.
Usually photographers were waiting at the rear of where the battles were taking place. Once the smoke from the battle cleared, the photographers would set up their cameras and take photos, recording images of unburied dead soldiers, destroyed buildings, trees, all the effects of war. One of the most iconic photos taken was after the battle of Gettysburg, it was called “A Harvest of Death.” this and other photos of the war were published in both northern and southern states local newspapers, bring to the American public the real horrors of war, “in stark black-and-white images the viewer confronted “some conception of what a repulsive, brutal, sickening, hideous thing” the war was.” (Broomall). Not only were these photographers able to capture the horror of war itself, they saw things like disease, amputations without the benefit of anesthesia and men dying from starvation and lack of clean water. The images of dead soldiers were incredibly impactful to the public. Mathew Brady created an exhibit for one of his gallery’s called “The Dead of Antietam.” These images were so impactful a New York Times critic would proclaim, “If he has not brought bodies and laid them in our door-yards and along streets, he has done something very like it.” (Covkin, et al.) The war would finally end in 1865, ending over three years horror. The Civil War was the bloodiest war we have ever participated in, more than 620,000 people lost their lived during this war. (Adamson, 2015, pg. 28)People had never seen such destruction of life and property this up close and personal. Newspapers now had the ability to add photos to their stories. There was no such thing as censoring photos at this time, pictures like the one below were seen by all to the dismay of the public.
No doubt this new media was the beginning of a change in how the American people would see the news around them and around the world. Mathew Brady was truly a pioneer of this time. “Photography during the Civil War had a wide-reaching impact on the public’s perception on everything from their leaders to the nature of warfare.” (Niiler, 2012) Fast forward to the next few wars and the people would see what would be called News Photography. Newspapers and later news stations, hired people to sit in the trenches during war, move to foreign country’s in order to have the advantage of being on the front lines and capturing the scoop.
World War I and II and the Korean War were captured using news reel, nearly all countries involved in these wars created Propaganda films to show to movie goers. They were generally run prior to seeing the featured movie in movie theaters across the nation.
This particular video explains what was behind the making of propaganda films, it is definitely enlightening to say the least.
At the beginning of the 1980’s we were at relative peace in our own nation, but the Middle East was a hot bed of war and strife. Near the end of the 1980’s the United States would become involved in what was called Operation Desert Storm which resulted in not only a new type of war but a new way to bring this news to the viewers. New photography had evolved many times over by the time this war would occur. We now had satellites orbiting the earth that allowed us to simultaneously film the action and broadcast it at the same time. News outlets like CNN and MSN were broadcasting 24 hours a day seven days a week. The public’s insatiable appetite for news had evolved into a continuous stream of news feeds all day and all night.
While the public was eager to know what was going on in the world especially with their husbands, daughters, wives and other family members who were deployed to these areas, much like the families of men fighting in the Civil War, they were not prepared for what they were seeing. Live action news feed showing bombs being dropped on buildings, missiles flying and exploding were just some of the things people were seeing that were not present in during the Civil War, the other was the commentary of the actual news men as well. News men and women were in buildings and on the ground broadcasting live while rockets were whizzing through the air, sometimes a bomb would explode and they would duck for cover, all the while reporting the news. No one had quite seen anything like this, and this forever changed the way the world now sees the news around them and the world we live in.
From a personal standpoint… . I have some personal experiences with war and how the news reported it. My spouse was deployed to Iraq during Operation Desert storm in 1990-1991, during that time instant news coverage via satellite transmission was also being used for the first time in covering a war event.
I will never forget the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach every time I watched the news, how I had to refrain from watching the news when my children were awake because of how they reacted to seeing these images. They were not quite teenagers when he was deployed and no matter how often I told them it was unlikely their dad would be involved in hand to hand combat they couldn’t wrap their heads around this, they could only see the explosions of the missiles and the destruction they caused and it terrified them to know their dad was there somewhere among all of this. My husband was broke after this war, if that is a word to describe a person.
This experience was very painful to live and eventually his demons drove him to the bottom of a bottle and our marriage and lives were destroyed. I think this was why I chose this topic. Maybe as a way to make some sense of it all.
NO one can understand what seeing death and destruction this up close and personal can do to a person for the long term.
It would be safe to say Mathew Brady was a pioneer in the field of photography, he recognized that this new form of media could be more than just a means to captures someone’s likeness in a portrait. Brady and his staff chronicled the entire Civil War, they were on the frontlines taking pictures of bloody battlefields, images of dead soldiers and the destruction of the land and people living in these areas. He knew these would become valuable records of history for generations to come. More than any of his contemporaries he understood what great potential photography would be. “Matthew Brady and his contemporaries were the world’s first true war photographers, taking advantage of a relatively new technology, tools of mass production and the bloodiest conflict in U.S. history, one in which more than 620,000 lost their lives.” (Niiler, 2012) Unfortunately, his vision wasn’t shared by others and it took years for Congress to even consider purchasing his portfolio of images of the Civil War. By this time, he had lost all of his fortunes going bankrupt. While he did manage to sell his collection to Congress, he barely made anything and was still thousands of dollars in debt. He would die a penniless man with no one around. However, his legacy lives on today more than 150 years later in the photos he and his staff took and are preserved in the National Archives.
My grandmother’s maiden name is McCoy. Our family is supposedly indirectly related to Randal McCoy from the Hatfield/McCoy feud, however, I have not had time to research that part of the family history. When home visiting a few years ago I went to Crossville, Tennessee where my grandmothers family is from. I was quite surprised to find out that her own grandfather, Thomas McCoy served in the Confederate Army. The Gallery represents some of the pictures I took while staying at the McCoy Place. This is a bed and breakfast that my mom’s cousin made on the McCoy family homestead. Included are the photos of the Certificate she received from the Tennessee Historical Society verifying his service. Thomas McCoy is buried in the McCoy family Cemetery in Crossville Tennessee. I also found a handwritten family tree with four generations listed!
My name is Scherri O’Connor, I am in my last semester at NAU, will graduate in May with a bachelors degree in Business Administration. I have an A.A.S. in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and a AS in Liberal/General Studies, both from Pima Community College.
I chose this subject for many reason. My former spouse was in Operation Desert Storm back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. We had been married for many years prior to his deployment and when he returned it was a never ending battle to try to find someone to listen to us regarding all of the illnesses he suffered from after this war. I had a preteen daughter and a young teenage son when their father was deployed. They were terrified every time we saw a live action news broadcast when the bombing of Baghdad was going on. I had to stop watching the news when they were awake to avoid them being upset. I was hoping this project would shed some light on the reasons why we as a society have this unsatisfied need to see these things. While I didn’t find my answers I did find that sometimes things never really change, they just evolve!
Some interesting things about me….
I am an herbalist as well as a crafter. Besides making my own herbal medicine, I sew, cook, knit, crochet and design and make jewelry! I plan to create a blog after graduation to engage in conversations with other herbalists and like minded people. As challenging as this assignment has been, I know for sure this will help me with my future plans!
Civil War Photography 