The Civil War Soldier: A Photographic Journey [Paperback]

Ray M. Carson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Foreword by James I. Robertson, Jr. 8 x 11 75 b/w photos 56 color photo "Ray Carson has done a commendable job in portraying the common soldiers of the Civil War. It is impossible to capture the full depth of feeling experienced by the men of blue and gray, but the images herein give a clearer picture of army life and field service than is usually found in modern studies." -James I. Robertson, Jr., author of Soldiers Blue and Gray Many Civil War books highlight tactics, battles, and major figures, often ignoring the millions of individual soldiers who fought and sacrificed anonymously. But through combining stark, unposed photographs of Civil War reenactors with sound historical research, photographer and reenactor Ray Carson has captured the reality of the common soldier's life. The book combines the intimacy and intensity of modern photojournalism with the historical feel of 1860s photography. Photographs of camp life, daily activities, medical care, and battle are supplemented with text gleaned from primary sources such as soldiers' diaries and letters. Ray Carson has exhibited his photographs in galleries throughout the U.S. and has been published in national magazines, including Discovery, Archaeology, and U.S. News & World Report.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Mathew Brady's photographs have riveted history buffs for years and they remain a vital source of Civil War information. It can be difficult, however, for young adults to find a commonality with the soldiers portrayed in those photos. The limitations of 19th-century photography and the faces, even young ones, that look so old can make it challenging for students to relate to these warriors who were often little older than themselves. Carson has succeeded in his attempt to rectify this situation. A photojournalist and a Civil War reenactor, he carried his camera equipment in a haversack during various reenactments, enabling him to capture an insider's view of Civil War scenes. Taking the photos in black and white, he then hand colored a number of them using techniques similar to those of the 19th century. The reality of the scenes, especially those of death on the battlefield, is truly compelling. Quotes from the letters and journals of Civil War soldiers, along with their names and the armies to which they were attached, add to the veracity of the scenes portrayed. The book ends with the surrender of the Confederate army and the aftermath for the surviving soldiers. Hard to put down, this book offers a realistic peek into the life and times of the three million young men who, for a grueling five years, fought, marched, and died.-Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811727270
• ISBN-13: 978-0811727273
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,713,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Images of Valor: Civil War Photography Revisited, July 27, 2000

By 

William E. Benet - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civil War Soldier: A Photographic Journey (Paperback)

Ray Carson's the Civil War Soldier: A Photographic Journey brings a fresh perspective and new treatment to a photographic subject that was defined 135 years ago by renown Civil War photographer, Matthew Brady, whose battlefield photos brought the grisly horrors of the war home to the American public. Ray Carson's photos, although more than a century removed from the subject, have a dynamic, impromptu quality and spontaneous intimacy that Brady, with his long exposure times that required subjects to be perfectly still (or dead), was never able to capture. Carson's photos capture the action and vitality of scenes that Brady couldn't, with a technique that is brilliant in the way it preserves the old daguerreotype quality of the photography of Brady's times with the movement and close-up action of modern photography. Carson's photos put the viewer right into the middle of the action. He did this by photographing re-enactors at the sites of the Civil War's great battles who annually recreate, with painstaking attention to detail and authenticity, those great conflicts which tested the mettle and honored the valor of both sides, North and South alike, and, in the process, forged a stronger, undivided nation. Civil War Soldier is absorbing reading, too, with many first-hand accounts, and the foreword by James Robertson, Jr. of Virginia Tech is a compelling introduction to one of the most dramatic and moving periods in the nation's history. Once I picked up Ray Carson's book, I couldn't put it down. Civil War Soldier belongs on the bookshelf of every Civil War buff, along with Matthew Brady.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Civil War Soilder, July 31, 2000

By 

M. Kay Hall - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civil War Soldier: A Photographic Journey (Paperback)

Really enjoyed this book. It was easy read and not weighted down with a lot of stradegy. I thought it captured the meaning of brotherly love, when at the end of the war, the Union troops even shared their food with the enemy.The fact that the Confederates were allowed to keep their horses was very moving to me, as these animals is some cases were all they owned. And in the end,it makes no difference which side they fought on, they were finally all together on a common ground, even if it is in eternal rest.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good visual resource, September 27, 2009

By 

James D. Crabtree "Doc Crabtree" (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civil War Soldier: A Photographic Journey (Paperback)

Illustrated with photos of reenactors wearing period uniforms, this book about soldier life during the Civil War is a good introduction for those interested in the War Between the States. The photography is good (some has been photoshopped to look like tinted photos) but the text is very basic and I did find one error in fact (Union regiments were allowed to lapse after enlistment and new regiments formed but Confederate regiments were kept supplied with replacements). Still, a good book.