Histories Mysteries

Millions of men fought and died in the American Civil War.  The rivers of Antietam were said to have ran with blood after one day of battle and Gettysburg was certainly just as deadly.  But these men, whether they were brothers, sons, uncles, cousins or even friends often found themselves on opposing sides and against some very staggering odds on the battlefield.  What they did know was no matter what, they were apart of a family and family came first. 

Photograph Discovered, Unidentified

Two Civil War photos have been discovered amongst the bodies on battlefields, one picture was located between two individuals.  According to reports, "The photograph of one girl was found between the bodies of two soldiers — one Union, one Confederate, at Port Republic, Va., 150 years ago this June. The other was retrieved from a slain Union soldier's haversack in 1865 on a Virginia farm field days before a half-decade of blood-letting would end with a surrender signed not far away at Appomattox." 

The Confederate Museum is releasing a collection of these two young girls for the first time.  The unidentified photographs have everyone in the history community buzzing, including Ann Drury Wellford, a curator of over 6,000 Civil War images at the Richmond museum.  Wellford told the press, "We don't know who they are and the people who picked them up did not know who they were.  They evoke an utter and complete sentimentality."

It was not uncommon for soldiers to carry photographs of their loved ones onto the battlefields despite photography's fairly recent discovery.  Much like Face Book today, the use of photography gained popularity and has since stuck around.  For more information on the museum and the photographs please go to one of the following websites:

www.civilwarphotography.org

 http://news.yahoo.com/civil-war-photos-help-sought-solve-old-mystery-092732336.html