March 28, 1863 | Photograph
1863 | Photograph
Blockade runners became increasingly sophisticated, taking advantage of the latest technological innovations to achieve maximum speed. For Confederates, the blockade--combined with shortsighted Confederate policies of self-reliance--slowed time and cut off communication with the world of nations, damaging Confederate transatlantic ties and claims of modern progress.
November 26, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the November 26, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the railroad depot in Atlanta, Georgia.
November 5, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the November 5, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a Union military railroad near Petersburg, Virginia during the American Civil War.
1861 | Photograph
Construction corps at work on the Aquia Creek and Fredericksburg Railroad.
July 2, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the July 2, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a railroad tracks and telegraph wires at Kingston, Georgia.
July 2, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the July 2, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts Union soldiers under the command of General William T. Sherman near a railroad depot at Adairsville, Georgia during the American Civil War.
May 12, 1862 | Map
During the Peninsula Campaign, the New York Daily Tribune provides readers with a detailed picture of the eastern Virginia; the Table of Distances at the bottom of the map further informs readers about the space and landscape being described in reports and dispatches. Note the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad running up the center of the image; a number of other rail lines criss-cross the map.
May 6, 1862 | Map
This map from the front page of the May 6, 1862, New York Daily Tribune helped Americans unfamiliar with the geography of eastern Virginia sort out the landscape and resources associated with the names of towns and railroad junctions coming from newspaper reports. The constant flow of war information and visual representations like this map kept Americans abreast of far-away developments.
1864 | Photograph
December 12, 1863 | Illustration
This image from the December 12, 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the condition of the railroad bridge over Bull Run during the American Civil War and features soldiers from the Union Army of the Potomac.
February 27, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the February 27, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the interior of a Union hospital car during the American Civil War. See Woman's Work in the Civil War on this site for the recollections of a hospital train nurse.
May 9, 1862 | Map
In the wake of the Seige of Yorktown (April 5 - May 4, 1862), readers of the New York Daily Tribune are provided with a map and description of the city's defenses, even as they read about the retreat of rebel forces from Yorktown.
May 6, 1862 | Map
Also known as the Battle of South Mills, the Battle of Camden depicted here took place April 19 and the seige of Fort Macon lasted from March 23 to April 26; both were part of General Ambrose Burnside's North Carolina Expedition. On May 6, 1862, these New York Daily Tribune maps provided readers with detailed images of fields of battle and transportation resources hundreds of miles of away - bringing images of warfare and the geography of an enemy region into their homes.
December 12, 1863 | Illustration
This image from the December 12, 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a Union railway supply depot for the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.
December 12, 1863 | Illustration
Northern audiences were hungry for information and images related to the war effort. Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia were focal points and thus often photographed and presented as illustrations.
December 5, 1863 | Illustration
This image from the December 5, 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the Union steamer "Chattanooga," a steam ship built by Union Soldiers.
November 5, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the November 5, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a train in the distance as Union soldiers under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant build a road near Petersburg, Virginia during the American Civil War.
1862 | Photograph
McClellan used the Richmond & York River Railroad to position his massive Army of the Potomac just a few miles from Richmond.
1862 | Photograph
Numerous railroad hubs in the Confederacy became sites of repeated fighting, both large- and small-scale. Here, the ruins were the work of the Confederate Army as it abandoned its forward position in northern Virginia to protect Richmond.