Seeing the Civil War in Color: A New Perspective on History

Black and white doesn't always allow us to visualize what life was truly like during a period of history. Colorized photos often bring to life what other images don't convey. This is illustrated perfectly in images of the Civil War, as color allows a new perspective on history and can reveal details that might have been lost in black and white.

The American Civil War is considered the bloodiest and deadliest war in American history. Fought for four long years, from 1861 to 1865, the battle was between the Union of the North and the Confederacy of the South and began with the Confederate Army firing on Fort Sumter, a Union-held fort in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor. More than 600,000 soldiers were lost in battle.

When the Civil War began, photography was a relatively new medium, yet, when it ended, it had become the first major conflict to be extensively photographed and marked the beginning of photojournalism. These images illustrated how truly devastating war can be. Civilians once romantic notions of war were upended when photography was introduced and captured the horrible images of life on the battlefield.

24/7 Tempo reviewed historical archives from Getty Images and Wikimedia Commons to assemble a collection of chilling images from the American Civil War. The scope of images ranges from horrifying to those chronicling everyday life during the war. The photographers' work represented here – Matthew Brady, Alexander Gardner, and George Barnard – formed a team to record images of the war. (These were the cities and towns demolished during the Civil War)

We added color to give the images depth and detail and make them full of life.

• Date: March 1862
• Location: near Washington, D.C.

Troops of the 96th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, drill at Camp Northumberland near Washington, D.C. Tasked with defending the nation's capital until March 1862, they would later participate in the major battles of Antietam and Gettysburg, among other engagements.

The detail of the encampment is so much clearer in color. The smoke adds a lot of atmosphere.

• Date: 1861
• Location: South Carolina

The First National Flag of the Confederacy – as opposed to the familiar X-crossed banner commonly called the Confederate flag – flies over this Union stronghold in Charleston Harbor after it surrendered to the Rebels following bombardment by the South Carolina Militia, in what is considered the first shots of the Civil War.

Once color is added, it looks as if this was a bright day with plenty of sunlight.

• Date: circa 1863
• Location: Georgia

Union troops occupied Confederate bunker defenses outside Atlanta, a vital transportation and manufacturing hub for the Rebels.

The vegetation is much clearer in color making the scene more rural.

• Date: 1863
• Location: Mississippi

The Union Army in fortified positions on a hillside during the siege of Vicksburg.

Color picks out the timber used for these makeshift shelters.

• Date: 1861
• Location: South Carolina

Confederate soldiers standing guard at Fort Walker on Hilton Head. It was a fort hastily built by slave labor to guard the entrance to Port Royal Sound.

With a little color, the color of the uniforms is a bit easier to see.

• Date: circa 1864
• Location: Virginia

Black laborers digging a trench in front of a new stockade in Alexandria, possibly formerly enslaved men who'd fled there after the city was occupied by Union troops and found paid work.

The details of the timber posts and their sharpened spikes are clearer in color.

• Date: August 5, 1864
• Location: Alabama

The ruins of a lighthouse in the aftermath of the Battle of Mobile Bay. This battle was considered a major victory for the Union since Mobile was the largest Southern port they captured after New Orleans.

Color reveals just how bad the damage to this lighthouse is.

• Date: 1865
• Location: Virginia

Burnt-out and demolished buildings in Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy.

Thanks to color we can see just how lovely this building would have been before it was destroyed.

• Date: May 1862
• Location: Virginia

The Potomac Creek Bridge in Stafford County was built in nine days by Union troops under the supervision of engineer Herman Haupt. This photograph was taken by legendary photographer Mathew Brady.

Color makes this bridge look even more rickety than in the black and white image.

• Date: circa 1861
• Location: Washington, D.C.

Washington Arsenal (now Fort Lesley J. McNair) on Greenleaf Point, near the junction of the Anacostia River and the Washington Channel in the nation's capital.

Thanks to color we can see the detail of all the cannons waiting for action.

• Date: circa 1861
• Location: Virginia

Two Union soldiers stand beside slave pen cells in Alexandria, a major slave trafficking center before the Civil War and the first Southern city taken by Union troops.

Colorization makes the cells in this image even more grim.

• Date: December 1862
• Location: Virginia

A Union Army battery makes final preparations on the day before the Battle of Fredericksburg, which proved to be one of the most disastrous defeats for the Union during the Civil War.

Even with color, this is a bleak scene.

• Date: Summer 1864
• Location: New York

The one-time Camp Rathbun in Elmira fell into disuse as a training center as the war progressed and became a prison camp for captured Confederates.

Color reveals the detail of just how crowded this camp is.

• Date: 1863
• Location: Unknown

A broken cartwheel with an abandoned cannon nearby on a battlefield.

The End of the Road?

Thanks to color, we can see the barrels and vegetation surrounding the broken wheel more clearly.