The Washington times., 1901-10-13
VIEWS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
Valuable Collection of Photographs
Now Owned by the Government.
Negatives Cover Every Field of
Operatfons-More Thnn Eight
Thousand Pictures Now Cntn-
Iosucd-History OF Brady Group.

There have been concentrated ar
ranged and catalogued in the War De
partment Library more than eight thou
sand photographs relating to the civil
war. This collection is the property of
the United States, and will, it is eX-
pected. in its present available and con
venient shape, prove Of inestimaDie
value to historical students. Mere than
six thousand of the views in the coilec-
ton are represented by negatives. They
were transferred to the War Depart
ment Library in 1894 under an order Of
Secretary of War Lamont The entire
collection numbers S.115 photographs,
ranging in size from three by four
inches to seventeen by twenty inches.
Though by no means the most numer-
Gus the photographs contributed by the
Corps of Engineers and the Quarter
masters Department are regarded as
technically the most Important The
quartermaster's photographs, over a
thousand in number. illustrate not only
the multifarious operations and activi-
ties Of this great department but also
of other army bureaus. Thus, one finds
represented bakeries, hospitals, stables,
warehouses, barracks, conscript camps,
prisoners quarters, signal towers, con
valescent camps, draft rendezvous. gun
boats, refugee camps and quarters,
contraban quarters, hospitals, and
camps. rolling mills. shipyards, water
works-in fact, nearly every phase of
the operations in the rear of or access
ory to a great army.
There is an extended series of views
Of gunboats and transports, and a very
valuable one showing the operation,
construction, and repair of military
railways as conducted by the Railway
Division of the Quartermaster's Depart
ment. These photographs show expert
mental bridges. the manner Of straight
ening bent rails, of various eXpedients
for crossing streams, of barges carrying
freight cars, with appliances for load
ing and unloading, from which origi-
mated the great transfer ferryboats,
which are still peculiar TO this country
only. The Adjutant Generals photo
graphs consist of nearly seven hundred
portraits of distinguished officers who
served in the war. Among views obtain
ed from private sources the most i'm
pCrtant collection is that belonging TO
Capt. W. c. Margedant, about fifty
views of Chattanooga and its surround
ings in 1S6S-64.
The greater number of views by far,
and those possessing the most popular
are the photographs and mega
tives known as the Brady war photo
graphs. The Brady collection covers
the operations of the war in the Dis
trict of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland,
New York, Pennsylvania, South Caro-
lima, Tennessee. and Virginia. 1t also
photographs of Presidents
Lincoln and Johnson and the members
Of their Cabinets. Senators, Representa-
tives, judges. distinguished military
and naval officers, and prominent citi-
zcns. Secretary of War William w.
purchased for the War Depart
ment in July, 1874, a large number of
negatives of war views
and portraits of prominent men. The
secured a perfect title to
the entire collection in April, 1875, at an
aggregate expense Of nearly $3.50
The story of the Brady photographs,
'or twenty years of their possession by
Uncle Sam, is one of neglect and misfor-
.une Entrusted to the care of subordi
late officials. who were either ipdiffer-
INT to or ignorant of the value and in
crest of the collection, il suffered to a
degree from lack of proper
are in handling. Passing from one of
icial to another, it was nearly ten years
before any attempt was made to make
l list of the six thousand negatives.
free and unguarded access
vas allowed to the negatives, which
suffered from inexperienced
md careless handling. Many negatives
we're broken, some defaced by handling, |
some destroyed by neglect and expos |
Ire, while others We're lost.
At first the labor of Identification, !
:leaning, repairing, and putting beyond !
he possibility of further damage of this |
Grady collection seemed, at first a ]
iopeless task. Nevertheless, theperfect- !
ID work is now, through a published |
catalogue of the War Department. in |
iuch shape as TO be readily available to |
he student. while the original mega !
ives of the various collections, in dust /
roof envelopes, have been so arranged, |
classified, and stored that any one Of /
hem is Immediately accessible.
1t is needless to dwell on the future |
of this collection said an !
nicer connected with the War Depart !
nent. Forthcoming generations, in !
lwelling on the civil war, must neces-
ariIy revert to these war photographs /
or information and impressions, The |
portraits of the eminent actors in this /
war must ever be of the /
-reatest interest The wealth Of the I
Collection in this latter respect may be /
by the names of few of
he Federal and Confederate command
rs now dead, whose deeds and services |
ave won renown. Among these are
anderson. Bartlett, Beauregard. Blrney,
2oggs. Buell., Buford, Burnside, Casey,
,orcoran, Combs. Custer, Dahlgren,
Davis, Dix, Dupont Emory Farragut, |
'oote, Foster, Fremont, Garfield Grant, |
ircgg, Griffin Hancock, HaZen Heints-
Hooker, Hunt, 'StonewaIP
Jackson, Johnston, Kearney, Lee. Lo-
;an. McClelland. Mcpherson, Meade.
Norris, Ord. Paulding. the Porters.
rodgers, Rowan, Schenck, Scott, Sedg-
wick, Sheridan, sherman, Slocum,
Terry, Thomas, and Warren.
I'm short, there are but few Federal
Ulcers Of rank and distinction whose
ineaments are not preserved in this
which. in another generation
vill be considered one of the inestima-
lie treasures of the American nation"
THE DoG-cATcHER's WOES.
Ills Profession uns Numerous and