Historic Photos of Gettysburg

By John S. Salmon
Illustrated, 206 pp., 2007. Turner Publishing Co., 200 4th Ave. North, Suite 950, Nashville, TN 37219, $39.95 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Jeff Rahmel
Jeff Rahmel is a retired pharmaceutical sales representative who holds a BS in Business Administration from Bowling Green ( Ohio ) State University. He has a life-long interest in the American Civil War with special emphasis on the battle of Gettysburg.

Review:
The American Civil War witnessed advances in many areas. One of the most striking was battlefield photography. For the first time, citizens on both sides could witness the carnage and horrors of war.

While direct photography of battles in progress was still some years off, the images of the aftermath and the wholesale destruction created when large armies fought protracted engagements gave those not familiar with war a new sense of how intense and horrible conflicts could be.

The modern leader in presenting battlefield photographs to the American public is, of course, William Frassanito. His classic 1975 publication Gettysburg: A Journey in Time puts the battle of Gettysburg into perspective through photographs, both old and new.

Frassanito has been succeeded by John S. Salmon and his recent publication entitled Historic Photos of Gettysburg. Salmon gives us another photographic tour of the battlefield, reaching forward into the 20th century in a most appealing and interesting manner.

The book is broken down into eight sections, but the bulk of his presentation covers The Battle (1863), Dedication and Remembrance (1863-1900), Fiftieth Reunion (1913) and Seventy-Fifth Reunion (1938), presenting images taken after the battle and at two reunions.

In each section the reader is treated to a wealth of photographs, some as familiar as old friends, some new and undiscovered. The reader will recognize entries by Brady, O'Sullivan and others. Many, however, were taken later and come from cameras of amateur photographers during reunions and visits to the battlefield long after the conflict ended. All the images are supplemented with detailed explanations.

One of the most interesting photographs is displayed on pages 118-119 and shows the West Point class of 1903. Tentatively identified in the picture is Cadet Douglas MacArthur with his classmates during a tour of the battleground.

If the book has any shortcomings, it is the slightly hefty price ($39.95). On the plus side, the book is very well constructed, has an excellent set of reference notes on the photographs and one of the best dust jackets I have seen.

In the end, all that matters is the enjoyment the reader receives returning to the battlefield with these soldiers, remembering those terrible three days in July 1863. If you desire such an experience, Salmon's book is for you.