Confederates Across Bridge in Fredericksburg

[OleMissRebel]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

I know there is a painted portrait of him in uniform at Rowan Oak in Oxford, Miss hanging in the parlour. Could you obtain a copy Ole Miss??

Thanks,
Erik McBroom

Ya, I'll go by there sometime this week and try and get a few shots with my digital camera of it. Big Faulkner fan I presume?

[ndnchf]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

I can't add anything to the discussion about uniforms, but I can tell you a little more about the railroad and bridge and the mill next to it. I live in Fredericksburg and have done some research on the subject.

The damaged bridge in the photo was first built by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac (RF&P) in 1841. By November 1842 the rail line extended north to Aquia Creek, where travelers could continue by steamboat to Washington City, thus avoiding the difficult stage coach ride. When General McDowell approached Fredericksburg in 1862, Confederate troops pulled up tracks between Fredericksburg and Aquia and burned the bridges (including the bridge in the photo) as they retreated south. In May of 1862 the bridge was rebuilt by the Union army. It was destroyed again by Burnside's troops following their defeat in December of 1862. From 1862 to 1865, the northern terminus of the RF&P was at Hamilton's Crossing about 5 miles south of Fredericksburg.

The bridge was rebuilt after the war with wood in 1865. In 1872 the RF&P finally completed the rail link all the way to Washington. In 1872 the bridge was replaced with a substantial iron bridge in the same location. In 1889 this bridge was replaced with a heavier steel bridge. Up to this time the line was single track. Between 1903-1907, the line was double tracked except for a short section at Fredericksburg as the bridge could still only accommodate a single track.

In late 1925 construction began on a new double track concrete bridge. The brick rail station, originally built in 1909 was renovated and enlarged. The rail line was elevated in Fredericksburg to eliminate grade crossings. Also, the new bridge was located about 50 yards upriver from the site of all the previous bridges. This was so rail traffic could continue during the year and a half of construction. The new bridge opened in February 1927. It remains in service today. i have searched for remains of the stone piers from the original bridge, but they have been removed.

One final note on the RF&P. The hastily rebuilt bridge over Potomac Creek about 5 miles north of Fredericksburg is long gone. This is the one rebuilt by Herman Haupt and referred to by Lincoln as appearing to be made of nothing but "beanpoles and cornstalks". While the bridge is gone and replaced by a steel bridge about 100 yards away, the massive stone abutments of the original structure remain. They are overgrown but easily recognizable when compared with the photo. They remain a tangible link to the historic photograph.

The Mill located on the east side (left side in photo) of the railroad bridge in Fredericksburg, is the Excelsior Mill built in 1861 by John L. Marye. During Marye's time the mill was known as Marye's Mill. After Marye's death in 1866, the mill changed ownership a number of times, in several instances falling into the hands of northern investors who hired local millers to run the operation. C. H. Pettit was one such miller, who worked at the mill since boyhood and went on to become a partner in the business. Pettit eventually became sole owner of the enterprise. The mill consisted of two buildings, a wooden warehouse and a brick mill building connected by a single story, wooden passageway. It was powered by an overshot water wheel, fed by the raceway extending from the canal raceway which is now covered by Kenmore Ave. In 1909, the mill building was bought by the Fredericksburg Water Power Company. The company cut off the flow of water to the mill in order to increase the amount of water in the main canal for the new electric generating plant. In 1912, the mill building was vacant and by 1919, it disappeared from local maps.

Steve Blancard
Co. A 13 Virignia Infantry

[yeoman]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Sir, while visiting the heritage room at the local library I ran across another image of this scene. Another thread,(WHL prisoner photo) had me looking there when I saw the other "confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg" image. The other thread referred to Francis T. Miller, "Photographic History of the Civil War". These books could not be borrowed so I spent some time going through the Ten volume set. Here is a link I've just found with access to the first Five volumes. http://djvued.libs.uga.edu/E468x7xM647/phcwmenu.html I don't remember which volume it was in or if in the first five. I hope you enjoy the site. P.S., if other image is found please post, thanks.

[OldState]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Is there a TIF pic of that on the LOC site?? I can't seem to find it.

[yeoman]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Sir, going a bit deeper into the pages I found this site with all ten volumes of Francis T. Miller, "Photographic History of the Civil War" Cited image is in Volume Nine, part four on page forty two. They appear to be photocopies and are not as clear as other site plus the files are PDF so they are slow. Hope you get them and enjoy.http://www.quinnipiac.edu/other/abl/...ilwar/toc.html P.S. I hope somewhere there is a (free) full and clean resolution set of this work to be shared, thanks.

[yeoman]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Sir, looking through some other images, I came across this one and it appears to be another view of the main scene in this thread.http://www.archives.gov/research/civ...il-war-095.jpg It is listed Fredericksburg, Va. February 1863. View across the Rappahannock River photographed by Timothy H. O'Sullivan. In a reference to a previous thread "The Trestle" one post pointed out the image of the soldiers across the river was by Matthew Brady taken with an early telescopic lens. Notice the distance from one side of river to the other and the trestle on right (O'Sullivan photo).You can just make out tracks on trestle where Brady may have placed the camera. My thoughts are Wow, what a lens. My two cents, thanks. (Eric, I read further on the "The Trestle" thread and see where credit is due Andrew J. Russell, not Brady for the photograph, thanks for the heads up).

[lukegilly13]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Sir, going a bit deeper into the pages I found this site with all ten volumes of Francis T. Miller, "Photographic History of the Civil War" Cited image is in Volume Nine, part four on page forty two. They appear to be photocopies and are not as clear as other site plus the files are PDF so they are slow. Hope you get them and enjoy.http://www.quinnipiac.edu/other/abl/...ilwar/toc.html P.S. I hope somewhere there is a (free) full and clean resolution set of this work to be shared, thanks.

Is this a different photo than the image on the first page of the post? To me it looks like this image is a little different. There are some major parts of the bridge missing in the photo from the book...also there is a man on the ladder over to the left and the men at the top are in a different formation. I looked at both of them over and over. What do you think?

[yeoman]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Sir, not to take away from original post, yes it is another photo of this scene. Also notice the two men sitting on the upright (12by12) posts in the background. Also look at the O'Sullivan image in the above post, on extreme right you may see the (missing) bridge parts yet. I'll go way out on this limb and say the photos were taken the same day, what say? My two cents, thanks.

[lukegilly13]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

I would agree that they are taken on the same day. I thin some of the men haven't moved! It doesn't take away from the post...I think it adds to it by showing more dynamics! Fantastic photos!

[Secesh]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

It is not unusual, and in fact was quite normal, that more than one shot would be taken during the photo process. The technique itself was so cumbersome, and the results so varied (and time consuming) that the photographers often took more than one photograph, especially if they felt the subject had some artisitic or historic significance....No "rocket science" here....

[Dignann]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

As a point of clarification, the Confederates posing on the railroad bridge was taken by Capt. Andrew J. Russell in April 1863, not by Matthew Brady. The other photo being discussed, and provided by a link in one of Mel's posts, is attributed to Timothy O'Sullivan and believed to have been taken in March 1863.

The photo that appears in Miller's is a variant view of the Confederates posing on the railroad bridge. There are in fact at least four images that were part of the same series, taken at the same time, at the bridge. All taken by Russell.

Eric

[lukegilly13]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Eric,
Thanks for the info. Do you know of any documentation on the happenings of this bridge? I noticed some major structural differences on the bridge in two pictures. In other words, what happened from March to April that would alter the structural existance of this bridge so much? The difference I'm referring to is that in the 2nd picture...there appears to be a massive slab of material that is not there (running up the left side of the bridge).

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Sir, looking through some other images, I came across this one and it appears to be another view of the main scene in this thread.http://www.archives.gov/research/civ...il-war-095.jpg It is listed Fredericksburg, Va. February 1863. View across the Rappahannock River photographed by Timothy H. O'Sullivan. In a reference to a previous thread "The Trestle" one post pointed out the image of the soldiers across the river was by Matthew Brady taken with an early telescopic lens. Notice the distance from one side of river to the other and the trestle on right (O'Sullivan photo).You can just make out tracks on trestle where Brady may have placed the camera. My thoughts are Wow, what a lens. My two cents, thanks. (Eric, I read further on the "The Trestle" thread and see where you credit Andrew J. Russell, not Brady, thanks for the heads up).
__________________
Mel Hadden, Husband to Julia Marie, Maternal Great Granddaughter of
Eben Lowder, Corporal, Co. H 14th Regiment N.C. Troops (4th Regiment N.C. Volunteers) Mustered in May 5, 1861, captured April 9, 1865

Hi,

I never seen this photo before, thanks for posting it.

[lukegilly13]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Here is the clips from the pictures I am talking about. It seems to me that there is a MAJOR piece of the bridge missing in one of the pictures. Just wondering if anyone knows what happened here that could explain this piece being moved/destroyed/etc.

[yeoman]

Re: Confederates across bridge in Fredericksburg

Sir and ma'am, here is a sketch to go along with the great image presented to start this thread.





This sketch found at http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/pp...000/21032v.jpg