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Today as I was looking over the hats seen in a number of LOC images I noticed something that I found particularly striking in the often reproduced and published image of wounded soldiers near Savage Station. The shot has been discussed numerous times and as a photograph is very well composed. Your eye is drawn to the men at the low center, treating a wounded man, etc. But today I noticed something that I had not seen in the photo before. In the left center there is what appears to be a wounded man being comforted by a Federal sergeant. The wounded man's hand is drawn over his eyes, perhaps to block out the sun, but also in a gesture that seems to convey great pain or sadness. The look on the sergeant's face seems to show genuine concern for what may very well be a comrade, or in the least a fellow soldier.
I guess I find this very striking because while many original photos show a sense of quiet defiance, dignity and attitude, very few original Civil War images seem to include convey a sense of raw emotion. Without trying to go overboard here it reminds me of photos taken in WWII. Indeed, you'd probably miss this in the wider, full version of the photo we're used to seeing as a dollar bill size snapshot in books. But after seeing the high-res digital version...well this may have just become one of my favorite images of the war.
-Sam Dolan
I guess I find this very striking because while many original photos show a sense of quiet defiance, dignity and attitude, very few original Civil War images seem to include convey a sense of raw emotion. Without trying to go overboard here it reminds me of photos taken in WWII. Indeed, you'd probably miss this in the wider, full version of the photo we're used to seeing as a dollar bill size snapshot in books. But after seeing the high-res digital version...well this may have just become one of my favorite images of the war.
-Sam Dolan
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