For a century and a half, images of the Civil War have allowed millions of Americans to experience, commemorate, and reinterpret the conflict. Photographs, engravings, lithographs, and original artwork have revealed heroic volunteers, mobilized regiments, battle preparations, and the war's grim aftermath.
"Feel the Bonds That Draw" presents nearly 200 images from the extensive Civil War photographic collections of Cleveland's Western Reserve Historical Society, complementing author Christine Dee's reflections on topics such as historical memory, the war as economic engine, and the impact of mobilization and combat on civilians and the environment.
Included in the volume are stirring images by Mathew Brady, preeminent Civil War photographer, and by Henry Moore, who documented military fortifications and soldiers, particularly at Fort Pulaski on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. Moore photographed troops in traditional poses and groupings, and he captured the likenesses of formerly enslaved African Americans. These latter pictures played an important role in shaping public opinion in the North in support of emancipation.
"Feel the Bonds That Draw" is a fine addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of America's cruelest conflict.