civil colored troops (1 risultati)

War Photograph & Exposition Company. On the Lines Before Petersburg, Va., 1864, documents the presence and daily conditions of United States Colored Troops during the prolonged siege of Petersburg, one of the final campaigns of the Civil War. The image captures four African American soldiers seated at the entrance of an earthen bombproof shelter while another prepares coffee over an open fire, situating the scene within the entrenched warfare that defined operations outside Petersburg from 1864 to 1865. The photograph places Black soldiers within the logistical and survival routines of siege warfare, providing visual evidence of their role in sustaining Union military operations during a campaign that culminated in the collapse of Confederate defenses and the end of the war. On the Lines Before Petersburg, Va., 1864. Hartford, CT: War Photograph & Exposition Co., circa 1864. Stereoview photograph measuring approximately 6 1/4 x 3 1/8 inches on a cardstock mount, with series imprint, image number, and caption on recto. The image depicts four African American soldiers seated at the mouth of a dugout shelter, with a fifth soldier below tending a large kettle over a fire. Visible objects include tin cups attached to long wooden handles, likely used for heating over flames, along with a pickaxe, wooden barrel, and a washbucket fashioned from a halved barrel. The verso includes a printed description noting that the view "gives a glimpse of the bomb-proofs in which our soldiers tried to live, during the long siege at Petersburg, 1864-1865; the campfire and the coffee-kettle look as familiar as in those days of yore," along with promotional text from the publisher concerning the difficulty of producing such wartime images. By late 1864, African American troops were consolidated into large formations including the XXV Corps of the Army of the James, representing the largest organized body of Black soldiers in the war. Images such as this one provide direct documentation of their presence in front-line siege environments, where extended encampment, engineering labor, and constant exposure to enemy fire defined daily life. The photograph contributes to the visual record of Black military service by focusing on routine activity within fortified positions rather than formal portraiture, offering material for the study of labor, survival, and military organization among United States Colored Troops. Light toning and minor paper loss to mount edges and corners not affecting image or text; overall very good condition.