Antietam: The Photographic Legacy of America's Bloodiest Day

by William A. Frassanito

The original of the 1978 classic, this book includes scenes of the Antietam battlefield both period and modern with directional maps. Makes some startling revelations using photographic evidence. From it we also learn about Alexander Gardner, who was possibly a better photographer than the more famous Matthew Brady and who has lived too long in Brady's shadow.

The author attempts "to establish Antietam's significance as a landmark event in the history of photography,...to document the Antietam series as extensively as possible,...to reduce much of the anonymity that surrounds these photographs of nameless corpses,...to acquaint the reader with the personal lives of a number of common soldiers for whom Antietam was more than just another battle,"

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, War, American Civil War, Photography, American History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Mme Forte · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author sets out to put into context a set of photographs made by one of the pioneers of battlefield photography. Using research and first-hand observation, he ferrets out the locations and significance of over sixty images recorded on the battlefield near Sharpsburg, MD, immediately after the fighting ended (September 19-22, 1862) and during a presidential visit to the Union commander (October 2-3, 1862).

Alexander Gardner and his assistant, James F. Gibson, arrived at Antietam two days after the bloodiest single day in American military history. Working with a mobile darkroom in a horse-drawn wagon and only the light the sun provided, they created photos for sale to the public and exhibition in the galleries of their employer, Mathew Brady, in New York City and Washington, DC. The pictures are stark depictions of the horrors of war, showing fallen soldiers, dead horses, and devastated property. Americans had never before had the opportunity to view the aftermath of battle so closely without making the journey to the site in person.

Frassanito uses the photos to weave into the history the personal stories of some of the men involved in the battle. A Louisiana regiment's presence on the field allows him to provide a brief biography and photo portrait of one of its members who died there. A photo of a farm burned by Confederates to prevent sharpshooters from sheltering in its buildings leads to an account of the property's owners and how the fighting affected them.

In addition, he includes modern-day photographs of the areas shown in the 1862 images, pinpointing locations and allowing comparison of then and now (or at least, 1976, which is when the book was published).

Throughout the book, the author expresses his fear that these sites, many of which were (again, at least in 1976) in private hands, would be spoiled or destroyed by the depredations of real estate developers or commercial interests. I am glad that this has not been the case, even forty years on from the book's publication. The battlefield at Antietam remains largely as it appeared during the Civil War. Of course, climb the observation tower and you can see paved roads, passing cars, and suburban homes, but the site is still a relatively quiet place of fields and trees, where you can still feel the presence of the past and its ghosts.

[Paul Haspel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Antietam" -- a word that evokes like few others the waste and horror of war. That quiet little creek in Western Maryland was the site of the Civil War battle that remains the bloodiest single day in all of American history - including D-Day, including even 9/11. Antietam was also unique in being the first major battlefield to be chronicled by a photographer while the bodies of the slain were still being buried. In Antietam: The Photographic Legacy of America's Bloodiest Day, William Frassanito not only tells the story of how Alexander Gardner came to bring his photographic equipment to Sharpsburg, Maryland, in the aftermath of Lee's withdrawal across the Potomac, but also juxtaposes Gardner's original photographs with modern photographs taken from the same vantage point, of the same place. The care and devotion with which Frassanito worked to build a modern connection with these pictures of the past are evident. Some of the technical information about photography may be most useful to photography buffs. A real highlight, however, is the manner in which Frassanito takes photographs of Antietam participants from both sides and reconstructs the stories of their lives - lives that ended, all too often, in the shambles of September 17, 1862. A fine, informative examination of the Battle of Antietam.

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

|4.5 Stars|

God was this intense.

My favorite historical... thing, I guess, is the years surrounding/also the years during the American Civil War. I just find it so fascinating. So as I was shelving books one day at the library, this one caught my eye. Of course I know about Antietam--but the whole idea of those famous pictures taken that day, man, that was cool.

So I had to check it out.

The thing that struck me with this, though (apart from the graphic, holy-oh-my-god photos, of course), was the description with which Frassanito wrote. He wrote like he should've been writing a novel. He wrote in ways that made me get chills up and down my spine, that's how he wrote. And he included bits of the lives of some of the people at Antietam, soldiers who maybe made it out, maybe didn't, complete with a portrait of them in their uniform.

So man, was this intense. It was interesting though, and just--super cool to read, man. Super cool to read.

[Shelly♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book examines photos taken at the Antietam battlefield by Matthew Brady's photographer, Alexander Gardner. The author groups the pictures in groups based on perceived battlefield location, coordinating his write up with the corresponding action, and people or grave identifiable in the photos. If no person is identifiable, Frassanito profiles a member of the regiment whose bodies are pictured.

It is a very stirring book coordinating the images of this battle with the men who fought it.

Recommend for: Students of the Civil War both North and South.

[Colleen Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading some of the sections in the book about the men and boys who served as soldiers in the Civil War. Otherwise, I just checked this out for the pictures. I liked how they showed Civil War-era pictures alongside modern ones. It was interesting to see which buildings are still standing and how the landscape has changed.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking in its starkness and immediacy, this is a collection of photographs that changed American conceptions of war by bringing death and destruction into their homes. Even after more than a century of war images, these photos retain their power.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I 'read' this book for a Civil War class in undergrad. It was fantastic. If you are interested in the Civil War, it is just fascinating to see photographs from the war placed next to what the land currently looks like.

[William Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book on the bloodiest day of the civil war. Good reading, maps and pictures.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going through this book was a very moving experience. If you have a sense of history and are familiar with Antietam or are interested in that battle, this is a book not to be missed.

[Xdw · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting picture. includes modern views as well.