During the war, photographers followed the troops, making thousands of portraits of soldiers intended as keepsakes for family back home. A photographer’s wagon complete with a dark room was a common sight with many regiments having their own photographers.
Mathew Brady is the best-known of the War’s photographers, but dozens of others made significant contributions, including Alexander Gardner and Timothy O’Sullivan. Gardner’s photographs of dead soldiers taken in the days after The Battle of Antietam in 1862 are widely considered the most powerful war images ever made.
Ten facts about Civil War photography from the Battlefield Trust that will provide a good overview of the subject.