Tag: Civil War heritage

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From Gettysburg to Saratoga Springs, our Education Program Continues to Grow

We’re proud to announce that the New York State Military Museum has joined the Kenneth J. Bertholf Jr. Civil War History Education Program—our 65th site!

The addition of the museum puts another subscription into workers on the front lines of history— a growing network of battlefields, museums, libraries, archives, and historic sites committed to preserving and sharing the stories of the American past through education, research, and public engagement.

The Bertholf Program provides participating institutions with complimentary subscriptions to Military Images magazine and educational resources focused on Civil War portrait photography and material culture. The program is open to national battlefields, historical sites, and non-profit organizations connected to American history.

Learn more: https://militaryimagesmagazine.com/2023/11/30/the-kenneth-j-bertholf-jr-civil-war-history-education-program/

Fund a participating site or organization: https://shopmilitaryimages.com/collections/support-history/products/the-kenneth-j-bertholf-jr-civil-war-history-education-program

Want to nominate a deserving group? Contact militaryimages@gmail.com.

Participating institutions currently include sites and organizations such as Gettysburg National Military Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, the Library of Congress, the National Portrait Gallery, and many others across the country.

We’re grateful to every supporter helping to connect students of the Civil War and American history through period portrait photography.

Photo: Wikimedia

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Bringing a Civil War Photographic Treasure to Hart Island

Military Images magazine is especially proud to help connect historic Civil War photographs and the private collectors who preserve them with researchers and educators around the country. Recently, Charles Handras, Park Supervisor for Hart Island in the Bronx, reached out to us as his office deepens its historical research into the island’s past.

Hart Island.

Their work includes exploring Hart Island’s connection to the U.S. Colored Troops who trained there before serving in the Union Army. Among the images that captured their attention was a historically significant 1864–65 photograph of African American soldiers at L’Ouverture Hospital in Alexandria, Va.,—an image featured in Military Images’ story “Freedmen Warriors, Civil Rights Fighters” by Charles Joyce, a onetime owner of the image.

Group at L’Overture Hospital, Alexandria, Va., about December 1864-April 1865, from left to right: Tobias Trout, 31st USCT, Wounded, Crater; William DeGraff, 22nd USCT, Sick; John H. Johnson, 27th USCT, Sick, diarrhea and rheumatism; Jerry Lisle, 28th USCT, Wounded, Crater; Leander Brown, 30th USCT, Wounded, Crater; Samuel Bond, 19th USCT, Sick; Robert Deyo, 26th USCT, Sick, pleurisy; Adolphus Harp, 19th USCT, Wounded, Crater; Stephen Vance, 30th USCT, Wounded, Crater; George H. Smith, 31st USCT, Wounded, Crater; Adam Bentley, 19th USCT, Wounded, Crater; Chauncey Leonard, Chaplain, USCT, Assigned to hospital. Ross J. Kelbaugh Collection.

The photograph now resides in the National Portrait Gallery, thanks to Ross J. Kelbaugh, who generously donated it and graciously granted permission for Supervisor Handras and his colleagues to publish it in their educational work.

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3 Military Images Stories are Finalists in the 2025 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards

Delighted to announce that three stories from Military Images magazine have been named finalists for the 2025 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards:

“First in War, First in Blood” by Richard A. Wolfe: Union Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Kelley is remembered for his 1861 victory and his 1865 capture by partisan rangers. Here’s what happened in between.

“Captured Freedom” by Steve Procko: An image of escaped Union prisoners and two guides who assisted them along the way has been reproduced and misidentified. Here’s the origin story of the photo.

“Back to Libby” by Ronald S. Coddington: Matt Boyd, a captain in the 73rd Indiana Infantry, surrendered at the abrupt end of Streight’s Raid, returned to Libby Prison as a guard when the building was moved to Chicago and opened as a museum.

Presented annually by the Army Historical Foundation, the Distinguished Writing Awards honor excellence in historical writing that fosters greater understanding and appreciation of the U.S. Army’s storied past. Each year, the Foundation recognizes outstanding articles and books that exemplify rigorous research, engaging storytelling, and historical significance.

I am especially proud that Military Images is represented among this year’s finalists. Since 1979, our mission has been to showcase, interpret, and preserve Civil War portrait photography, sharing original photographs and personal stories of the soldiers and sailors who served and citizens who contributed. The nominated stories reflect our mission—blending rare and compelling images with historical context.

The winners will be announced later this year. Heartfelt congratulations to our contributors, and much appreciation to the Army Historical Foundation for this meaningful recognition.