In May 1862 during the Peninsular Campaign, one of the key camps and supply bases for the Union Army of the Potomac was the camp at Cumberland Landing on the Pamunkey River, a few miles upstream from where it joins the York River.
Here, more than 100,000 troops gathered and awaited the order from commander Gen. George McClellan to advance on Richmond. By early July, after many battles, the army would be in retreat from the Confederate capital.
Photographer James Gibson, working for Mathew Brady, took several series of photographs that can be assembled into spectacular panoramas of the camp at Cumberland Landing.
This particular panorama, from the files of the Library of Congress, was created from three original 19th century albumen prints, which produced a sepia-toned image. All three of the images that were combined to create this panorama were originally stereoscopic views. The three prints that comprise this scene each are one-half of a stereo view.
Some or most of the soldiers may appear as many as three times, since Gibson appears to have focused on the same group of soldiers from the three different vantage points of the camera.
About this site
Photography of the American Civil War is perhaps the single most important element that stimulates our interest in the conflict. More Civil War battlefield photographs were taken in Virginia than any other state.
Here you'll find the Virginia Civil War photograph of the month, featuring images from Bob Zeller's collection, some of which appear in his two books, The Civil War in Depth and The Civil War in Depth Volume Two. For more information about the book, click here. Click here to contact the author about purchasing a signed copy of either volume.
Most of the battlefield photographs of the Civil War originally were stereographs. They were a 3-D viewing experience for 19th century Americans, who had no other form of home entertainment. To see the stereo views in 3-D, you'll need 3-D stereoscope glasses. Click here for more information on how to get those glasses.
For more information about Civil War photography in general and the National Center for Civil War Photography, visit www.civilwarphotography.com.
Buy Bob Zeller's "The Civil War in Depth, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" and get a personally signed edition
You'll need a 3-D Print Viewer to see this photograph properly. Get one with Zeller's books or order it separately.
Bob Zeller is the former motorsports writer of the Roanoke Times and Landmark Newspapers. He has published several books on NASCAR racing and Civil War photography and is the president of the National Center for Civil War Photography, a non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation, preservation and study of Civil War photography.
Civil War@roanoke.com
Bob Zeller
Ned Harrison
