Russell, Andrew J. Russell's Civil War Photographs. 116 Historic Prints by Andrew J. Russell.

Dover, 1982. With a preface by Joe Buberger and Matthew Isenberg.  Summary:

Russell's Civil War Photographs: 116 Historic Prints by Andrew J. Russell is a significant visual monograph that compiles the wartime documentation of Andrew J. Russell, the only line officer of the Union Army appointed as an official photographer during the American Civil War.

Historical Scope and Focus

The collection primarily documents the operations of the United States Military Railroad and the Quartermaster Department of the Army of the Potomac. The photographs focus heavily on the Virginia theater of war, capturing the vital logistics, infrastructure, and engineering feats that sustained the Union military campaigns.

Key Visual Content

• Military Logistics and Engineering: The core of the book features detailed images of Union supply bases, locomotive yards, experimental bridge construction, and railroad track-laying operations.

• The Aftermath of Battle: Russell’s lens captured stark, unvarnished views of battlefield devastation, including the ruins of Richmond, Petersburg, and Alexandria, as well as the immediate, grim realities of trench warfare.

• Portraits and Camp Life: The prints include candid and posed photographs of Union officers, enlisted men, contrabands (escaped slaves), and civilian laborers, providing insight into daily life behind the front lines.

Technical and Narrative Value

• Glass Plate Clarity: The book reproduces 116 of Russell's wet-plate photographs, prized by historians for their exceptional sharpness, depth of field, and compositional balance.

• Historical Commentary: The imagery is accompanied by a preface and detailed, informative captions written by historian Joe Buberger, which identify the locations, individuals, and strategic military contexts of each plate.

Copies available:

• Wraps, 9x12 inches, near fine reprint with $7.95 original price.
• Wraps, 1st edition with original $6.95 price, VG with a few crimps on cover.
• Wraps, 1st edition with original $6.95 price, VG- with moderate edge wear and darkening at edges of covers.