Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Two history buffs debunk the story of a famous Civil War photo

Via Brother Henry


A few years ago, Paul Bolcik and Erik Davis stood on East Patrick Street in Frederick, Md., looking at a Civil War historical marker. On the plaque was one of the most famous images from that conflict: the only known candid photograph of Confederate soldiers on the march. 

Reproduced in countless books, it shows nearly 100 men, most with rifles resting on their right shoulders, a few looking toward the camera, their faces inscrutable. 

And to think it was taken on that very street in 1862!

Except, it wasn’t. In April, after three years of painstaking research, Bolcik and Davis revealed that the picture was actually taken around the corner in 1864.

2 comments:

  1. That's cool. I live around 5 miles from the Monocacy battlefield and we go into Frederick pretty regularly. I'm certain that I've been past that spot without knowing.

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    1. Neat. Take a picture next time of you holding a musket. :)

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