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Steve Helber / AP
Private Thomas W. Timberlake of Co. G, 2nd Virginia Infantry found this child's portrait on the battlefield of Port Republic, Virginia, between the bodies of a Confederate soldier and a Federal soldier.
Update, 11.00 a.m. ET — This post has been updated with all eight photographs in a larger size below.
The Museum of the Confederacy is appealing for the public's help in identifying the subjects of eight photographs picked up on the battlefields of the Civil War.
The Associated Press reports that the images are being publicized in the hope that a descendant might recognize a facial resemblance or make a connection to the sites where they were found:
Museum officials can only speculate on the children and adults, including soldiers, shown in the photographs. But whether they were sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, or siblings the prospect of identifying each grows dimmer with the passage of time.
Typically they were found by another soldier and handed down through generations. Ultimately an attic would be cleared or a trunk would be emptied and the photo would be given to the museum. Some have been in the museum's possession for 60 years or more.
If you can help identify the people in the photographs, get in touch with the museum or connect via Facebook or Twitter.
Read more about imagery of the conflict at the Center for Civil War Photography.
Related content:
- Hundreds of Civil War photos unearthed
- 150 years on, 3-D Civil War photos unveiled
- How Civil War photography changed war
The Museum of the Confederacy via AP
A Daguerreotype of a woman and two children found in the effects of a soldier identified as Joseph Warren.
The Museum of the Confederacy via AP
This Ambrotype image of an unidentified woman was found in the effects of a soldier identified as Joseph Warren.
The Museum of the Confederacy via AP
An Ambrotype photo of an unidentified soldier, who left this image of himself with Mrs. L.M.C. Lee of Corinth, Mississippi, on the eve of the battle of Shiloh. The soldier never reclaimed his image and was presumed to have been killed in battle.
The Museum of the Confederacy via AP
An Ambrotype photo of an unidentified soldier, who left this image of himself, a woman and two children with Mrs. L.M.C. Lee of Corinth, Mississippi, on the eve of the battle of Shiloh. The soldier never reclaimed his image and was presumed to have been killed in battle.
The Museum of the Confederacy via AP
A tin-type photograph of an unidentified man. The tintype and a bible with the name of John Brice in it were found in a tent somewhere in North Carolina during the Civil War.
The Museum of the Confederacy via AP
An Ambrotype photo of an unidentified young militia lieutenant, that was found on a battlefield near Richmond, Virginia, and donated to the Museum of the Confederacy in 1936.
The Museum of the Confederacy via AP
An Ambrotype image of an unidentified child found by Pvt. Heartwell Kincaid Adams of the 3rd Virginia Cavalry, in a haversack he took from the body of a dead Federal soldier at High Bridge a few days before Appomattox.
The Museum of the Confederacy via AP
An Ambrotype image of an unidentified child that was found by Confederate Private Thomas W. Timberlake of Co. G, 2nd Virginia Infantry. Timberlake found this child's portrait on the battlefield of Port Republic, Virginia, between the bodies of a Confederate soldier and a Federal Soldier.
Steve Helber / AP
This Gem daguerreotype locket was found by a soldier in Hampton's cavalry brigade on a battlefield in 1863.
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Finally have to give MSNBC some credit. Reaching out to the public to solve unknown Civil War photos. Media should do more stories of this nature. Instead of "Keeping up with the Kardashians".
As a photography student in 1985 I found a photograph an abandoned house. I held onto it for many years until I felt guilty about it. I posted on my blog a request to help find the owners. Of course my blog has a small following so it never went anywhere.
It never even occurred to me that it was a civil war era photo until I saw this story.
Normally this sort of photo would be untraceable. But it is what is behind the photo that gives me some clues as to the family. It reads (to the best of my translation ability).
You can see the blog at marriedgeeks dot com and search for "Help Me Return This To Its Rightful Owner"
For family historians these photo's could be a long lost family treasure. There may be other photo's in a family that these can be compared to and so an identification can be made. My aunt did her family history from the time she was 18 until her death recently at age 90. She passed on her research to me. We had two gr gr gr uncles who served in the union army. They were captured on their first assignment. (There was a traitor in the camp) They went to a prison camp where one died soon after and the other was in a prisoner exchange and died shortly after arriving home to NY. We have no photo's of them, so if a photo had been found later on the battle field or if they had given it to someone for safe keeping, you bet I'd want it. It doesn't matter if they've been dead for years, they are one of our own and part of a family who loves and honors them both.
I find it kind of sad to think that these were prized possessions and the storys that go along with them, the Civil war was particularly brutal and many casualties were never identified.
I think one of those guys was named Bob.
They were both named Bob
Bob Up And Kiss My As-
And Bob Up And Kiss It Again
I bet everyone of them is dead and long gone
Wow- it would be nice if they were able to find out who is in these photos. It reminds me of old photos you often see at flea markets, from the 40's -60's. You see them lying in a shoebox for sale, and wonder who these people are? It's a shame, since they are unidentified, it's like they never existed.
Old pictures like this give me the creeps... :(
Why?
For Pete's sake, this article is about old photographs, and people left behind in war....not about the causes or race or anything else. I wish people would stick to the topic of an article when making comments..and I wish msn had a moderator or proper editor for them....
I personally found the photos very poignant, and the intensity of the eyes arresting. I suppose it is because the subject had to stay so still for a relatively long time for the exposure of the negative back then, but still, in some of those photos, the eyes just seem to bore right into the person who regards them....
Think of what the women and children faced, in that time and society, what their life was without their husband/father...a terrible time in our history for everyone (except, as usual, for those who profit from war).
Great points. I can't believe the children sat still long enough to get a proper exposure!
The guy with the bayonet looks like my dad. Erie Looking eyes bet you they are blueish gray like his.
These are not color photos. Any color you see was added by the photographer. They did not have have color photography back then. You have to look at the bone structure and facial features instead of eye color.
These photos bring back a human perspective on war.... the people carrying these photos were ordinary, family loving people, who died in battle. It is important not to forget this war, the Civi War, or any war, and to remember that it is PEOPLE fighting, dying, and leaving behind families. Why the discussion turned to racial slurs is pathetic.
And yes, it is relevant to try to find family connections with these photo images because with today's technology we can and should!
The same has/is being done with data, photos, legal documents regarding many historical moments in our country, including American Indians, African Americans, Japanese Americans, and the list goes on. We are all Americans and we should learn as much as we can, good and bad, about our struggles to live in this free world.
Matter fact we got a couple brothers of the family last name corts buried somewhere in tennesee.
Why are any of you paying attention to someone named Doobie McStoned? This may be a ridiculous article asking the public to identify features in these photos, but anyone commenting under the name Doobie McStoned is to be completely ignored. He knows nothing about history, probably nothing about anything. The family in these photos was wealthy. These were very expensive in their day. Good luck.
OK, I don't mean to be insensitive, but of the 69 billion (estimate) relatively important things going on on this planet, why does this rate as anything news-worthy?
Because it Shows Sacrifice back in their day's and the least you can do is get off your lazy ass and help!
I can see that JohnW does not appreciate history.
many people here are forgetting the terrible loss of life during the civil war.many people fought and died for causes they believed in.whether we agreed with them or not thats what happened.we will probably not find out who these people are but it brings us as americans a sense of humanity to this terrible war and that these were real people who had families and people that loved them .and that some may have not known what happened to thier loved ones.johnw STFU
I know! First known pictures of Nacy Davis (Reagan)!
The pics found on Warren seem to have a similarity between the child on our far right and the woman alone. A sort of googly-eyed look.
Sadly, after reading this thread of comments, it is clear why there is a debate to force people into some sort of internet ID system; people don't cast insults or play so carelessly with the feelings of others when they can't hide behind an pseudonym... or anonymity.
As for the subject matter, many of us have family roots that run through the US Civil War. Unfortunately, this subject cannot be spoken of in context to the time in which it occurred because we too much tend to overlay it with contemporary political values. From that point, the whole thing devolves into a morass of vindictiveness and regional prejudices.
I hope that some of these photos of a time that we choose not to grasp, will find connectivity with those alive today who can claim kinship.
These photographs all tell a tale of a time past. I find their clothes and surroundings fascinating. If anyone can be identified with public participation that would be great.
I think the Dinosaurs were the first Americans and they are extinct now and can't defend themselves. I think there is so much history that hasn't been recorded. Yet everyone wants to start history where they were wronged. All throughout history there were the spoils of war which involved enslaving people and taking of land and treasure. Today we have some idea of fairness. There are more Native Americans today than there ever were in history. There is no sanctioned slavery in the US today, but you can probably find it in other parts of the world including Africa. Terrible things have have happened all throughout history. Keep in mind that the freedoms we have today and the justice system we have today has been created and evolved to what it is today. We are all just really animals. Those of you that think your ancestors have been wronged, look at what you have today and remember that you weren't around when your ancestors lived and you don't know what your life would be like now had the white man not become part of your history. Africa has lots of riches in the form of natural resources, but they still are mired in poverty. It isn't what you have, it is what you do with it. For all the bad that was introduced by the so-called white people, lots of good was introduced as well. Most people are mixed race meaning that their ancestors were not only the victims but also the instigators. Obama is part white, but referred to as black. Can't we just get along. We are all more similar than different.
I see dead people.
Well the arguement will be settled between the white man,black man, red man, and all this history will be ignored and forgotten as the conquistadors (hispanics) take over this country..