Battle of Chancellorsville

This photograph is from the battle of Chancelorsville near Fredericksburg, VA on May 2nd, 1863. Here is the link to an article about this battle:

www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/va032.htm

This photograph depicts wounded soldiers sitting, standing, or lying on the ground during the Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville. At first glance, one may notice the intriguing focal point of the photo; the giant tree. The frame of this photo places the trunk of this tree almost in the center of the photograph, and the men scatter around it. The soldiers, many of whom are injured, are in disarray and scattered about the foreground. There are also soldiers in the background but it is interesting to notice that these soldiers are not in focus. Some significance can possibly be placed on the fact that on the soldiers in the foreground are in focus. The symmetry of the wooden boards in the foreground contrast the confusion of limbs and injuries throughout the photograph. The emotions on the faces of the men are very stern and sincere, and in some cases, they tell their injuries through their eyes. The angle of the photograph is very real in that it seems as if the photographer was just standing at a normal height when he took the picture so that it appears just as one would see it in real life. The solemn reality of injury and exhaustion from war can be told by the simplistic view that this photographer captured at the Battle of Chancellorsville.