The Civil War Faces: A Fabulous Portrait Photo Collection From the American Civil War

The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in U.S. history.

Family portraits from the American Civil War

Primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people, war broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

Intense combat left 620,000 to 750,000 people dead, more than the number of U.S. military deaths in all other wars combined.

Here below is a fabulous photo collection from The Library of Congress that shows portraits of American from Civil War.

Two unidentified soldiers in Union uniforms holding cigars in each others' mouths

Three unidentified soldiers in forage caps with musket

Brothers Private Hiram J. and Private William H. Gripman of Company I, 3rd Minnesota Infantry Regiment, one with his arm around the other

Corporal Alvin B. Williams of Company F, 11th Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers, with musket and a bayonet in scabbard; dog tag in case

Edwin Chamberlain of Company G, 11th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment in sergeant's uniform with guitar

Five unidentified soldiers in Union uniform of the 6th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia outfitted with Enfield muskets in front of encampment

John E. Cummins of the 50th, 99th, and 185th Ohio Infantry regiments in Union uniform next to a horse

Private Albert H. Davis of Company K, 6th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment in uniform, shoulder scales, and Hardee hat with Model 1841 Mississippi rifle, sword bayonet, knapsack with bedroll, canteen, and haversack

Private David M. Thatcher of Company B, Berkeley Troop, 1st Virginia Cavalry Regiment, in uniform and Virginia sword belt plate with Adams revolver and cavalry sword

Private Edward A. Cary of Company I, 44th Virginia Infantry Regiment, in uniform and his sister, Emma J. Garland née Cary

Private Henry Augustus Moore of Co. F, 15th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, with artillery short sword and sign reading Jeff Davis and the South!

Private Silas A. Shirley of Co. H, 16th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, with books and sign reading Victory or Death!

Private Simeon J. Crews of Co. F, 7th Texas Cavalry Regiment, with cut down saber and revolver

Samuel W. Doble of Company D, 12th Maine Infantry Regiment, with drum

Seven unidentified officers and soldiers in Union uniforms and one officer identified as Major Charles S. Cotter of 1st Ohio Light Artillery Regiment, with telescope, at Point Lookout, Tennessee

Three unidentified soldiers in front of painted backdrop showing 34-star American flag

Two unidentified soldiers in Union cavalry uniforms with sword share a drink in front of painted backdrop showing camp

Two unidentified soldiers in Union uniforms drinking whiskey and playing cards

Unidentified African American sailor in Union uniform sitting with arm resting on table

Unidentified African American soldier in Union cavalry uniform with cavalry saber in front of painted backdrop showing landscape

Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with wife and two daughters

Unidentified African American Union soldier with a rifle and revolver in front of painted backdrop showing weapons and American flag at Benton Barracks, Saint Louis, Missouri

Unidentified boy holding cased photograph of soldier in Confederate uniform atop a Bible

Unidentified girl in mourning dress holding framed photograph of her father as a cavalryman with sword and Hardee hat

Unidentified infantry sergeant in Union uniform with five young infantry soldiers with American flag at side

Unidentified soldier in Confederate cavalry uniform with saber

Unidentified soldier in Confederate frock coat and slouch hat with Bowie knife and Colt Army Model 1860 revolver

Unidentified soldier in Confederate infantry uniform with model 1842 musket and two Colt revolvers

Unidentified soldier in Confederate infantry uniform with musket and Bowie knife

Unidentified soldier in Confederate uniform of Co. E, "Lynchburg Rifles," 11th Virginia Infantry Volunteers holding 1841 "Mississippi" rifle, Sheffield-type Bowie knife, canteen, box knapsack, blanket roll, and cartridge box

Unidentified soldier in Confederate uniform with 1855 Springfield pistol carbine and pistols

Unidentified soldier in Confederate uniform with Berdan's Sharps rifle and Colt 1862 Police Model pistol

Unidentified soldier in Confederate uniform with Colt Revolving rifle and D-Guard Bowie knife

Unidentified soldier in Confederate Virginia volunteer uniform with bayoneted musket

Unidentified soldier in first lieutenant's uniform, red sash, leather gauntlets, and spurs with cavalry sword

Unidentified soldier in Union cavalry uniform with banjo, sword, and pipe

Unidentified soldier in Union cavalry uniform with stocked Colt pistol, Remington, and cavalry saber

Unidentified soldier in Union officer's uniform at Point Lookout, Tennessee, sitting with cavalry saber in hand and slouch hat resting beside him on a rock

Unidentified soldier in Union uniform and fez with Model 1855 rifle musket and pepperbox revolver

Unidentified soldier in Union uniform holding a U.S. Model 1855 pistol-carbine with attached shoulder stock and a saber

Unidentified soldier in Union uniform with Colt Revolving Rifle Model 1855

Unidentified soldier in Union uniform with fife

Unidentified soldier in Union uniform with rifle, revolver, and sword

Unidentified soldier in Union uniform with two revolvers and picking his teeth with a Bowie knife

Unidentified soldier in Union uniform with wife and daughters holding saxhorn

Unidentified soldier in Union zouave uniform with bayoneted musket

Unidentified soldier of 1st Mississippi Cavalry Battalion in uniform and Confederate wishbone frame buckle, with 1st model Maynard carbine

Unidentified young drummer boy in Union uniform

Unidentified young sailor in uniform with American flag in front of backdrop showing naval scene

Unidentified young soldier in 5th New Hampshire Infantry uniform and Whipple hat with bayoneted musket

Unidentified young soldier in Confederate shell jacket, Hardee hat with Mounted Rifles insignia and plume with canteen and cup

Unidentified young soldier in Confederate uniform and Hardee hat with holstered revolver and artillery saber

Unidentified young soldier in Confederate uniform

Unidentified young soldier in Union uniform and forage cap with revolver

Unidentified young soldier in Union uniform and Hardee hat sitting with musket, cartridge box, and cap box

Unidentified young soldier in Union uniform with musket and bayonet in scabbard

Unidentified young vivandière in Union uniform with barrel canteen and cup