Friday 17 April 2015

Civil War Photo Friday: Confederate Prisoners Waiting To Go Home


As I'm sure you've heard, April 9 was the sesquicentennial of the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House. In the following weeks, more Confederate armies would surrender and tens of thousands of men would soon be heading home. This photo shows Confederate prisoners in Belle Plain, Virginia. While it's undated, scenes like this were common in April 1865. Large masses of men, no longer carrying guns, waited transport back to their home state.

Since the above photo is a bit small, I've zoomed in on part of the crowd. I like the ghostly figures of the ones who moved, and the guy in front looking at the camera. I wonder what happened to all of them after the war?



Photo courtesy National Archives.

1 comment:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I assume most just went back to their lives, some grumbling all the way.

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