The Civil War as Reported from the Field

Many historians have called the American Civil War the first modern war. But with advances in technology such as the telegraph and photography, the graphically bloody War Between the States also marked a turning point in the way reporters covered and newspapers and magazines reported war.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the conflict, The Newseum offered the special exhibit Blood and Ink: Front Pages from the Civil War.

Beginning with an 1807 page from the Charleston Courier which posted a $30 reward for the return of a run-away slave and ending with the Lincoln assassination, the 30 pages on display revealed the depth and speed with which the news was reported.

Calling attention to mistreatment of prisoners

.

In those days, newspapers made no effort toward objectivity and so accounts of the same battle or event were much different in the North than in the South. But even without geography, politics of the area played a huge role in shaping the news. According to the 1860 Census, 80 percent of all newspapers "were political in their character."

As happens even more so today with the emphasis on being first (witness the early erroneous reports of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's death), Civil War newspapers could be completely wrong in their stories. For example, a copy of The Philadelphia Inquirer boldly headlines the 1st Battle of Bull Run a huge Union victory, when, in reality, it was a rout.  

One of the most interesting front pages, especially considering the Occupy protest movements being led by young people today, is a student-written front page from Connecticut lamenting the 1st national draft instituted by President Lincoln. "Many a mother's heart grows sick and many a sister's cheek goes pale," the story about the drafting of 9 young men reports.

The exhibit also dramatized the devastating effects of the Union blockade of the South on the Confederacy. By the end of the war, many Southern newspapers were being printed on wallpaper because there was no printing paper available.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

While there were advances in reporting during the Civil War, the scene was a long way from today's 24/7 news cycle with cable news, the internet, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. But what if Twitter had been around in the 1860s? Well, through the power of imagination the closing display at the Blood and Ink exhibit demonstrated what the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg might have read like if it had been reported by actual witnesses on Twitter.