On June 3, 1860, Chicago photographer Alexander Hesler traveled to Springfield to take an official portrait of the presidential candidate. This is one of two images he created, which are considered to be among the finest Lincoln portraits ever made. These and other photographs of Lincoln were reproduced in various formats and widely distributed, making Lincoln a familiar face to American voters. http://publications.newberry.org/
Fort Sumter, South Carolina, April, 1861, under the Confederate flag. The first shots of the Civil War took place here, on April 12, 1861, as Confederate batteries opened fire on the Union fort, bombarding it for 34 straight hours. On April 13, Union forces surrendered and evacuated the fort. Union forces made many attempts to retake the fort throughout the war, but only took possession on February 22, 1865, after Confederate forces had evacuated Charleston. (NARA) http://www.theatlantic.com/
This September 1862 photo provided by the Library of Congress shows Allan Pinkerton on horseback during the Battle of Antietam, near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Before the outbreak of war, he had founded the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. In 1861, he famously foiled an alleged plot to assassinate president-elect Lincoln, and later served as the head of the Union Intelligence Service -- the forerunner of the U.S. Secret Service. (AP Photo/Library of Congress, Alexander Gardner) http://www.theatlantic.com/
Dead horses surround the damaged Trostle House, results of the Battle of Gettysburg, in July of 1863. Union general Major General Daniel Sickles used the farmhouse as a headquarters and Union and Confederate troops fought among the farm buildings during the fierce battle. (LOC) http://www.theatlantic.com/
Residents walk through the ruins of Richmond, Virginia, in April of 1865. Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America during the majority of the Civil War. After a long siege in 1865, with General Ulysses S. Grant's Union troops about to take the city, Confederate troops were ordered to evacuate, destroying bridges and burning supplies they they could not carry. A massive fire swept through Richmond, destroying large parts of the city. About one week after the evacuation of Richmond, Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant in near Appomattox, Virginia, on April 9, 1865. (Alexander Gardner/LOC) http://www.theatlantic.com/