The start of the Civil War happened to coincide with the beginning of the illustrated press. That means that while the newspapers and magazines still didn't have the ability to print photographs, they could print drawn images and redrawn photos of events along with their news stories. That added a whole new dimension to journalism, and meant that the Civil War was the first to be documented in pictures as it happened.
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Magazines and newspapers sent "special artists" along with reporters into the fray to capture the war as it happened. This Civil War art gave people at home a much more vivid image of the war and all its realities. While publishers at the time didn't know it, these artists were even most special than you might think. The illustrations they made make up most of the Civil War art we have.
Some artists who later became famous as landscape or portrait artists made their name as special artists in the War. These included Winslow Homer, who worked for Harper's Weekly producing sketches of wartime scenes. Some of this best known later paintings also depict the war.
Eastman Johnson produced sentimental but realistic portraits that appealed to a public interested in images from the war. The Little Soldier and Wounded Drummer Boy are among his wartime paintings. However, his depictions of slavery were the ones that got the most interest on both sides, and earned his reputation.
Edwin Austin Forbes also got a reputation during the war for producing detailed drawings for Frank Leslie's Magazine. He's one of the few artists who worked all through the war, and his artwork was held in high regard, especially by General Sherman. Sherman chose to present some of the etchings produced by Forbes to the US Government, which still keeps them.
These aren't the only special artists who worked during the war to produce vivid images that stuck in the public mind. Many others provided a new look at war and its consequences for the public. Civil War art is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the war and how it was seen at the time.
Many of these images are still fascinating for people today, and some of them are even within the reach of collectors. Look in antique houses, ephemera collections or in auctions to find real Civil War art and expand your understanding of this fascinating time. Reproductions of more famous works are also available, since these are rarely affordable enough for the average person.