In 1978, Lawrence Lee Hewitt became the first manager of the Port Hudson State Historic Site. There, he began collecting photographs related to the Civil War battle. Carefully analyzing a vast and remarkable photographic record of Port Hudson, Hewitt has now brought his four decades of research and collecting together in this book.

Lawrence Lee Hewitt, former manager of the Port Hudson State Historic Site, musters four decades of research in Port Hudson's vast photographic record to present a landmark work of Civil War history. This volume showcases the work of six pioneering cameramen. Besides many stunning "firsts" in the medium--like the first-ever photograph of soldiers engaged in battle, first exterior shots at night, first "composition print," and even the first and only known photograph of a Confederate army surrendering--these photographers turned an appreciative eye on a cotton gin, a grist mill, and a Methodist church, all included here and showing signs of damage. Hewitt presents their photos chronologically, allowing readers to follow changes in the landscape itself during and after the siege. Biographies of the photographers and substantive captions also brim with fresh information about the photographs and the campaign. Though Port Hudson may never receive the level of attention of Gettysburg or Vicksburg, this well-conceived collection stands as testament to the importance of that conflict and of the Civil War's photographic record itself.