[Camp of Construction Corps, U.S. Military Railroad at City Point, Virginia] 1861 - 1865

Andrew Joseph Russell made this albumen silver print titled, "Camp of Construction Corps, U.S. Military Railroad at City Point, Virginia," during the American Civil War. Taken in an era of immense social and political upheaval, the photograph presents us with the spatial organization of a Union encampment, and subtly implies an ongoing narrative of logistical and industrial support for the Union army. Russell’s composition emphasizes the repetitive structures of tents, hinting at the standardization and scale of military operations. Yet, what is largely unseen is who populates this military landscape. While the photograph ostensibly documents a Union site, it silently acknowledges the forced labor of enslaved African Americans that built and maintained these railroads for the Confederate army. The photograph then, becomes a quiet but powerful meditation on labor, race, and the material costs of war, asking us to consider the human stories behind the grand narratives of military history.