Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park - Share Your History (U.S. National Park Service)

Guidelines for Submitting Photographs for the

“Faces of the Civil War” Exhibit

The National Park Service welcomes new photographs of soldiers and their families for its “Faces of the Civil War” exhibit. The soldiers must have fought in at least one of the four Fredericksburg-area battles. The exhibit is currently on display at the Chancellorsville Battlefiled Visitors Center. If you would like to add your ancestor’s image to the exhibit simply send a wartime image of the individual to the following address:

Donald Pfanz, Staff Historian
c/o Fredericksburg and
Spotsylvania National Military Park
120 Chatham Lane
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405

You may also send the image digitally by left clicking the following link e-mail us. In the subject line write "Faces of the Civil War."

To use a soldier’s image in the exhibit we must know his name and regiment. (e.g., 3rd New York Light Artillery, 69th Pennsylvania Infantry; 12th Virginia Cavalry). In addition, please supply as much of the following information as possible:

The highest rank he obtained during the war
His birth date and death date.
His place of residence when the war began
His occupation, before and after the war.
His date of enlistment
Was he killed wounded, or captured? If so, when and where?
The date he mustered out of service

Did he survive the war? If so, what was his date of death?
Did he suffer from his Civil War service later in life?
Any other interesting information

A typical submission might read:

John Doe, born January 10, 1840, was a sergeant in the 23rd New York Infantry. He enlisted as a private on May 23, 1861, in New York City, and was promoted to sergeant on February 7, 1863. He was shot through the right arm at Chancellorsville on May 3, 1863. Doctors amputated his injured limb, and he was discharged from the service on December 12. After the war he married Sarah Jones and had six children. He worked as a shopkeeper in Poughkeepsie, New York, and served one term as mayor of the town. He died on August 5, 1905 at the age of 65.

We will use the information that you give use to write the caption that will accompany the soldier’s photograph. We will keep the information on file and share it with visitors who inquire about the individual.

You may submit more than one image for this exhibit. By submitting an image you agree to allow the National Park Service to use that image in its exhibit and to share any information about the soldier with the public.

The National Park Service cannot guarantee that pictures submitted for this exhibit will be used. If they are used, the National Park Service guarantees that they will remain on display for at least one year. The criteria for selecting images for the exhibit appear below. Photographs submitted for this exhibit will be kept on file by the National Park Service unless the owner specifically requests that they be returned.

This exhibit is financially self-sustaining. Each application for the “Faces of the Civil War” exhibit must be accompanied by a check for fifty dollars. The money will be used to pay for production of the exhibit panel. If the National Park Service chooses not to use an image in the exhibit, the application fee will be returned.

Selection Criteria

Photographs, paintings, and other types of images are accepted. Preferably soldiers should appear in uniform, although images of them in civilian clothes may be accepted if the image was taken immediately before or after the war. Selection will be based on the quality of the image.

The National Park Service will accept images of either soldiers or members of their family. Photographs of small family groups are welcome (a soldier and his wife and/or children; two brothers; a mother and her son, etc.). Applicants may submit photographs of more than one individual.

Images should depict individuals as they appeared at the time of the war. Photographs of aging veterans will not be accepted. Soldiers must have participated in at least one of the four following battles: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, or Spotsylvania Court House.

Thank you for your interest in the “Faces of the Civil War” exhibit. If you have additional questions about the exhibit or about the application process, please contact Staff Historian Donald Pfanz at 540-372-3031 or Curator Janice Frye at 540-786-0605.