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One of the nation's most historic cities, Richmond was first visited by colonists in 1607 and officially established as a town in 1742. Throughout its long and lively history, Richmond's landscape has been dotted with notable monuments and statues, prestigious institutions of higher learning, lush parks, tranquil cemeteries, and thriving commercial and residential communities. Images preserved on early twentieth-century postcards reveal many facets of this remarkable city, from the original State Capitol building designed by Thomas Jefferson to the nineteenth-century Governor's Mansion, which still serves as home to Virginia's chief executive, and from the Edgar Allan Poe Museum located in Richmond's oldest home to the oldest Masonic building in the United States.
This is undoubtedly the most valuable collection of historic photographs in America. It is believed to be the first time that the camera was used so extensively and practically on the battle-field. It is the first known collection of its size on the Western Continent and it is the only witness of the scenes enacted during the greatest crisis in the annals of the American nation. As a contribution to history it occupies a position that the higher art of painting, or scholarly research and literal description, can never usurp. It records a tragedy that neither the imagination of the painter nor the skill of the historian can so dramatically relate. The existence of this collection is unknown by the public at large. Even while this book has been in preparation eminent photographers have pronounced it impossible, declaring that photography was not sufficiently advanced at that period to prove of such practical use in War. Distinguished veterans of the Civil War have informed me that they knew positively that there were no cameras in the wake of the army. This incredulity of men in a position to know the truth enhances the value of the collection inasmuch that its genuineness is officially proven by the testimony of those who saw the pictures taken, by the personal statement of the man who took them, and by the Government Records. For forty-two years the original negatives have been in storage, secreted from public view, except as an occasional proof is drawn for some special use. How these negatives came to be taken under most hazardous conditions in the storm and stress of a War that threatened to change the entire history of the world is itself an interesting historical incident. Moreover, it is one of the tragedies of genius. While the clouds were gathering, which finally broke into the Civil War in the United States, there died in London one named Scott-Archer, a man who had found one of the great factors in civilization, but died poor and before his time because he had overstrained his powers in the cause of science. It was necessary to raise a subscription for his widow, and the government settled upon the children a pension of fifty pounds per annum on the ground that their father was "the discoverer of a scientific process of great value to the nation, from which the inventor had reaped little or no benefit." This was in 1857, and four years later, when the American Republic became rent by a conflict of brother against brother, Mathew B. Brady of Washington and New York, asked the permission of the Government and the protection of the Secret Service to demonstrate the practicability of Scott-Archer's discovery in the severest test that the invention had ever been given. Brady was an artist by temperament and gained his technical knowledge of portraiture in the rendezvous of Paris. He had been interested in the discoveries of Niepce and Daguerre and Fox-Talbot along the crude lines of photography but with the introduction of the collodion process of Scott-Archer he accepted the science as a profession and, during twenty-five years of labor as a pioneer photographer, took the likenesses of the political celebrities of the epoch and of eminent men and women throughout the country. Brady's request was granted and he invested heavily in cameras which were made specially for the hard usage of warfare. These cameras were cumbersome and were operated by what is known as the old wet-plate process, requiring a dark room which was carried with them onto the battle-fields. The experimental operations under Brady proved so successful that they attracted the immediate attention of President Lincoln, General Grant and Allan Pinkerton, known as Major Allen and chief of the Secret Service. Equipments were hurried to all divisions of the great army and some of them found their way into the Confederate ranks. To be continue in this ebook...
Richmond boasts a long, rich history--early-17th-century English exploration, the 18th-century economic and philosophical road to the American Revolution, the center of the domestic slave trade in the 19th century, and the capital of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Much of Richmond's history reflects a national history, and its important landmarks span several centuries, ranging from historic cemeteries to iconic buildings to grand-scale monuments. While these landmarks of national significance are a great draw for visitors, many of the city's lesser-known landmarks are a great source of local pride and provide a strong sense of place for Richmond natives and residents. Utilizing the historic prints, photographs, and documents collection of the Library of Virginia, Richmond Landmarks explores some of the most iconic landmarks of the city's social and cultural history.
Richmond, Virginia, located on the banks of the James River, developed into a major port by the mid-19th century. The city became the shipping point for flour, livestock, vegetables, tobacco, coal, and ironworks. During this period, the James River and Kanawha Company developed a canal system that was highlighted with the construction of five large stone locks, completing the canal connection to the city dock area. Coinciding with development of the city's canal system, industry followed, and by the very early 1800s, large flour mills dotted the city, replacing older, smaller-scale grist mills. This new wealth helped other industries prosper, including cotton and woolen mills, as well as tobacco factories and iron foundries. The looming Civil War had a tremendous impact on Richmond's waterfront activity. With the eventful fall of Richmond to the Union forces, the major port was destroyed by fire. Following the Civil War, the city and industry were rebuilt but the four milling empires never reached the zenith they previously attained. As business for the city gradually began to increase in the late 1800s, increasing consolidation of port activity to cities such as Norfolk, Baltimore, and new York eliminated the need for inland travel by water to ship goods. This does not diminish the fact that inland port cities such as Richmond remained vital in the development of the state and burgeoning nation. In Images of America: Maritime Richmond, author Dale Totty has collected 200 archival images that trace the vital role of the port in Virginia's capital city. Totty is a well-known wildlife articst, history enthusiast, and lifelong Richmond resident.
Francis Trevelyan Miller's 'Original Photographs Taken on the Battlefields during the Civil War of the United States' is a poignant portrayal of the brutality and sacrifice of the Civil War. Through stunning original photographs, Miller captures the raw emotions and devastation of this pivotal moment in American history. The book is written in a straightforward and informative style, providing a detailed look at the battles and the individuals involved. It serves as a visual documentation of the horrors of war, making it a valuable resource for historians and Civil War enthusiasts alike. Miller's work stands out in the literary context for its unique combination of photography and storytelling, bringing the past to life in a way that is both engaging and educational. As a renowned historian and photographer, Miller's expertise shines through in every page of this remarkable book. 'Original Photographs Taken on the Battlefields during the Civil War of the United States' is a must-read for those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of this tumultuous period in American history.
From the establishment of the first permanent English colony at Jamestown in 1607 to the fall of Richmond in 1865, the James River has been instrumental in the formation of modern America. It was along the James that British and Native American cultures collided and, in a twisted paradox, the seeds of democracy and slavery were sown side by side. The culture crafted by Virginia's learned aristocrats, merchants, farmers, and frontiersmen gave voice to the cause of the American Revolution and provided a vision for the fledgling independent nation's future. Over the course of the United States' first century, the James River bore witness to the irreconcilable contradiction of a slave-holding nation dedicated to liberty and equality for all. When that intractable conflict ignited civil war, the James River served as a critical backdrop for the bloodiest conflict in U.S. history. As he guides readers through this exciting historical narrative, Deans gives life to a dynamic cast of characters including the familiar Powhatan, John Smith, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Benedict Arnold, and Robert E. Lee, as well as those who have largely escaped historical notoriety. The River Where America Began takes readers on a journey along the James River from the earliest days of civilization nearly 15,000 years ago through the troubled English settlement at Jamestown and finishes with Lincoln's tour of the defeated capital of Richmond in 1865. Deans traces the historical course of a river whose contributions to American life are both immeasurable and unique. This innovative history invites us all to look into these restless waters in a way that connects us to our past and reminds us of who we are as Americans.