Little Round Top, Gettysburg, July 1863

Mathew Brady is recognized as the father of photojournalism because of his initiatives in documenting the Civil War through photography, a technology which was still in its infancy. His photographs, as well as those of other early photographers, provided the general public with its most graphic impression of the Gettysburg battle. Because of limited technology, none of these photographs were taken during the actual battle. Brady and his team did not arrive in the Gettysburg area until two weeks after the battle. Since the bodies had been removed, they photographed prominent landmarks. One of these images included a shot of Little and Big Round Top, two rocky hills where Confederate troops made an unsuccessful assault on the Union left flank on the second day of the battle.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library