Seeking civil war photos of great grandfather

Dear Ms. Montalbano,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

According to a National Archives website, during the Civil War dozens of photographers, both private individuals and employees of the Confederate and Union Governments, photographed civilians and civilian activities; military personnel, equipment, and activities; and the locations and aftermaths of battles.

After the war, some of the photographs taken by private individuals were purchased by or donated to the War Department. These private photograph collections were later transferred to the National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures (RDSS) along with the permanent government photograph collections. For access to these collections, please contact RDSS via email at stillpix@nara.gov.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!

Dear Donna Montalbano:

Many of the holdings relating to the Civil War in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress are described in Civil War Manuscripts: A Guide to the Collections in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress compiled by John R. Sellers (link to digital edition). We searched the Guide but did not identify any entries for Corporal Charles Henry Penn or Company E, Massachusetts Infantry 11th Regiment.

We searched the Library's online catalog and the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, but did not identify any results relating to Corporal Charles Henry Penn or Company E, Massachusetts Infantry 11th Regiment. You may wish to contact Prints & Photographs staff to seek additional assistance.

Although we did not identify any materials relating specifically to Company E, you may be interested in viewing the following digitized photographs in the Library’s collection relating to the 11th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

The online presentation, Portraits of Names Civil War Enlisted Men, may also be of interest to you.

If you have not already, you may wish to contact the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Best of luck in your research!

Reading Room Staff

Manuscript Division

Library of Congress