"The history of the Civil War is the stories of its soldiers," writes Ronald S. Coddington in the preface to Faces of the Confederacy. This book tells the stories of seventy-seven Southern soldiers—young farm boys, wealthy plantation owners, intellectual elites, uneducated poor—who posed for photographic portraits, cartes de visite, to leave with family, friends, and sweethearts before going off to war. Coddington, a passionate collector of Civil War–era photography, conducted a monumental search for these previously unpublished portrait cards, then unearthed the personal stories of their subjects, putting a human face on a war rife with inhuman atrocities.

The Civil War took the lives of 22 of every 100 men who served. Coddington follows the exhausted survivors as they return home to occupied cities and towns, ravaged farmlands, a destabilized economy, and a social order in the midst of upheaval. This book is a haunting and moving tribute to those brave men.

Like its companion volume, Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories, this book offers readers a unique perspective on the war and contributes to a better understanding of the role of the common soldier.

Ronald S. Coddington is assistant managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education. His work has appeared in USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the San Jose Mercury News. He is a contributing writer to the New York Times Disunion series and writes a monthly column for The Civil War News. He is the author of Faces of the Confederacy and Faces of the Civil War, both published by Johns Hopkins.

Ronald S. Coddington's profile page

Ronald S. Coddington is a visual journalist whose work has appeared in USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the San Jose Mercury News. He writes a monthly column, "Faces of War," for The Civil War News and is the author of Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Michael Fellman's profile page

"Coddington's prose is as unpretentious as the faces he shares, yet authoritative. It resurrects details that broaden our understanding of those sad times and sheds valuable light on the shape of modern culture."

"Even at a distance of over a hundred years, the faces staring out of these pages create an undeniable emotional connection with the reader. This book is highly recommended."

"Will have its strongest appeal to photography historians and Confederate military enthusiasts, but Coddington can be proud of his accomplishment."

The Journal of America's Military Past

"Faces of the Confederacy is a fine effort from a talented researcher and writer and comes highly recommended."

Military Images Magazine

"Coddington has hit upon a unique and fascinating niche in the seemingly endless march of Civil War books."

"This is a beautiful book, and the publisher's use of high quality paper ensures that the images are superb. The notes, references, and index are also first rate. This unique book deserves a wide audience and will appeal to military historians and students of the Civil War in particular."

"Faces of the Confederacy is an admirable accomplishment."

Military History of the West

"A lavishly produced visual record of southern Civil War soldiers... will appeal to serious photography enthusiasts and collectors, as well as those readers captivated by the personal stories of Civil War soldiers."

"Extensive research, fascinating characters, and visual presentation of common southern soldier... The author has done an admirable job of literally placing a face on the ordinary Confederate soldier."

"Coddington's research in manuscript collections, newspapers, regimental histories, and soldiers' memoirs has yielded a fascinating volume which anyone interested in the Civil War will enjoy browsing."