Civil War & The Press

In 1861, the United States Civil War divided America into two sides, the northern United States (Union) and the southern United States (Confederacy). Although the war brought forth a long devastating period filled with bloody conflict, it was an incredibly important time period for journalism because it changed the way people received the news.

Journalism’s role during the American Civil War and the excessive rate at which people from both the North and South demanded information regarding the war is discussed by historian Ford Risley in his journal when he writes “More than they had ever done before, citizens of the Union and the Confederacy turned to the press for news. With Americans fighting against Americans, the war was the biggest event in people’s lives, and they could not get enough information about what was taking place. The war helped make the United States a nation of newspaper and magazine readers” (Risley, Civil War Journalism). During the war, the newspapers gave the public the ability to receive continuous insight and knowledge regarding up-to-date news and events. However, in both the beginning and throughout the duration of the Civil War, conflicting ideas and opinions caused not only the country to be divided in many ways but also reporters and journalists. David B. Sachsman, author of the book called, A Press Divided: Newspaper Coverage of the Civil War, discusses “the role of the press before, during, and even after the Civil War to determine the influence of newspapers on public opinion” (Sachsman, A Press Divided: Newspaper Coverage of the Civil War). Prior to the war, journalists and writers shared similar opinions with one another. However, when the war began, the press ”was sharply divided politically and regionally. In 1860, Southern newspapers were split between two different political candidates, John C Breckinridge and John Bell, whereas Northern Democratic newspapers generally supported Stephen A. Douglas, and Republican newspapers supported Abraham Lincoln. At that critical time in American history, public opinion differed enormously depending on where one lived and which partisan newspaper one favored” (Sachsman). Although reporters from both the North and South desired to share their opinions and stories, journalism in the North was generally in favor of the war, “exaggerating Union victories and minimizing Union defeats” (Risley). Whereas, journalism in the South was more against the war and in favor of slavery. They “emphasized Union problems, and explained the consequences of defeat” (Risley).

In addition, the press from both the North and South tended to use illustrations and photos to deliver stories and events about the war to the public in order to express their opinions. However “The great majority of illustrations and photographs appeared in the North. Three illustrated weeklies published the sketches of full-time artists in the field. Cameramen made photographs that could not be published, but were turned into illustrations and shown in galleries. The South had fewer magazines and most closed because of insufficient manpower, supplies, and advertising. The South also had fewer photographers and most of them did not have the equipment, supplies, or financial wherewithal to record the war" (Risley).

Reporting about the war became an art during this time period and journalists went to great lengths to be the best in such a highly competitive time and field. According to Sachsman, “both sides feared the power of the press to subvert national unity. Abraham Lincoln and his Republican government turned this fear into action by arresting editors and suppressing hundreds of newspapers” (Sachsman). During the Civil War, the press was constantly fighting their own war. A war against an enemy who’s goal was to demolish reporter’s methods of communication and unfortunately more than not was successful in doing so.

Sachsman and Risley help us realize that the journalism techniques and styles from both sides during the war required a strong possession of knowledge and skill as well as symbolic representation and writing. Thanks to the war and its resulted spread of talented reporters, the public was able to stay informed about the war through not only newspapers but also through visual representation.

https://books.google.com/books?id=8q00DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/civil-war-journalism.html