Writing in his journal on June 11, Theodore Lyman noted, “In the leisure of these last few days we have had the apparition of Brady, who photographed the General & whole staff.” Photographer Mathew Brady and his men were very busy around June 11 and 12, 1864. Before the Army of the Potomac embarked on its ambitious flanking movement down to the James River, Brady set out to photograph various Union generals, from Ulysses S. Grant on down. He managed to get Grant, Meade, Hancock (II Corps), Wright (VI Corps), Burnside (IX Corps), and “Baldy” Smith (XVIII Corps) but had to wait to arrange a session with Gouverneur Warren (V Corps). Below are the photographs the Brady team took that day. The illustrated papers of the day used photographs as the basis for their engravings, and I’ve posted some examples of those here as well. (All images from the Library of Congress. Click to enlarge any image).
An iconic image of Ulysses S. Grant in front of his headquarters tent at Cold Harbor.
Grant along, with photographer Brady appearing at the edges.
Grant and his staff.
Assistant Secretary of War Charles Dana.
George Meade at Cold Harbor.
![General Meade and his staff. Provost Marshall Marsena Patrick (the man with the white beard seated next to Andrew Humphreys) had grumbled in a letter, "I doubt it will [prove] a good picture," but Meade was delighted, thinking it "the best picture I ever saw; each face being so distinct."](https://searching4meade.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/meade-and-staff.jpg)
General Meade and his staff. Provost Marshall Marsena Patrick (the man with the white beard seated next to Andrew Humphreys) had grumbled in a letter, “I doubt it will [prove] a good picture,” but Meade was delighted, thinking it “the best picture I ever saw; each face being so distinct.” Quartermaster Rufus Ingalls stands to the right of Meade. Theodore Lyman is in the rear behind Ingalls, looking to the side with his hat at a jaunty angle.
The image of Meade and his staff as translated into a Harper’s engraving.
Winfield Scott Hancock of the II Corps with his staff and division commanders.
The above image as it appeared in Harper’s.
VI Corps commander Horatio Wright and staff.
IX Corps commander Ambrose Burnside and staff.
The above image in Harper’s.
Ambrose Burnside (reading paper) and staff members at Cold Harbor, 1864. That’s photographer Mathew Brady in the straw hat.
William F. “Baldy” Smith of the XVIII Corps and his staff.
Searching for GEORGE GORDON MEADE 