Photographed in Philadelphia in early 1864, this image of a group of black Union soldiers and a white officer became a source of controversy in the twentieth century. While the identity of the group is unknown, it was likely part of the Army’s efforts to raise black regiments following the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The image was later used in a recruitment poster titled “United States Soldiers at Camp ‘William Penn’ Philadelphia.” The photograph was mostly forgotten until its publication in Civil War Times Illustrated in July 1973, which brought it to public consciousness.
