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Secondary sourcePhotograph1902 (composite of earlier images)

Ulysses S. Grant at City Point

L. C. Handy · 1902 (composite of earlier images)

A famous but fake composite photograph combining three separate Civil War images to create the appearance of Grant at City Point.

This composite image falsely combines pieces of other photographs to depict Grant as a commanding presence at City Point.

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Sepia photograph of a Civil War camp at City Point with a mounted officer in a dark uniform and wide-brimmed hat on a dark horse in the foreground. White conical tents and crowds of soldiers fill the background; a figure stands at right holding a rifle. Caption reads 'General Grant at City Point' and 'Copyright 1902 by L.C. Handy'.
L. C. Handy, 'Ulysses S. Grant at City Point,' 1902 composite photograph made from three separate Civil War images.

About this source

What it is

This image, copyrighted in 1902 by L. C. Handy, looks like a photograph of General Grant on horseback at the Union camp of City Point. According to the Library of Congress, it is actually a montage made from three different photographs: Grant's head came from a picture taken at his Cold Harbor headquarters, the horse and body came from a photo of another general, and the background came from a photo of captured Confederate prisoners.

Why it matters

This source is a powerful lesson in how historical images can be manipulated. It shows that even seemingly realistic Civil War photographs could be constructed long after the fact to create a flattering, heroic scene that never actually happened.

Look closer

  • What details in the image might make a viewer believe it is a single, real photograph?
  • Why would someone want to create a composite image of Grant looking commanding at a military camp?
  • How does knowing the true origin of this image change how you read other old photographs?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ulysses S Grant on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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