20 Colorized Photos From the Civil War That Bring it to Life

History Vintage Photos April 23, 2025

Last Updated on April 27, 2025 by Colby Droscher

The American Civil War remains one of the most significant and tragic events in U.S. history. It was a confrontation that went beyond military conflict to challenge the very soul of the nation. While the black-and-white images from the period have long preserved the dark realities of this era, colorized photos breathe new life into those moments, offering a fresh and powerful perspective.

These 20 colorized photos don’t just depict history; they immerse us in it, making the people, places, and emotions feel more real and immediate than ever before.

1. American Civil War Union Captain J.W. Forsyth

A man in a Civil War-era military uniform sits on a wooden crate, surrounded by stacks of similar crates. He faces forward with one arm resting on his knee and the other on a crate, with a serious expression.
haxdawg

In this photo, he’s overseeing a shipment of bread for the Army, 1863.

2. Union General George A. Custer sitting alongside his friend, Confederate prisoner Lieutenant James B Washington

Two men in 19th-century military uniforms sit outdoors on a bench and a crate, surrounded by trees and greenery. One wears a gray uniform and hat, the other wears a dark blue uniform with gold buttons.
mygrapefruit

These two were classmates at West Point before the war broke out. This goes to show that even friends could find themselves on opposite sides when the nation was torn apart.

3. An American Civil War camp

Three Union Army soldiers in uniform pose outside a tent labeled “HOTEL” during the Civil War. One sits while two stand, and a table with flowers and a sign is placed beside them on the grass.
haxdawg

Naming it the Hotel De Happy must have been the General’s idea.

4. Rear Admiral John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgreen

A naval officer in a dark uniform stands on a wooden ship’s deck beside a large black cannon, with rope coiled nearby and the sea in the background under a clear sky.
gdw-color

This photo was taken on the deck of the U.S.S. Pawnee during the Civil War.

5. Civil war Veterans shaking hands

Two elderly men wearing medals and sitting side by side on steps, one with his arm around the other. The left image is in black and white; the right is the same image colorized. People stand in the background.
jabbalechat

This photo was taken at the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion.

6. Nicholas Biddle, 1861

A Black man with a beard and mustache wears a blue-gray military uniform with gold buttons and red trim, posed against a plain backdrop.
userdeleted

Biddle was the first man to be wounded in the Civil War.

7. Infantry resting from drills, 1864

A group of Union soldiers in blue uniforms sit and relax on a grassy hillside, some eating or talking, with trees and tents in the background under a clear sky.
pejae

Imagine wearing a 3-piece suit to fight a war in the hot sun. Those boys were baking.

8. Three captured Confederate soldiers at Gettysburg

Three soldiers in Civil War-era uniforms stand and sit on large wooden logs, talking and carrying supplies, with a rural landscape and village visible in the background under a blue sky.
yournamehere292

It doesn’t seem like they treated captured soldiers too poorly during the Civil War.

9. Civil War Veteran Harris Merrill Plaisted, 1860s

A man with a long brown beard and blue eyes wears a dark military uniform with gold buttons and shoulder decorations, posed against a plain gray background.
buba7q

Before the Civil War, Harris Plaisted was a practicing attorney in Bangor, Maine, after graduating from Waterville College and Albany Law School. In 1861, he enlisted as a lieutenant colonel in the 11th Maine Volunteer Infantry.

10. P.G.T. Beauregard, 1860s

A man with light brown hair and a mustache wears a gray military uniform adorned with gold buttons and embroidery, sitting against a plain blue background, looking slightly to the side.
paulhindenburg1942

Beauregard was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on 12 April 1861.

11. Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke, 1860s

A bearded man in a light blue military uniform with ornate cuffs and brass buttons stands with one hand inside his coat, against a plain background.
yungdimitrov

John S. Marmaduke was an officer in the Confederate Army.

12. General Ambrose Burnside, 1860s

A stern-faced man with large sideburns and a bald head wears a dark blue military uniform with gold buttons, shoulder epaulets, and a medal pinned to his chest, posed against a plain background.
pejae

Those sideburns would scare any enemy off the battlefield.

13. Ulysses S. Grant near the end of the Civil War, 1865

A bearded man wearing a dark blue military uniform with brass buttons and shoulder insignia sits in a chair with red and gold trim, looking slightly to the side against a plain background.
userdeleted

Did you know his real name wasn’t Ulysses S. Grant? He was born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but due to a clerical error when he was nominated to West Point, his name was entered as “Ulysses S. Grant.” He liked the new name better and stuck with it.

14. Susie King Taylor

A woman with dark skin sits on a wooden chair outdoors, wearing a burgundy jacket and a long blue-and-white checked skirt. She is surrounded by large green leaves and grass, with a plant pot behind her.
memorylanepr

Susie King Taylor was a nurse during the Civil War.

15. American Civil War Captain Ferdinand F. Boltz, 1865

A colorized portrait of a man in a dark Civil War-era military uniform poses beside an ornate, open photo case displaying his original black-and-white photograph.
haxdawg

Born on October 26, 1839, in Saarbrücken, Germany, Ferdinand F. Boltz immigrated to the United States and made Indiana his home, where he would go on to become a notable figure in the state’s Civil War military history.

16. Alfred A Stratton, 1860s

A young Civil War soldier with amputated arms stands in uniform, wearing a kepi hat, blue coat with sergeant stripes, light blue trousers, and a visible medal pinned to his chest. He poses against a decorative studio backdrop.
pejae

This Civil War soldier lost both of his arms in the war.

17. Camp at Gettysburg, 1861

Three men in historic military uniforms cook over a campfire in a forested area, with a white canvas tent set up behind them. The scene suggests an outdoor camp during an earlier era, possibly a reenactment.
berician

Imagine cooking your food like this and then having to go fight in a battle.

18. A Confederate soldier and his family, 1860s

A historical, colorized portrait of a man in a blue military uniform, a woman in a red plaid dress, and a young child in a blue plaid dress, all sitting together against a plain dark background.
photojacker

If they put out photos of the soldiers and their families, I bet it would make it harder to fight the war.

19. Officers of the 69th New York Volunteer Regiment

A group of Union soldiers in blue uniforms stands around a large cannon in a Civil War camp, with cannonballs nearby and tents and buildings visible in the background.
jecinci

In this photo, they’re posing with a cannon at Fort Corcoran, 1861.

20. William T. Sherman

A stern-faced man with light skin and a short beard wears a dark blue military uniform with gold buttons and shoulder insignia, posing against a neutral background.
jonnybl21

Sherman was a Union General in the American Civil War.

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