The Battle of Gettysburg is not only considered the turning point of the Civil War, it is also considered one of the birthplaces of instant war coverage.
According to the National Park Service, “The primary way for the public to get news of campaigns, battles and other events during the Civil War was through newspapers…Companies printed stories sent to them from reporters who accompanied the armies or from letters sent to them by soldiers…Once the story was written, it was transmitted to the newspaper office or a central news agency by telegraph.”
Larger newspapers were able to pay artists to sketch the battles. Alfred R. Waud (left) was an artist for Harper’s Weekly. He is best known for painting the battle at Devil’s Den in Gettysburg.
According to Louis Starr, another famous correspondent was Frank C. Chapman. Chapman raced his account of the Gettysburg battles to the telegraph in Baltimore. He was the first to arrive, but his competition arrived soon after. To stall the telegraphers, Chapman had them transmit a copy of the Bible. Because of protocol, Starr says, “Chapman was able to control the wires throughout the day as his competitors waited powerlessly in line.”
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