User Guide

After uploading the photo, you can add the metadata for both the front and back views (if available).

You can add the following information:

• Photo Format: Is the photo a Carte-de-Visite (CDV)? Or an Ambrotype? Or a Daguerreotype? Or a Tintype? Or an Albumen? Or a Glass Negative? Or something else?
  
  You can add this piece of information only for the front view.
  
  
• Owner: If you know the current owner of the original photo, please credit the owner of the photo in the "Owner" field. This will allow other users to contact the owner if they want to know more about the photo.
  
  
• Inscription: Photos may have the person’s name or some other information inscribed on the front or the back view. This can help in identifying the person in the photo. It may be difficult to transcribe handwritten notes in poor quality photos, but give your best shot.
  
  If the inscription is present in the back view, you must enter that information on the tagging page corresponding to the back view, and likewise for the front view.
  
  
• Photographer Name and Location: Photos may have the photographer name and location inscribed on the front or the back view. This is a useful clue for narrowing down the units for the person. In the future, we will support searching for other photos by the same photographer or from the same location.
  
  If the photographer name or location is present in the back view, you must enter that information on the tagging page corresponding to the back view, and likewise for the front view.
  
  
• Tax Stamps: Some photos may have a tax stamp on the back view. This information can be used to date the photo as tax stamps were unique to the later years of the Civil War. You can learn more here.

You can also edit this information later by going to the photo page and clicking the "Edit Details" button in the top right.

After adding the photo metadata, you can add brief descriptions, called tags, of the visual evidence in the photo. These tags can then be used for filtering the search results to find similar photos. Currently, we only support tags for military uniforms.

You can add the following tags:

• Military Uniform: This will help users performing searches to know whether it is a soldier photo, or a civilian one.
  

  Uniform: Military

  

  Uniform: Civilian

• Coat Color: Union soldiers generally wore dark/blue colored coats, while Confederate soldiers wore light/gray or butternut colored coats.
  

  Coat Color: Dark/Blue (Union)

  

  Coat Color: Gray/Light (Union)

• Chevrons: The presence and type of chevrons on the sleeve of a uniform can be used to narrow down the possible rank(s) of the enlisted soldiers and non-commissioned officers.
  

  No Chevrons (Not a non-commissioned officer)

  

  Two Chevrons (Corporal)

  

  Three Chevrons (Sergeant or Commissary Sergeant)

  

  Three Chevrons and a lozenge (First Sergeant)

  

  Three Chevrons and a straight rocker (Company Quartermaster Sergeant)

  

  Three Chevrons and three straight rockers (Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant)

  

  Three Chevrons and three curved rockers (Sergeant Major)

  

  Three Chevrons and a star (Ordnance Sergeant)

  

  One half-chevron with a caduceus on upper arm (Hospital Steward)

  

  One half-chevron on forearm (Can be any enlisted rank)

  

  Three Chevrons and three curved rockers (Sergeant Major)

  

  Three Chevrons and three curved rockers (Sergeant Major)

• Shoulder Straps: The presence and type of shoulder straps can be used to narrow down the possible rank(s) of a Union officer.
  

  No Shoulder Straps (Can be a private, non-commissioned officer or a hospital steward)

  

  Unknown Insignia (Cannot be a private or non-commissioned officer)

  

  Straps with no insignia (Second Lieutenant)

  

  One Bar (First Lieutenant)

  

  Two Bars (Captain)

  

  Oak Leaf (Can be a Major, Lieutenant Colonel or a Surgeon)

  

  Eagle (Colonel)

  

  One Star (Brigadier General)

  

  Two Stars (Major General)

  

  Three Stars (Lieutenant General)

  

  Three Chevrons and three curved rockers (Sergeant Major)

  

  Three Chevrons and three curved rockers (Sergeant Major)

• Collar Insignia: The presence and type of collar insignia can be used to narrow down the possible rank(s) of a Confederate officer.
  

  No Collar Insignia (Can be a private, non-commissioned officer or a hospital steward)

  

  One Bar (Second Lieutenant)

  

  Two Bars (First Lieutenant)

  

  Three Bars (Captain)

  

  One Star (Major)

  

  Two Stars (Lieutenant Colonel)

  

  Three Stars (Colonel)

  

  Three Stars and a wreath (Can be a Brigadier General, Major General, Lieutenant General or General)

  

  Two Stars (Brigadier General)

• Hat Insignia: The presence and type of hat insignias can be used to narrow down the possible rank(s) and branch(es) of a soldier.
  

  No Hat Badge (Can be any rank and badge)

  

  Hunting Horn (Infantry, Cannot be medical staff or a General officer)

  

  Crossed Cannons (Can be Artillery, Light Artillery or Heavy Artillery, Cannot be medical staff or a General officer)

  

  Crossed Sabers (Cavalry, Cannot be medical staff or a General officer)

  

  Castle (Engineers, Cannot be medical staff or a General officer)

  

  USSS (Sharpshooters, Cannot be medical staff or a General officer)

• Hat Number: The number on the hat can be used to narrow down the regiment number of a soldier.
  

  Hat Number: 44 (Regiment Number: 44)

  

  Hat Number: (Regiment Number: )

  

  Hat Number: (Regiment Number: )

• Hat Letter: The letter on the hat can be used to narrow down the company of a soldier.
  

  Hat Letter: B (Company: B)

  

  Hat Letter: (Company Letter: )

  

  Hat Letter: (Company Letter: )

Analyzing some of these tags may require you to zoom in to the photo. You can use the "+" button below the photo to zoom into the image.

You can also edit these tags later by going to the photo page, and clicking the "Edit Evidence" button in the "Faces" section.