Mysterious, Unclaimed Civil War Images

Mysterious civil war photo

Old photo of a woman and two children

(Image credit: Museum of the Confederacy)

A Daguerreotype of a woman and two children found in the effects of a soldier identified as Joseph Warren.

Mysterious civil war photo

An old photo of an old woman.

(Image credit: Museum of the Confederacy)

This Ambrotype image of an unidentified woman was found in the effects of a soldier identified as Joseph Warren.

Mysterious civil war photo

An old photo of an unidentified soldier.

(Image credit: Museum of the Confederacy)

An Ambrotype photo of an unidentified soldier, who left this image of himself with Mrs. L.M.C. Lee of Corinth, Mississippi, on the eve of the battle of Shiloh. The soldier never reclaimed his image and was presumed to have been killed in battle.

Mysterious civil war photo

An old photo of an unidentified soldier

(Image credit: Museum of the Confederacy)

A tin-type photograph of an unidentified man. The tintype and a bible with the name of John Brice in it were found in a tent somewhere in North Carolina during the Civil War. Alt text: An old photo of an unidentified soldier.

Mysterious civil war photo

An old photo of an unidentified soldier.

(Image credit: Museum of the Confederacy)

An Ambrotype photo of an unidentified young militia lieutenant, that was found on a battlefield near Richmond, Virginia, and donated to the Museum of the Confederacy in 1936. Alt text: An old photo of an unidentified soldier.

Mysterious civil war photo

An old photo of an unidentified child.

(Image credit: Museum of the Confederacy)

An Ambrotype image of an unidentified child found by Pvt. Heartwell Kincaid Adams of the 3rd Virginia Cavalry, in a haversack he took from the body of a dead Federal soldier at High Bridge a few days before Appomattox.

Mysterious civil war photo

An old photo of an unidentified child

(Image credit: Museum of the Confederacy)

An Ambrotype image of an unidentified child that was found by Confederate Private Thomas W. Timberlake of Co. G, 2nd Virginia Infantry. Timberlake found this child's portrait on the battlefield of Port Republic, Virginia, between the bodies of a Confederate soldier and a Federal Soldier.

Mysterious civil war photo

A photos of an unidentified Civil War family.

(Image credit: Museum of the Confederacy)

An Ambrotype photo of an unidentified soldier, who left this image of himself, a woman and two children with Mrs. L.M.C. Lee of Corinth, Mississippi, on the eve of the battle of Shiloh. The soldier never reclaimed his image and was presumed to have been killed in battle.

Jennifer Welsh

Jennifer Welsh is a Connecticut-based science writer and editor and a regular contributor to Live Science. She also has several years of bench work in cancer research and anti-viral drug discovery under her belt. She has previously written for Science News, VerywellHealth, The Scientist, Discover Magazine, WIRED Science, and Business Insider.