Salem Baptist Church

Salem Baptist Church (American Antiquarian Society)

     Dr. Reed Brockway Bontecou (1824-1907) was a surgeon from Troy, New York who was head of the Harewood Hospital in Washington, DC during the Civil War. While serving there, Dr. Bontecou photographed and catalogued the catastrophic injuries of many of the wounded Union soldiers who were his patients. His work in this regard was groundbreaking, and he is remembered to this day for his contributions to medical science.

Dr. Reed Brockway Bontecou

     In April 1866, Dr. Bontecou led a photographic expedition to the Spotsylvania region, where his team took dozens of photographs of the area's battlefields and associated sites. One of the photographs made was that of Salem Baptist Church, the scene of heavy fighting May 3-4, 1863 during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Union forces commanded by General John Sedgwick were repulsed by Confederates who had blocked the Turnpike in front of the church, and in so doing prevented Sedgwick from bringing much needed reinforcements to General Hooker, who was entrenched at Chancellorsville.

     I am not aware of the existence of a photograph of Salem Baptist Church taken before or during the Civil War. It is quite possible that this picture of Salem is the earliest known to exist.