Work

Charleston, South Carolina. Beacon on parapet of Fort Sumter

A beacon standing on the ruined parapet of Fort Sumter in 1865.

The Library of Congress credits Cooley with this negative. Its near neighbor in the same series — the same beacon, a second exposure — carries no creator at all. That is the state of the April 1865 Fort Sumter group in one pair of records.

The record

Title, as catalogedCharleston, South Carolina. Beacon on parapet of Fort Sumter
PhotographerSamuel Abbot Cooley
FirmSam A. Cooley, U.S. Photographer, Department of the South
AttributionVerified
Date, as cataloged1865.
PlaceFort Sumter, Charleston Harbor
Controlling forceUnion-held
Processwet collodion glass negative
Formatstereograph negative (2 plates)
Negative or printnegative
CollectionCivil war photographs, 1861-1865 (Library of Congress)
Call numberLC-B811- 3055 [P&P]
Reproduction numberLC-DIG-cwpb-02306 (left half)
RepositoryLibrary of Congress
Credit lineCivil war photographs, 1861-1865, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
RightsNo known restrictions on publication
Rights advisory, verbatimNo known restrictions on publication. For information, see “Civil war photographs, 1861-1865,” http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/120_cwar.html
Catalog recordhttps://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018670976/
ConfidenceVerified
Last verified2026-08-30

Sources