Portrait of the Photographer

The Battle of Selma reenactment is this weekend, and I was pleased to snap a digital portrait of a 19th Century photographer! Wendell Decker of Bowling Green, Ky., takes "tintype" photographs, technically known as ferrotypes (produced on iron, not tin) just as they were developed back in the 1800s. It's a very exact art that produces pictures that will last hundreds of years and could be scanned and enlarged to any size without loss of detail. 

The Battlefront

The river has receded and overgrowth cut back to make room for reenactors and spectators at this weekend's Battle of Selma.

In the background, you see a small structure that likely will be set on fire by the Yankees as they approach Selma's fortifications (center). Bleachers in the foreground provide a good view of the battlefront.

For more information, click on

www.battleofselma.com

To see a photo of "Scarlett O'Hara" at a recent Battle of Selma Ball, click HERE.

The Yellow Lady Banksia

Today is Theme Day, and participants in the City Daily Photo Blogs post a photo of the color YELLOW.

The Lady Banksia Rose, especially the yellow Lady Banksia, blooms all over Selma in early April.

In fact, it was on April 2, 1865, that Lady Banksia rosebush shed its petals over the corpse of the Presbyterian preacher. Earlier that Sunday, the Rev. Arthur Small preached his regular sermon at the church despite the boom of cannons in the distance. When Union Gen. J.H. Wilson's cavalry entered town later than afternoon, the the Rev. Small joined other townspeople to help defend Selma. The Yankees destroyed much of the town and burned its Naval Foundry and Ironworks, the second largest in the Confederacy next to Richmond, Va.

But the good preacher took a Yankee bullet, and he was laid out on the church manse beneath a Lady Banksia rosebush. Soon, attending parishioners noticed that the bush had shed its delicate petals atop his body, a testimony to their grief.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Bearing a Blossom (2nd Anniversary!)

Today marks the second anniversary of the Selma, Ala., Daily Photo, and I just had to share this lovely wreath bearer in Old Live Oak Cemetery.

The red camellia caught my eye and could not have been placed in her hand for long since it hadn't wilted at all. Whoever handed her the camellia, along with strands of Spanish Moss, made my day as well as an enchanting subject for this blog.

The tombstone beneath the statue's feet memorializes a young wife who died at age 27 in 1886.

Thank you to the City Daily Photo Blog owners and to all who have visited and commented on the photographs posted here. Special thanks go to others who have shared their own pictures for posts, especially closeups of wildlife and photos of events that I could not attend.

Come back and visit as we begin the third year. I appreciate you all! (y'all!)

God bless you!

The Battle is Back

The Battle of Selma Reenactment is returning after all!

Last fall, organizers announced that there were too many conflicts to continue this popular April event that serves as a living history lesson of the April 1865 Civil War battle.

But an article in today's Selma Times-Journal states that the battle will be back, although scaled back from previous years. School tours will be limited to one day, and more details will be available soon.

Above a unit from Mississippi fires a cannon at the invading Yankees during the 2008 battle.

April 2, 1865

On April 2, 1865, Union Gen. Ulysses Grant finally made it to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., and Gen. J.H. Wilson's cavalry made it to Selma, Ala., where one of the South's biggest and best arsenals was destroyed. It was a Sunday. Spring had arrived. Lady Banksia roses were blooming. But, the beautiful day soon turned to gunshots and smoke. Outnumbered by thousands and outgunned by the Yankees' Spencer repeating rifles, one of the last battles of America's War Between the States was short, and much of Selma burned.

According to Walter M. Jackson in The Story of Selma: "Selma lay in ashes; Selma lay at the feet of her conqueror; many of her finest sons lay from Vicksburg to Gettysburg; Selma stood at the tragic decade of American history; but the spirit of Selma was not dead. Regardless of all of these things, Selma would live again, because the spirit of her people was alive and would live on and on."

The photo was taken at a recent reenactment of the Battle of Selma.

This year's reenactment will be the weekend of April 18.