Smokestack of Confederate Ram Merrimac at Richmond/Remains of Ironclad Ram "Virginia #2", April, 1865 1865

This is Alexander Gardner's photograph, taken in April 1865, depicting the smokestack of the Confederate ram Merrimac in Richmond. Gardner's stark image captures the physical remnants of a war fueled by the brutal enslavement of African people. The ironclad warship, a symbol of Confederate ingenuity, is reduced to a perforated ruin. It is almost possible to reach out and touch the cold metal, to feel the weight of history embedded in its broken form. The inclusion of the Union soldier emphasizes the North's victory, and the crumbling smokestack stands as a monument to the defeated South. Gardner, who documented the Civil War with unflinching honesty, invites us to reflect on the profound human costs of conflict. The photograph serves as a stark reminder of the intertwined legacies of industrial progress and racial injustice that continue to resonate today. The broken smokestack doesn't just represent a ship destroyed, but also the shattering of a nation deeply divided.