How did Winslow Homer document the American Civil War for Harper’s Weekly?

During the American Civil War, Winslow Homer documented the conflict for Harper’s Weekly by creating drawings directly from the front lines.1

Unlike many other artist-correspondents of the era who focused primarily on combat, Homer distinguished his work by frequently depicting the everyday camp life of soldiers. As the war progressed, he shifted his professional focus increasingly toward painting, eventually producing works such as Prisoners from the Front (1866), which captured the national mood of reconciliation following the war's conclusion.1