This exhibition showcases an extraordinary Civil War legacy: the diaries and watercolor drawings of Private Robert Knox Sneden, a Union soldier and Confederate prisoner of war. Now in the collection of the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, these drawings, which accompany a 5,000-page memoir, are recognized by historians for their value as a fresh eyewitness account of events. The initial discovery of the collection in 1993 was followed by the discovery of a second cache in 1996. As a result, not one but two books were published by The Free Press--Eye of the Storm in 2000 and Images from the Storm in 2001.

This exhibition, organized by the Virginia Historical Society, features more than ninety images selected from 1,000 watercolors and maps. Sneden's eyewitness accounts encompass not only the Peninsula Campaign at Yorktown and Williamsburg, the battles of Manassas and Antietam, and the second battle of Bull Run, but also his imprisonment at Libby Prison in Richmond, Salisbury Prison in South Carolina, and Rebel Prison and Andersonville Prison in Georgia.

One of the oldest historical societies in the nation, the Virginia Historical Society was founded in 1831. Its mission is to collect, preserve, and interpret the Commonwealth of Virginia's past for present and future generations. To that end, it draws upon an extensive collection of manuscripts, books, maps and charts, militaria, political memorabilia, prints, photographs, and paintings. With the addition of the Sneden collection of diaries and drawings, the society is well positioned as the foremost repository for material about the history of Virginia.