From the New York Times, 2/08/1869, p. 4

Brady’s Views of the War.

Mr. M. B. Brady, the well-known photographer, offers to transfer to Congress, on favorable terms, his extensive and admirable collection of photographic views of the prominent incidents and scenes of our recent war, together with the portraits of prominent Americans which he has taken during the last twenty of twenty-five years. This proposition deserves the careful and favorable consideration of Congress, to which it is made. No such faithful and lifelike record of any great war exists in the world as that which Mr. BRADY ahs made of our great civil struggle. He made it the special object of his most assiduous efforts during the war to secure these memorials of its most striking incidents. Wherever anything of interest or importance was going on, in any section of the country and at every period of the contest, Mr. BRADY was certain to be present, either in person or through his agents, and his apparatus became as familiar to every division of the army as the headquarters of its Commanding-General. In this way we have accurate and invaluable pictorial views of everything that happened – of everything memorable connected with it – such as make it easy to reproduce to the mind’s eye the whole series of its events, and give them a direct and impressive interest to be gained in n other way. Included in this collection are the portraits of over 200,000 persons – mainly prominent and distinguished Americans, Generals, members of Congress, men of mark of every class and position in public life, but including also foreign Ministers, distinguished visitors, &c., &c. These give completeness to the whole, and make it unique and invaluable.

We hope some steps may be taken which will insure the preservation of this collection. Most of the material from which the views were made have ceased to exist. The battles are over, - the camps have been broken up, most of the actors have disappeared, and the whole of the splendid but tragical pageant has vanished. These views are all that remain to re-present them to the eye, and too much care cannot be taken to prevent the same decay and destruction from overtaking them which has swept away their originals. We hope Congress will take such action as may be required.

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