The American Civil war started 158 years ago, and back in 2011, it was its 150th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, The Atlantic made a special issue featuring photographs from the civil war itself.

These photos were taken by war correspondents to bring the ugly visuals of the frontlines to those at home, in a realistic and modern way of viewing them.

This new way of viewing and photography process was called stereo photography, also known as stereography. This was one of the first uses of a type of three dimension photography that was accessible to the public, providing they had access to a stereoscopic viewer, which is what created the 3D effect that has been kept alive and modernised through the years.

Also as these photos were taken over 150 years ago, they were taken with plate cameras so you can see the lens edges and exposure lines on the sides.