▁which ▁he ▁got ▁so ▁close ▁to ▁the ▁action ▁that ▁he ▁bare ly ▁avoided ▁capture . ▁While ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁time ▁the ▁battle ▁had ▁ceased ▁before ▁pictures ▁were ▁taken , ▁Br ady ▁came ▁under ▁direct ▁fire ▁at ▁the ▁First ▁Battle ▁of ▁Bull ▁Run , ▁Petersburg , ▁and ▁Freder icks burg . ▁ ▁He ▁also ▁employed ▁Alexander ▁Gard ner , ▁James ▁Gard ner , ▁Tim othy ▁H . ▁O ' S ull ivan , ▁William ▁P yw ell , ▁George ▁N . ▁Bar n ard , ▁Thomas ▁C . ▁Ro che , ▁and ▁sevent een ▁other ▁men , ▁each ▁of ▁whom ▁was ▁given ▁a ▁travel ing ▁dark room , ▁to ▁go ▁out ▁and ▁photograph ▁scenes ▁from ▁the ▁Civil ▁War . ▁Br ady ▁generally ▁stayed ▁in ▁Washington , ▁D . C ., ▁organ izing ▁his ▁assist ants ▁and ▁rarely ▁visited ▁battle fields ▁personally . ▁However , ▁as ▁author ▁Roy ▁Mer ed ith ▁points ▁out , ▁" He ▁[ B rad y ] ▁was ▁essentially ▁the ▁director . ▁The ▁actual ▁operation ▁of ▁the ▁camera ▁though ▁mechanical ▁is ▁important , ▁but ▁the ▁selection ▁of ▁the ▁scene ▁to ▁be ▁photograph ed ▁is ▁as ▁important , ▁if ▁not ▁more ▁so ▁than ▁just ▁' sn apping ▁the ▁sh utter .' " ▁ ▁This ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁due , ▁at ▁least ▁in ▁part , ▁to ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁Br ady ' s ▁eyes ight ▁had ▁begun ▁to ▁d eter ior ate ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 5 0 s . ▁Many ▁of ▁the ▁images ▁in ▁Br ady ' s ▁collection ▁are ,