Michael Byerley…
Knoxville photographer does at all –
great pictures, cavalry impressions

It all started for photographer Michael Byerley at the Battle of Franklin (Tenn.) with a little help from his young son.

“I’ve always had an interest in the Civil War,” Byerley explained, “but it was my son, Christian, who got me into photographing events. When he was in second grade, he asked me about the Civil War and wanted to learn more about the subject. At the time I was not aware of re-enacting and began researching and looking for different events. I ended up taking him to the 140th re-enactment of Franklin. I was absolutely amazed with what I saw and I have to say that is when I caught the bug.”

Several years later, the Knoxville professional came across another event at the historical Ramsey House, also in Knoxville.

“That was the beginning of a long-going interest,” he added. “From there. I shot at the 145th reenactment of Chickamauga and then Fort Sanders. Eventually, I was attending as many events as I could and even planned vacations around events or historical locations.

“My son became interested in getting involved with the hobby and I contacted a buddy of mine who ran his own artillery crew and he was nice enough to let us participate when we were able. I began meeting and making friends in Knoxville and began developing a reputation with photography.

“I eventually met Steve Dean of Famfive Productions who’s the creator, writer, and director of The Heartland Series, a documentary program highlighting the history, culture and people of East Tennessee and surrounding areas. The series ran on WBIR-television for 25 years and still does special episodes throughout the year.

“Steve used one of my pictures for a back DVD case. The episode was called ‘A Peace of Ground’ and another photograph was featured in an episode called ‘Holding the High Ground.’ Steve also was co-host of the Battle of Fort Sanders re-enactment and I was fortunate to be asked to be one of the photo staff of this event.

“Then, sometime around 2011, I was contacted by Jeff Griffith of ‘Men’s Health Magazine’ who was assisting with the editing for ‘Hallowed Ground Magazine’ (published by Civil War Trust).”

That resulted in continued publication of Byerley’s work.

Michael has a degree in photography and video production from The Art Institute of Atlanta and specializes in Civil War photography and other historical themes. His website (fox-fire-images.redframe.com) features images involving Civil War Battlefields, statues and monuments, re-enactments, and living history events. His portfolio also includes historical graveyards and cemeteries and other historical points of interest in addition to colonial era re-enactments, World War II and a focus on Native American events.

Byerley’s wife, Kendra, died suddenly in 2012, but Michael notes he’ll always remember the support he received from the re-enactment community.

“People wrote and called from all over,” he said, “and many of those at her funeral were re-enactors and members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. My wife was an active member of the UDC and they still call on me today.”

The UDC currently is planning a marker for Mrs. Byerley.

“I have to say that re-enacting is so much more than doing battle scenarios,” he noted. “These UDC folks are some of the finest people that I know.”

It also was in 2012 that Michael and Christian became re-enactors themselves.

“My son and I began taking horse-riding lessons from Sarah Cheaves, the daughter of the commander of the First Tennessee Cavalry and a re-enactor herself. This became a great form of therapy for me and, after several years, I was asked to join the First Tennessee. I’ve been doing cavalry for a little over two years now and love every minute.”

Such participation, however, limits his photography to portraits and camp life. He continues to shoot re-enactment action when not involved as a cavalry member.

Michael uses a Canon T3 camera with a 300mm zoom lens and his re-enactment work is marked by realism. Several of his photos are featured in this issue. Some of the Civil War events he shoots regularly are at Barbourville and Cumberland Gap.