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Archives for : August2013

Call for Images: North Carolina!

Posted by :MI Editor On : August 27, 2013
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Category: Military Images

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NC 13th InfantryThe lineup for the next issue of Military Images will include several articles about North Carolina. You’ll also find a number of wonderful images, including this sixth-plate ambrotype of an unidentified soldier from the Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs at the Library of Congress.

His uniform indicates that he served in Company F of the Third North Carolina Volunteers (Thirteenth North Carolina Infantry). The regiment fought at South Mountain on Sept. 14, 1862, and witnessed the death of Brig. Gen. Samuel Garland Jr. According to this excerpt of the after action report in the Official Records, which also mentions brigade commander Col. Alfred Iverson Jr.:

Early in the morning of the 14th we were ordered by Gen. Garland to go, in company with the Twentieth North Carolina, commanded by Col. Iverson, out by a road leading along the top of the mountain, and then to occupy a position on the left of the old Sharpsburg road, which we did at about sunrise, and remained there about two hours. We were then ordered to move farther to the right to the support of the Fifth North Carolina Regiment, which we proceeded to do, and, being met by Gen. Garland, were directed to take position in an open field upon the brow of a high hill. The enemy, we found, were posted upon a high hill densely wooded, and immediately facing the hill occupied by ourselves. There was also a regiment under cover of a rail fence upon our left. Not being able to see the enemy in our front, our whole fire was directed upon those upon the left, and, as our men were cool and fired with precision and effect, they soon drove that portion of the enemy entirely off the field. All this, while those in our front were firing constantly into us, and it was then that Gen. Garland fell.

NC 13th Infantry detailThis closeup shows the youthful soldier’s face and forage cap as it appeared (left), and reversed (right) to adjust the for photo technology of the time, which had yet to introduce the mirror or prism to compensate for the mirror image.

If you have images of North Carolina soldiers to share, please contact editor Ron Coddington at militaryimages@gmail.com.

Open for Subscriptions

Posted by :MI Editor On : August 26, 2013
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Category: Military Images, Subscriptions

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SubscribeAs the transfer of ownership period continues, I’ve focused the vast majority of my efforts these past couple weeks in establishing a digital and social media presence. And now, new and returning subscribers can also pay online. I decided to use Paypal because it is has established a reputation for trust and reliability, and is used around the world. See the SUBSCRIBE NOW! page for details.

Announcement of the Sale of MI in the Civil War News

Posted by :MI Editor On : August 22, 2013
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Category: Civil War, Military Images

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Civil War NewsTranscribed from the latest issue of the print edition:

Ron Coddington Is New Military Images Publisher

ARLINGTON, VA.—Historian David Neville, who owned and edited Military Images magazine since 2003, sold it to Ronald S. Coddington of Arlington in early August.

Coddington, who is familiar to Civil War News readers as the author of “Faces of War,” took over as publisher and editor immediately.

Noting the magazine’s long tradition of excellence in bringing to light rare military portrait photographs, Coddington said, “I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to guide MI to the next chapter in its life.”

He said, “The magazine continues to play a key role in preserving the visual record and stories of citizen soldiers in America, and is a key source for information about uniforms and other aspects of the military.”

Coddington said, “In the current digital age, with so much new material surfacing, it is more important than ever to have a publication that showcases and interprets these important images.”

Harry Roach founded the Military Images in 1979. He set a mission to document the photographic history of U.S. soldiers and sailors from the birth of photography in 1839 through World War I, although the vast majority of published images date from the Civil War Period.

Roach sold the magazine in 1999 to Phillip Katcher, from whom Neville purchased it four years later.

Regular contributors to MI include some of the most knowledgable collectors in the country, including Michael J. McAfee, John Sickles, Chris Nelson, David Wynn Vaughan, Ron Field and Ken Turner.

Coddington said he is excited to continue working with all of the MI contributors and invites new faces with a passion for military photograhy to participate.

He may be contacted at militaryimages@gmail.com or militaryimagesmagazine.com

A Letter to Subscribers

Posted by :MI Editor On : August 20, 2013
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Category: Military Images

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Military Images subscriber letterToday I will be begin sending this letter announcing the change in ownership of Military Images to subscribers. It reads:

August 20, 2013

Dear Subscriber,

I am pleased to announce that MI has changed ownership. On August 10, 2013, I signed an agreement with Dave Neville to purchase the magazine, and became the fourth publisher and editor in its thirty-four year history.

Military Images has a long tradition of excellence in bringing to light rare military portrait photographs, and I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to take the helm of this unique publication. I have been a long time subscriber and an occasional contributor, and know firsthand how special MI truly is.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge my deep commitment to advancing the work begun by Harry Roach in 1979, and followed by Philip Katcher and Dave Neville. All three men have my deepest respect and appreciation.

I also extend a profound thanks to our contributors, who have worked with energy and enthusiasm for years. I’ve had the pleasure to communicate with a number of them since the purchase, and all have expressed their excitement and willingness to continue to contribute their wonderful images and well-researched stories.

Finally, thank you for subscribing. Your support is critical to the ongoing success of MI. If you believe as I do that Military Images plays a crucial role in preserving the visual record of citizen soldiers who forged this country in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, please take a moment to fill out a brief survey to share your opinions about the magazine. Your feedback will be a tremendous help: http://bit.ly/16T4s7t

Exciting changes to the magazine are already in the works, including a redesign. You can follow the progress at facebook.com/militaryimages, and a new web site, militaryimagesmagazine.com.

Again, many thanks for your support. A new and exciting chapter in the history of MI begins now!

Kindest regards,

Ronald S. Coddington
Publisher and Editor, Military Images
P.O. Box 50171
Arlington, VA 22205
703-568-1616
militaryimages@gmail.com
militaryimagesmagazine.com

Picking Up the Last of the Back Issues

Posted by :MI Editor On : August 19, 2013
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Category: Archives, Military Images

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Bella with back issuesYesterday I drove to Dave Neville’s home outside Pittsburgh, and picked up boxes of back issues of the magazine. This was my second trip. Last weekend, I picked up the first half the boxes and signed the purchase agreement. On that trip, I drove alone. This time I brought along Bella, our 10-year-old pug. Here she poses with some of the 40 boxes that I unpacked from the car. In the two trips combined, I brought home 81 boxes containing about 6,000 issues. Not bad considering the moving vehicle was a Honda Civil Hybrid!

Next comes the task of organizing and making an inventory of the contents. This work will help me to determine which issues are missing from the archive, and also allow me to list the inventory for sale on tis site and elsewhere.

Prototype for the Cover Redesign

Posted by :MI Editor On : August 18, 2013
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Category: Magazine design, Military Images

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Cover prototypeIn reviewing various magazine-related materials yesterday, I came across this phrase, “By photo collectors for photo collectors.” It caused me to reflect upon the essential strength of Military Images: The contributors who bring forth superb examples of nineteenth and early twentieth century photographs of soldiers and sailors, and the subscribers, many collectors themselves, who appreciate the quality and subject matter. It is this relationship that drives the magazine.

MI should have a design that recognizes this relationship, and meets the demanding aesthetics and sensibilities of contributors and subscribers. This includes a full-color cover—a first for the magazine, and long overdue. I spent some time last night working with the new logo and a few images from my collection.

In the end, I came up with the prototype shown here. The logo is in the upper left, but can be moved the the upper right depending upon the contents of each cover photo. I modified the logo slightly to accommodate the issue date, which is located just below the “I” in “MI.” In this example, the black box behind the “MI” has been removed because of the darkness of the background. If the background happened to be light, the black box would be added. I also decided not to display any headlines or other text that might take away from the power of the portrait. This follows the traditional look of the magazine, although there have been past issues that do include headlines and other promotional material. The headline-free design also recognizes the collector-subscriber relationship at the heart of the publication.

The MI Flag Is Transferred to Virginia

Posted by :MI Editor On : August 17, 2013
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Category: Military Images

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Post Office BoxYesterday, MI officially transferred its flag from Pennsylvania, where the magazine has lived for the last 34 years, to its new home in Arlington, Virginia. In the space of five hours, I formed a limited liability corporation (LLC), filed for and received a tax number, opened a bank account in the name of the magazine, and secured the post office box pictured here. It was surprisingly easy to make all of this happen.

Of the several individuals I worked with during the day, Suman Barua of Burke & Herbert Bank deserves special mention. In less than it takes to write this post, he explained in simple terms how to setup the LLC, acquire the tax number, and what documentation was required to set up the account. Had I not crossed paths with him, my day might have been more complicated. Thanks, Suman. And welcome to Virginia, MI!

BTW, the new address for Military Images is:
P.O. Box 50171
Arlington, VA 22205

MI Changes Ownership After a Decade

Posted by :MI Editor On : August 12, 2013
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Category: Civil War, Military Images

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Coddington, left, and Neville shake hands after signing the purchase agreement on August 10, 2013, at Neville's home outside Pittsburgh, Pa.

Coddington, left, and Neville after signing the purchase agreement at Neville’s home outside Pittsburgh, Pa.

Historian David Neville has stepped aside after a decade at the helm of Military Images. Neville, who has owned and edited the publication since 2003, sold the magazine to Ronald S. Coddington of Arlington, Va., on August 10, 2013.

Coddington is a contributing author to the New York Times Disunion series. He also writes “Faces of War,” a regular column in the Civil War News, and has authored three books published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. His latest volume, African American Faces of the Civil War: An Album, was released last year.

Coddington takes over as publisher and editor of MI immediately. “Military Images has a long tradition of excellence in bringing to light rare military portrait photographs, and I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to guide MI to the next chapter in its life,” reports Coddington. He adds, “The magazine continues to play a key role in preserving the visual record and stories of citizen soldiers in America, and is a key source for information about uniforms and other aspects of the military. In the current digital age, with so much new material surfacing, it is more important than ever to have a publication that showcases and interprets these important images.”

Harry Roach founded the magazine in 1979. He set a mission to document the photographic history of U.S. soldiers and sailors from the birth of photography in 1839 through World War I, although the vast majority of published images date from the Civil War period. Roach sold the magazine in 1999 to Philip Katcher, from whom Neville purchased it four years later.

Regular contributors to MI include some of the most respected and knowledgeable collectors in the country, including Michael J. McAfee, John Sickles, Chris Nelson, David Wynn Vaughan, Ron Field, and Ken Turner.

“I’m excited to continue working with all of our contributors, and to invite new faces with a passion for military photography to participate,” notes Coddington, who can be contacted at militaryimages@gmail.com or militaryimagesmagazine.com.