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What Does Military Images Magazine Mean to You?

what-mi-means-to-meMI celebrates its 35th anniversary of MI in 2014. To mark the occasion,  I invite all magazine subscribers to share your thoughts about what Military Images has meant to you through the years.

Please leave your comments here, in 100 words or less. Or, send them to militaryimages@gmail.com. Selected comments will be published in the next issue, which goes to the printer Dec. 1. The comments will be featured in “Mail Call,” MIs letters to the editor section.

Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts—and thanks for your support of MI!

Finding Aid: January/February 2008

2008-v29-04-xxix

The complete issue

Vol. XXIX, No. 4
(40 pages)


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Digital edition: Visit JSTOR.org to purchase
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Inside

Cover image
A quarter-plate ambrotype from the Donald Bates Sr. collection is a portrait of a Union bugler and flag bearer armed with revolvers and sabers. The flag is a swallowtail guidon of the style adopted by the Union army in January 1862.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk (p. 2)
The editor highlights the facts that this issue contains representative images that span seven of the first eight decades of photography, from the 1850s to the 1920s. Also mentioned is a fundraising effort by the Army Heritage Center Foundation to preserve the unique collection of images at the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlile Barracks, Pa.

Passing in Review (p. 3)
Two books receive positive reviews. West Point by Maureen Oehler DuRant and Peter E. Carroll is part of Arcadia Publishing’s Postcard History Series, and it is a revealing look at the U.S. Military Academy during the first half of the 20th century. “West Point is well worth the read,” declares the reviewer. “Georgia’s Confederate Sons Volume I by Dr. David N. Wiggins includes hundreds of images of Georgians at war. “Photo historians, and those who study Confederate uniforms and equipment will find this volume indispensible.”

Charlestown Honors a Local Hero: The Death of Lt. Colonel James O’Brien, Forty-Eighth Massachusetts Infantry by Ron Coddington and Reggie Van Driest (pp. 4-7)
An unusual cabinet card showing the casket of O’Brien lying in state at the Charlestown, Mass., City Hall is the centerpiece of a story about the life, military service and death of O’Brien, an Irish immigrant killed in action at the head of a “Forlorn Hope” against the defenses of Port Hudson, La., on May 27, 1863. In addition to the cabinet card, a wartime carte de visite of O’Brien and an image of Maj. Gen. Christopher C. Augur are included.

Indian War Images From the Collection of Thomas Trevor (pp. 8-11)
A total of four images are featured in this mini-gallery. They include Sgt. Max Simon of Troop H of the 6th U.S. Cavalry, an Apache scout circa 1881, three members of the 7th U.S. Cavalry (one man is identified as Herb McCarthy), and three troopers of the 6th U.S. Cavalry.

Last Ride of the Hoosier Lightning Brigade by John Sickles (pp. 12-23)
Subtitles “Indiana Troopers Sweep Through Alabama During the Final Weeks of the War,” the story is a history of Wilder’s Brigade, named for its commander John T. Wilder. The brigade included the 98th and 123rd Illinois and the 17th and 72nd Indiana Mounted Infantry regiments. The last ride, a saber charge, occurred on April 1, 1865. Identified soldiers include, in order of appearance, Col. Wilder, Lt. Col. Chester G. Thompson of the 72nd, Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson, Pvt. Richard Foster of the 72nd, Col. Jacob G. Vail of the 17th, Pvt. Charles T. Hughes of the 17th, Maj. Lawson Kilborn of the 72nd, Pvt. John T. Fisher of the 17th, 1st Lt. Lewis B. Garrett of the 72nd, Capt. James Taylor of the 17th, Gen, Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1st Lt. James T. Quick of the 72nd, Lt. Col. Frank White of the 17th, Surg. William C. Cole of the 72nd, Pvt. Tobias M. Grimes of the 72nd, Capt. Arius U. Craven of the 72nd, Capt. Jacob W. Gladden of the 72nd, Pvt. Jacob Musgrave of the 72nd, 2nd Lt. George J. Foster of the 72nd, 2nd Lt. William H. Atkinson of the 72nd, Pvt. John Quillan of the 17th, Pvt. George W. Lamson of the 17th, 1st Lt. Johnson Parker of the 72nd, Capt. Robert A. Vance of the 72nd, Capt. William P. Herron of the 72nd, Sgt. Augustus M. Cory of the 72nd, 2nd Lt. William F. Hendrickson of the 72nd, 1st Sgt. James Richey of the 72nd, Surg. John B. Larkin of the 17th, Maj. John J. Weiler of the 17th, Pvt. Wesley Burris of the 72nd, Pvt. Benjamin Pickerel of the 72nd and Pvt. James H. Higgason of the 72nd.

A Miscellany of World War One Images From the Collection of Mike Fitzpatrick (pp. 24-30)
A total of 12 images, 11 American and one German, are featured. Identified subjects include Henry Heintz of Elmhurst, Ill., J.M. Roberts of Eldred, Ind., Roy Zittustrung of Grantsburg, Wis., John Hulihan of Chicago and Corp. Hubert Amous.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 31-33)
In “Landis’ Battery: Company A, First Regiment Pennsylvania [Militia] Artillery,” McAfee admits his fondness for the American militiaman and goes on to discuss the military history and uniforms of Landis’ Battery. Images include Capt. Henry D. Landis, for whom the battery takes its name, John Fulton Reynolds Landis (1856-1939), his son, Pvt. A.M. Grant, and two images of the battery in camp and in the field.

The Confederate Soldier (p. 34)
A ninth-plate ruby ambrotype from the Robert C. Johnson Jr. collection features a soldier dressed in a battle shirt and holding a flintlock musket and bayonet.

Stragglers (pp. 35-37)
A total of 8 images submitted by subscribers are featured, and they include a trooper from the 1st Vermont Cavalry, Thomas Whipkey of the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry and Drummer boy Daniel Clouse of the 46th Pennsylvania Infantry.

Back Cover Story (p. 38)

Sutler’s Row (p. 39)

The Last Shot (p. 40)
“Winning Hearts ad Minds in the Philippines” is the quote below a circa 1900 photo of four U.S. soldiers posing with a pile of humans skeletons.

Back Cover
A carte de visite copy of a daguerreotype from the David Neville collection shows Fort Howard, Wis., in 1850.

Finding Aid: May/June 2007

2007-v28-06-xxviii

The complete issue

Vol. XXVIII, No. 6
(40 pages)


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Digital edition: Visit JSTOR.org to purchase
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Inside

Cover image
carte de visite from the David Parks collection is inscribed, “Ambulance and wagon occupied by Mr. Davis and family in front of Gen. Wilson’s Headquarters Macon, GA, May 12, 1865.”

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk and Mail Call (p. 2)
The editor explains why readers received a second copy of this issue. Turns out the first issue had printing irregularities that prompted a reprint and resend. He goes on to promote the upcoming medical issue, and describes the interest as “red hot.”

Passing in Review (p. 3)
The Officer Corps of Custer’s Seventh Cavalry 1866-1876 (Schiffer Military History) by James B. Klokner is well received. “Mr. Klokner’s volume contributes useful biographical data to our already vast knowledge of the 7th U.S. Cavalry.”

The Capture of Jefferson Davis by John Sickles (pp. 4-19)
The author tells the dramatic story of how the Confederate president fell into enemy hands, and it is illustrated with a number of identified portraits of troopers who served in the 4th Michigan Cavalry, the regiment credited with the capture. They include Benjamin Archer, Herbert A. Backus, William L. Bailey, Lester P. Bates, Lucius Bates, Charles Blackall, Henry S. Boutell, Martin L. Brown, Joseph Colenso, Julian G. Dickinson, William Dill, John H. Douglas, John N. Gilbert, Augustus Grawn, George Hall, Martin V. Heckathorn, George F. Hodge, Charles T. Hudson, Joseph W. Huston, George Kauffman, Gurdin N. Kenyon, George W. Lawton, William McCune, Angus McDonald, John C. McLain, Emery A. Miller, Robert Horatio George Minty, Frank Mix, Elias F. Pierce, Henry A. Potter, Benjamin D. Pritchard, Alfred B. Purinton, Elias Scales, Isaac Skinner, George Smith, Luke M. Thayer, Benjamin Thompson, George B. Walker, Horace B. Warner, Augustus Wegal, Charles Wegal, Daniel P. Welton (possibly) and Fred Woohans.

Conant Family in the Civil War by J. Dale West (pp. 20-23)
The story is subtitled, “From Missouri, the Conant brothers were early volunteers in ‘Mr. Lincoln’s Army.’” The author profiles Maj. Horace A. Conant, aide de camp to Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon and paymaster, 1st and 2nd Regiments, 1st Brigade Missouri Volunteers and Capt. John H. Conant, 1st Missouri Light Artillery. Also pictures are Capt. and Provost Marshal Abraham D. Daugherty and Abbie Maria Conant Daugherty, wife of Capt. Abraham Daugherty and sister of Horace and John.

Texans in Search of a Fight by Derek Manov (pp. 24-27)
Two photographs of Confederate soldiers are the subject of this investigation into the uniforms and equipment of the 4th Texas Infantry, which was part of Gen. John B. Hood’s Texas Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. One image, a quarter-plate ambrotype, pictures two unidentified members of Company B, also known as the ‘Tom Green Rifles.” The second image, a sixth-plate ambrotype, is a portrait of an unidentified member of the regiment.

Rhode Island Uniforms in the Civil War by Robert Grandchamp (pp. 28-32)
Though comparatively smaller in size and population to the other states of the Union, Rhode Island had its share of uniform style. The author details the variations, illustrated with several images that include privates William S. Perrin and William H. Jordan of the 1st Light Artillery, Capt. Theodore Winn, Pvt. Horace D. Healey, Pvt. Henry Wilson, Pvt. John P. Jones, Sgt. Franklin Gonsolve and Lt. Darius Cole of the 7th Infantry, Capt. George Newman Bliss of the 1st Cavalry, Pvt. George Henry Maxfield of the 2nd Infantry.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 33-34)
In “The Ninety-Seventh Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry,” McAfee examines the service record of the regiment, which lost heavily during the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, and the uniforms and equipment that they were issued. Images that accompany the text include Luther E. Bullock, Louis Dallarmi, George F. Dempster and William A Wright.

The Confederate Soldier (p. 35)
A hard-plate photograph of A.J. Johnson of the 18th Alabama Infantry in civilian clothes may be the only surviving portrait of the soldier, who died during the April 1865 siege on Spanish Fort in Mobile Bay, Ala.

Stragglers (pp. 36-38)
A total of 11 images are featured in this issue. None of the soldiers are identified.

Sutler’s Row (p. 39)

The Last Shot (p. 40)
A carte de visite copy of a tintype of two soldiers with smokes and cards from the collection of Chris Nelson is simply titled, “Pards At Cards.”

Back Cover
A carte de visite from the David W. Vaughan collection pictures Benjamin Staats of the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery.

Finding Aid: March/April 2007

2007-v28-05-xxviii

The complete issue

Vol. XXVIII, No. 5
(40 pages)


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Digital edition: Visit JSTOR.org to purchase
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Inside

Cover image
An albumen print from the National Museums Liverpool-Merseyside Maritime Museum pictures crewmen on deck of the Confederate cruiser Alabama off Cape Town, South Africa, in 1863. This is the first time this image has been published.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk and Mail Call (p. 2)
The editor previews the contents of this issue with emphasis on the Alabama and a profile of artist-lithographer-soldier Otto Botticher.

Passing in Review (p. 3)
Four books are recommended: Rough Riding Scout, The Story of John W. Mobberly Loudon’s Own Civil War Guerrilla Hero (Elden Editions) by Richard E. Crouch; The Civil War Collector’s Price Guide 11th Edition (Publisher’s Press, Inc.) by North South Trader’s Civil War; The Darkest Days of the War, The Battles of Iuka and Corinth (The University of North Carolina Press) by Peter Cozzens and The Wilderness Campaign (The University of North Carolina Press), edited by Gary Gallagher.

Photographers On Board CSS Alabama by Andrew Bowcock (pp. 4-7)
Subtitled “The first time publication of a photograph taken aboard the Confederacy’s most famous raider,” the author details three albumen prints that appeared in a catalog issued by a London book dealer. Two of the images, of Capt. Raphael Semmes and 1st Lt. John McIntosh Kell on the deck of the vessel, are fairly well known. The third, reproduced on the cover of MI, is previously unknown. This image is explored in depth with several enlargements to highlight salient details.

Otto Botticher: American Military Artist-Lithographer-Soldier by Seward R. Osborne (pp. 8-16)
Subtitled, “We’ve all seen his military prints, but who was Otto Botticher?” Historian Seward Osborne went in search of the answer and presented his findings in this profile of the German-born artist. He served as an officer in the 68th New York Infantry during the Civil War and was captured by Confederates near Manassas on March 29, 1862. He eventually returned to his regiment and fought through the rest of the war, suffering a wound in the Battle of Gettysburg. Numerous examples of his military art survive, which cleverly melded photography and art into lithography. Botticher died in 1886.

 The Doctored Botticher by Mark H. Dunkelman (pp. 17-19)
Patrick Henry Jones, a Union brigadier who was once colonel of the 154th New York Infantry, is at the center of this story of a Botticher print titled “Sherman at Savannah, Ga.” An admirer of Gen. Jones commissioned an artist to replace the likeness of Maj. Gen. Henry A. Barnum with Jones. The story is illustrated with details of the image and photographs of Jones and Barnum.

Rhode Island Uniforms in the Civil War by Robert Grandchamp (pp. 28-32)
Though comparatively smaller in size and population to the other states of the Union, Rhode Island had its share of uniform style. The author details the variations, illustrated with several images that include privates William S. Perrin and William H. Jordan of the 1st Light Artillery, Capt. Theodore Winn, Pvt. Horace D. Healey, Pvt. Henry Wilson, Pvt. John P. Jones, Sgt. Franklin Gonsolve and Lt. Darius Cole of the 7th Infantry, Capt. George Newman Bliss of the 1st Cavalry, Pvt. George Henry Maxfield of the 2nd Infantry.

Yankee POWs: Vignettes from the Collection of Michael Fitzpatrick (pp. 20-26)
The author profiles six soldiers who fell into enemy hands during the war: Richard Thomas of the 99th New York Infantry and 6th U.S. Infantry, captured on March 8, 1862, at Hampton Roads, Va.; Edward Hayes Swisher of the 7th Pennsylvania Reserves, captured first during the Peninsula Campaign and again in The Wilderness; Joseph S. Stigler of the 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, captured at Chaffin’s Farm; Abraham Loane of the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry, captured near Aldie, Va., in 1864, Samuel T. Moles of the 47th Illinois Infantry, captured at Holly Springs, Miss., in 1862, and Frederick B. Nesbett of the 5th Main Infantry, captured at Salem Church, Va., in 1863.

A Regimental History of the 29th Iowa Volunteer Infantry by Brian K. Robertson (pp. 27-32)
Subtitled, “Exposed to sickness and rebel bullets, service in Arkansas & Mississippi took its toll on this regiment from the Midwest,” the author provides a sketch of the 29th that is illustrated with photographs from the collection of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. They include Orlando H. Bagley, Thomas H. Benton Jr., Isaac C. Catlett, William M. Carlile, Octavius B. Gaddy, Bird Hagans, Frederick D. Hahnonkratt, Francis M. Haskins, Lemen D. Helm, William M. Hindman, John S. Miller, James L. Mitchell, Heslip W. Rodgers, Wesley M. Rodgers, Robert Salen, John B. Thomson and William H.W. Wax.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 33-35)
In “The 68th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry,” McAfee examines the service record of the regiment and the uniforms and equipment that they were issued. Images that accompany the text include Robert J. Betge, Johann H. Kleefish and Heinrich W. Reissberger. One additional image that the author believes may be Otto Botticher is also included.

The Confederate Soldier (p. 36)
A sixth-plate ambrotype from the Brian Boeve collection is a portrait of Pvt. James Robert Gwin of the 17th Battalion Virginia Infantry and the 11th Virginia Cavalry. Gwin survived a wound in the Wilderness and the Civil War. He lived until 1923.

Back Cover Story (p. 38)

Sutler’s Row (p. 39)

The Last Shot (p. 40)
A carte de visite from the Don Ryberg collection pictures Cpl. Joseph H. De Castro of the 19th Massachusetts Infantry. He received the Medal of Honor for his capture of the colors of the 19th Virginia Infantry during Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. He survived the war and died in 1892.

Back Cover
A ninth-plate ambrotype from the David W. Vaughan collection pictures a young boy posed with flowers. The image shows all indications of being a post mortem with the exception of his eyes, which are wide open.

Finding Aid: July/August 2006

2006-v28-01-xxviii

The complete issue

Vol. XXVIII, No. 1
(48 pages)


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Inside

Cover image
A sixth-plate tintype from the Donald Bates Sr. collection pictures two Union soldiers, one with a banjo and the other with a fiddle.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk and Mail Call (p. 2)
The editor welcomes readers to this special issue dedicated to U.S. military bands and bandsman, 1861-1918. Also mentioned is the passing of Dr. Francis Lord, 94, who authored pioneer books about Civil War relics, including his landmark 1963 reference volume the Civil War Collector’s Encyclopedia. Mail Call features a single letter about experiences in Multigraph photography.

Passing in Review (pp. 3-4)
One book is recommended: The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 (University of North Carolina Press) by Gary W. Gallagher.

U.S. Military Bands and Bandsmen 1861-1918 by Chris Nelson (pp. 4-7)
The introduction to this multipage cover story examines the integral role played by musicians in every U.S. war since the Revolution. The author notes, “Fortunately for students of U.S. military history, the documentation, and surviving examples of instruments, uniforms, and sheet music, allows us to virtually recreate the entire experience. The increasingly successful efforts of Civil War re-enactors to replicate accurate band and field music are now a staple of most events. This article is a quick look at the original bands and bandsmen from 1861 through WWI.” The photo survey that follows is divided into sub-sections that include profiles.

Drummers and Fifers (pp. 8-19)
A total of 31 images of all formats includes the following identified individuals: Connecticut drum maker C.B. Hendrick, the Rebagg Brothers of Rochester, N.Y., Christian Heckler of the 62nd Illinois Infantry, the Smith brothers of Illinois regiments (John of the 89th, Joseph of the 36th and William of the 26th), John Miller of the 100th Indiana Infantry, Robert Henry Hendershot of the 8th Michigan Infantry, Archibald Godley of the 14th New York Heavy Artillery, John S. Kountz of the 37th Ohio Infantry and John G. Webb of the 78th Pennsylvania Infantry.

Brass Instrumentalists (pp. 20-23, 25)
A total of 18 images of all formats includes the following identified individuals: James Porter of Gen. Grenville Dodge’s band, George Lowman of the 36th Illinois Infantry, Jeremiah Potter of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, Robert J. Hancock and David L. Thomas of the 3rd Rhode Island Cavalry and Edwin Ordway of the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery.

Calixa Lavallee: Civil War Musician & Composer of the Canadian National Anthem (p. 24)
A sketch of the life and military service of the song O’Canada is illustrated with a quarter-plate ambrotype of Lavallee and his brother George during their service with the 4th Rhode Island Infantry.

Buglers & Trumpeters (pp. 26-33)
A total of 24 images of all formats includes the following identified individuals: John H. Buckner of an unidentified post-war regiment, Joseph Gibble of the 12th Ohio Cavalry and Emil Smith of the 39th Ohio Infantry.

Military Bands (pp. 34-36)
A total of 6 images includes the following identified organizations: the U.S. Military Academy Band in 1864, the band of the 12th U.S. Infantry at Chickamauga, Ga., in 1898 and Watson’s Band, 1st Minnesota Infantry, Minnesota national Guard, in 1898.

The Boys Who Broke the Hindenburg Line: 370th Old 8th Regiment, Chicago, Illinois (p. 37)
Three images of the band of the 370th U.S. Infantry, an African American World War I unit, which served alongside the famous 369th U.S. Infantry (Harlem Hell Fighters) in the French army.

Sergeant John von Staden: Drum Major, 1st California U.S. Volunteers 1898-1899 (p. 38)
An image of the band of the 1st California photographed in the Philippines in 1899 pictures von Staden holding his baton. A sketch of the regiment and his service is included.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 39-42)
In “The Military Band,” McAfee provides a short history of Union Civil War bands. A dozen cartes de visite illustrate the text, including Charles Grimmer of the 17th U.S. Infantry.

Stragglers (pp. 43-45)
A total of 11 portraits of bandsmen include 1st lt. George Andrews of the 25th U.S. Infantry astride his horse “Bob,” Dunallen M. Woodburn of the 58th Ohio Infantry and the band of the 329th U.S Infantry of the 83rd Infantry Division.

 Sutler’s Row (p. 46)

The Last Shot (p. 48)
“Band Gone Wild” is the headline that accompanies this image of the band of the 1st Minnesota Infantry, Minnesota National Guard. The members are attired in a bizarre assortment of costumes for a mock parade.

Finding Aid: January/February 2007

2007-v28-04-xxviii

The complete issue

Vol. XXVIII, No. 4
(40 pages)


Print edition: Visit our store to check availability
Digital edition: Visit JSTOR.org to purchase
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Inside

Cover image
A half-plate daguerreotype from the Thom Cole collection is a circa 1850 portrait of a militia dragoon non-commissioned officer in full dress uniform.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk and Mail Call (p. 2)
The editor notes that it has been a long while since so many military daguerreotypes have been published in the magazine. He also references upcoming projects.

Passing in Review (p. 3)
Three books are recommended: Confederate Heroines, 120 Southern Women Convicted by Union Military Justice (Louisiana State University Press) by Thomas P. Lowry; War’s Relentless Hand, Twelve Tales of Civil War Soldiers (Louisiana State University Press) by Mark Dunkelman and The Daguerreian Annual 2005 (The Daguerreian Society), edited by Mark S. Johnson and Dawn Patton.

American Military Daguerreotypes From the Collection of Dr. William T. Schultz (pp. 4-23)
A Q&A with Dr. Schultz by James Ronan II (reprinted with permission by the Company of Military Historians) covers the basics of military daguerreotypes and explores various aspects of the collection. A survey of 22 follows, including identified images of Lt. George H. Gordon, U.S. Mounted Rifles; Henry Ledyard, U.S. Charge d’ Affair in Paris; Asst. Surg. Robert Little Brodie, U.S. Army; Midshipman John Gardner Mitchell, U.S. Navy; Lt. Col. Joseph R. Smith, U.S. Army; 1st Lt. William Root, 5th U.S. Infantry; 2nd Lt. William Thompson Mechling, 3rd U.S. Infantry; 1st Lt. William H. Gray, 11th U.S. Infantry and 1st lt. Robert S. Hayward, 13th U.S. Infantry.

“Respetad a la Humanidad!” by Kirk D. Lyons, JD (pp. 24-29)
Subtitled, “The curious history of a Mexican War daguerreotype,” the author, a self-described “keen student of Mexican War photography since my college days,” traces the history of a medical image from the War with Mexico. The photograph pictures Pedro Vander Linden, Chief Surgeon of the Mexican Medical Corps. Captured at the Battle of Cerro Gordo in 1847 when his field hospital was overrun by Americans, Vander Linden, “turned, faced the soldiers with his upraised bloody hands shouting: ‘Respedad a la humanidad, o un hospital de sangre; somos cirujuanos!’ (Respect humanity of this hospital if blood! We are surgeons!)”

Babe Hudspeth: Missouri Guerrilla by John Sickles (pp. 30-33)
Guerrilla fighter William Napoleon “Babe” Hudspeth participated in some of the bloodiest raids of the Civil War. He rode with the likes of William Quantrill, Bloody Bill Anderson and Jesse James and survived his war experience. He died in 1907. The story is illustrated with two cartes de visite from the author’s collection. One is Hudspeth dressed in a Mexican Bolero jacket, and the other pictures him with Oscar Thompson, who also rode with Quantrill.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 33-35)
In “The Military Daguerreotype,” McAfee shares his memory of the first military daguerreotype he purchased, how he came to sell it to well-known collector Herb Peck Jr., and memories of other similar images that passed through his hands. Four images illustrate the column.

The Confederate Soldier (p. 36)
A ninth-plate ruby ambrotype from the Steven Karnes collection is a portrait of an unidentified South Carolina private who served with the Holcombe Legion.

Back Cover Story (p. 38)
The background of the image includes a circa 1846 daguerreotype of the same man dressed in civilian clothes.

Sutler’s Row (p. 39)

The Last Shot (p. 40)
A half-plate ambrotype from the David W. Vaughan collection pictures an unidentified Confederate officer with cavalry-style saber.

Back Cover
A daguerreotype from the Fred Sherfy collection is identified as “Uncle Issac Hull in Civil War.” Though not a Civil War era image, Hull may have served in a militia company.

Finding Aid: September/October 2007

2007-v29-2-xxix

The complete issue

Vol. XXIX, No. 2
(40 pages)


Print edition: Visit our store to check availability
Digital edition: Visit JSTOR.org to purchase
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Inside

Cover image
A sixth-plate ambrotype from the Brian Boeve collection features a heavily armed Union soldier dressed in Zouave-like attire.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk (p. 2)
The editor introduces the Antietam theme in honor of the 145th anniversary of the battle and reports that the recent medical-themed issue seemed to be enjoyed by most readers.

Passing in Review (p. 3)
Two books receive favorable reviews. Uniforms, Arms, and Equipment: The U.S. Army on the Western Frontier, 1880-1892, by Douglas C. McChristian (University of Oklahoma Press) and US Infantry in the Indian Wars 1865-91 by Ron Field (Osprey Publishing).

Brothers at Sharpsburg by Brian Boeve (pp. 4-7)
Images of two pairs of warrior brothers and brief sketches of each soldier include William D. Lowe and John C. Lowe of the 13th Mississippi Infantry, and Solomon and Harrison Moore of the 6th North Carolina Infantry.

With the Signal Corps at Antietam by Joseph Stahl (pp. 8-9)
A New England lieutenant, Edward C. Pierce of Company B, 3rd Maine Infantry, was featured in two photographs taken near Sharpsburg, Md., in September or October 1862. The images, by Alexander Gardner, show Pierce at the Elk Ridge Signal Station. Text that accompanies the images explains how the purchase of a carte de visite of Pierce (also pictured) by the author led him on a voyage of discovery that ended with the Gardner images.

A Call to Arms: Images From the Brian Boeve Collection (pp. 10-19)
Representative examples of Civil War soldier portraits from the Brian Boeve collection include 12 unidentified Union soldiers. Three artillerymen, three cavalrymen and six infantrymen are featured.

“The Bullets Fell Like Hailstones:’ A Uniformed Image of Lt. Colonel James B. Griffin, Hampton’s Legion, CSA by Al Luckenbach (pp. 20-21)
The quote used in the headline is taken from a letter written on June 2, 1862, by Griffin to describe the Battle of Seven Pines. It was published in the 1996 book A Gentleman and an Officer: A Military and Social History of James B. Griffin’s Civil War (Oxford University Press). The author goes on to explain how he came to possess and confirm a partially identified carte de visite that he purchased at a flea market in the Dallas, Texas, area and provides a short profile of the subject. The Griffin portrait, made by Wearn & Hix of Columbia, S.C., illustrates the story.

Captain William White Dorr, Company K, 121st Pennsylvania Infantry by Edward Max (pp. 22-23)
Three carte de visite portraits of William White Dorr, the cover of his prayer book and his lieutenant’s shoulder straps are pictured in this tribute to an officer who was killed in action at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse on May 10, 1864.

The Short Life of Clarke Hockensmith by John Sickles (pp. 24-25)
A cabinet card of Hockensmith illustrates a sketch of his life and service with Quantrill’s Guerrillas, which ended with his death near the end of the war when he was shot and killed by Yankees.

Captain Henry C. Miles, 35th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry by Thomas P. Lowry (p. 26)
Described by the author as an “errant captain,” Miles ran afoul of the military justice system on numerous charges, including “frequent licentious practice” that resulted in venereal disease. He was dismissed from the army in November 1864.

The Officers Club of Boston by Rick Carlile (pp. 27-29)
An elite band of veterans who served in regiments organized in Massachusetts during the Civil War formed one of the most exclusive social clubs in the world. At its height, the club numbered 19 members, and six of them are pictured here. They include Robert Hooper Stevenson of the 24th Infantry, Henry Sturgis Russell of the 2nd Infantry and 5th Cavalry, Charles Francis Adams of the 1st and 5th cavalries, Dr. Hall Curtis of the 24th Infantry, Henry Lee Higginson of the 2nd Infantry and Charles Albert Whittier of the 20th Infantry.

Spencer Rifles and Carbines by John Sickles (pp. 30-33)
The author details the need for high-tech guns during the Civil War and profiles inventor Christopher M. Spencer, for whom the popular weapon was named. The narrative is illustrated with a carte de visite of an unidentified cavalryman, a 4th Massachusetts Cavalry soldier, a portrait of Col. John T. Wilder of the first brigade in the Union army to be armed with Spencer rifles, an image of William Thieme of the 72nd Indiana Infantry of Wilder’s Brigade and Albert J. Tift of the 5th Michigan Cavalry.

The Confederate Soldier (p. 34)
A ninth-plate ambrotype from the Al Camblin collection pictures Wiley G. Grist of New Hanover County, N.C., is featured in this installment. He served in the 1st North Carolina Light Artillery and the 41st North Carolina Troops, also known as the 3rd North Carolina Cavalry.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 35-37)
In “Zouave Regiments of the National Guard, State of New York, 1866,” McAfee subtitles the narrative “Once a Zouave, always a Zouave?” Noting that “some veterans of the Civil War seem to have felt the need to continue the fraternity of soldiers into peacetime,” he details three regiments of Zouaves, the 1st, 3rd and 4th New York militia regiments. The text is illustrated with two engravings and a half dozen carte de visite portraits. Identified images include Charles Blumenroether of the 1st, Almar Webster and Mortimer Mackenzie of the 1st and John Hock of the 4th.

Back cover story (p. 38)
The life and military service of David T. Poyner is detailed here.

Sutler’s Row (p. 39)

The Last Shot (p. 40)
A sixth-plate tintype of two unidentified Union soldiers playing cards and holding firearms is part of the Derek Manov collection.

Back Cover
Sixth-plate ambrotype from the J. Dale West collection pictures Capt. David T. Poyner, who served in Company A of the 5th Battalion Virginia Infantry.

Civil War Trust Interview

coddington-cavalrymen-350Ina Dixon of the Civil War Trust contacted me a couple weeks ago, and asked me to share my perspectives about Military Images magazine and its role in historic photography. An excerpt:

Over time, I’ve come to understand and appreciate that these rare soldier portraits humanize the terrible conflict that raged on our soil during the four bloodiest and most violent years in our nation’s history. When I see these photos, which were personal, intimate objects shared with family, friends and comrades at a time of war, I am reminded of these soldiers’ courage, and my own responsibilities as an American and a world citizen.

It is only in the last few decades, beginning with the centennial of the war in the 1960s, that these old photographic portraits have begun to move from the realm of vernacular photography to become part of the nation’s visual record. Harry Roach, who founded MI in 1979, was in the forefront of those who realized the growing importance of these photographs.

Read the full interview.

I am thrilled to have had the opportunity, and deeply grateful to Ina and the rest of the staff of CWT for the great work they do in preservation and education.

Finding Aid: March/April 2006

2006-v27-05-xxvii

The complete issue

Vol. XXVII, No. 5
(40 pages)


Print edition: Visit our store to check availability
Digital edition: Visit JSTOR.org to purchase
Subscribe to MI
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Inside

Cover image
carte de visite courtesy of the Drum Barracks Garrison Society pictures a camel, the only known image of the pack animal in the U.S. army during the 1850s and 1860s.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk and Mail Call (p. 2)
The editor describes how he found the cover carte de visite on eBay in 2005 and was pleased to find that the winning bidder was MI contributor Mile Sorenson. He goes on to note the top-notch images in this issue and praise senior editors Mike McAfee and John Sickles. A single letter to the editor adds details about the flag of Horse Battery M, 2nd U.S. Artillery. The unit was featured in the last Uniforms and History column.

Passing in Review (pp. 3-4)
Three books are recommended: For Dixie Land I’ll Take My Stand! Somebody’s Darling: Images of Mississippi (Chickasaw Bayou Press) by H. Grady Howell Jr.; Antietam: Then & Now (Thomas Publications) by Garry Adelman and Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now (University of Oklahoma Press) by Brian C. Pohanka and Sandy Barnard.

Stoneman’s Raid to Macon by John Sickles (pp. 5-15)
The author notes that Stoneman had hoped to destroy railroads and free prisoners of war, but in the end many found themselves in prison camps. A history of the raid follows, illustrated by identified images of Nicholas Barkes, Peter Reising, William R. Sanford and Newton Smith of the 14th Illinois Cavalry, George S. Amrick, Will Angel, Thomas Butler, Edward N. Elliott, Benjamin Farley, Russell P. Finney, Tillman H. Fisher, Erastus Holmes, William Jefferis, David W. Patty, Charles Rugg, J. Albert Smith, Melville H. Soper and George Whitenack of the 5th Indiana Cavalry and James Biddle and Nathaniel Craigmile of the 6th Indiana Cavalry. Also included is a post-war image of Joseph Clouse of the 5th Indiana Cavalry.

A Most Curious Corps by Michael K. Sorenson (pp. 16-17)
The brief but unique history of the U.S. Camel Corps in the American West is detailed, and it is illustrated by a detail of the cover image and a bell purportedly used on camels in the army service during the 1850s and 1860s.

The Second Missouri Cavalry C.S.A. by John Sickles (pp. 18-20)
The author provides a brief history of the Confederate regiment, which is illustrated by portraits of Col. Robert “Black Bob” McCulloch, Lt. Col. Robert A. “Red Bob” McCulloch, David C. Boggs and two unidentified members of the regiment.

Dixieland Cavaliers by John Sickles (pp. 21-23)
Images and details are provided about the life and service of the following Confederate soldiers: 2nd Lt. B.A. Powell of the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry, Pvt. W.B. Middleton of the 3rd Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Pvt. John Pierson of the 7th Alabama Cavalry and Pvt. M. Bolen of the 64th North Carolina Infantry.

Canby’s Special Scouts by Michael J. Martin (pp. 24-27)
The author explains the background of these mounted citizen scouts authorized by Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby. Pictured is the officer who organized the scouts, 1st Lt. Isaac N. Earl of the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry. Two wartime images of scouts Nelson Porter and Warren Knowles, and a postwar photograph believed to be Charles Baker, are also incuded.

Brevet major General James Lowry Donaldson, “The Forgotten Quartermaster” by Henry A. Pomerantz (pp. 28-31)
Described as one of the many “invisible person” who toiled behind the lines as quartermasters, Donaldson (1814-1885) became something of a right-hand man to Quartermaster Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs. Nine portraits of Donaldson taken at various times during the war illustrate the story.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 32-33)
In the “Bradford’s Battalion, Tennessee (Union) Cavalry,” McAfee provides a short history and statistics about this regiment, which faced Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry at Fort Pillow on April 12, 1864. It is illustrated with a carte de visite of Lt. Mack J. Leaming, who survived the fighting, which included the murder of numerous African American soldiers.

The Confederate Soldier (p. 34)
A sixth-plate ambrotype of a well-armed first lieutenant wearing the number 7 on his lapel is part of the Brian Boeve collection. The image is inscribed “Elzi Benson 3 August 1861.”

Stragglers (pp. 35-38)
A total of 12 portraits include Lt. John J. Fray and Pvt. William A. Brawner of the 43rd Partisan Battalion, Mosby’s Cavalry. The men were photographed in civilian clothing about 1861. Also included is Cpl. Charles Rude of the 100th Indiana Infantry and Maj. James E. Doran of the 24th New York Cavalry and his son.

Sutler’s Row (p. 39)

The Last Shot (p. 40)
A sixth-plate tintype from the Roy Mantle collection is an unidentified federal first sergeant fully equipped for the war.

Finding Aid: November/December 2005

2005-v27-03-xxvii

The complete issue

Vol. XXVII, No. 3
(48 pages)


Print edition: Visit our store to check availability
Digital edition: Visit JSTOR.org to purchase
Subscribe to MI
Explore the MI Archives: Browse | Advanced search | Tutorial

Inside

Cover image
carte de visite of Brevet Brig. Gen. Frederick A. Starring, designer of the Grand Army of the Republic badge, and an inset image of GAR badge No. 1.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk (p. 2)
The editor introduces the cover story, which features Illinois brothers Frederick and William Starring. Also mentioned are the other features and departments in the issue, and this parting note: “I would like to thank all those who have generously supported the magazine in the past year, for without your continued interest and input there would be no MI.

Passing in Review (p. 3)
Two books are mentioned: Pioneer Photographers From the Mississippi to the Continental Divide, A Biographical Dictionary (Stanford University Press) by Peter E. Palmquist and Thomas R. Kailbourn and “We Are Coming Father Abra’am” the History of the 9th Vermont Volunteer Infantry 1862-1865 (Schroeder Publications) by Don Wickman.

Duty, Honor, Country: The Life and Times of Frederick A. & William S. Starring by David M. Neville with Lucinda Page Knox (pp. 4-17)
The authors provide accounts of the Starring brothers based on “a significant cache of primary source material, once the property of General Starring” and not available to previous researchers and writers. The narrative is illustrated with numerous images, including military, postwar and family images of the brothers, badges that belonged to Gen. Starring and relics once owned by Lt. William Starring.

Alabama Troops in the Civil War 1861-1865 (pp. 18-33)
A total of 48 Alabama images are showcased in this extensive survey. Identified soldiers include J.W. “Jimmie” Franks of the 4th Cavalry, George A. Wright of the 6th Cavalry, Julian W. Whiting of the 1st Battalion of Artillery, Julius A. and Flavius F. Kimbrough of the 6th Infantry, Reuben Davis Phillips of the 6th Infantry, John P. Alldredge of the 48th Infantry, David W. Ramsey of the 1st Infantry, James M. Steadham of the 25th Infantry, Charles Patrick Walker of the 3rd Infantry, Charles and Joseph A. Hendrix of the 4th Infantry, Henry Wesley Grubbs of the 5th Infantry Battalion, W.A. Pate of the 8th Infantry, Macon Abernathy of the 10th Infantry, Washington Bennett Vardaman, Caleb Woodruff Brewton and Bailey George McClellan of the 10th Infantry, Jesse Owen of the 13th Infantry, William Jasper Bunn of the 14th Infantry, David D. Wheeler of the 16th Infantry, Dennis Lindsey of the 18th Infantry, Irvin Owen of the 22nd Infantry, William G. Norton of the 22nd Infantry, Edwin C. Turner of the 25th Infantry, John Clark Francis of the 10th and 30th infantries, Robert Wheeler of the 37th Infantry, Wesley W. Probst of the 41st Infantry, Joseph W. Griffith of the 44th Infantry, Joseph Parker of the 57th Infantry, Samuel Durham McClellan of the 57th Infantry, Silas Mattison Bunn of the 62nd Infantry, Ellsberry Jackson Andrews of the 2nd Cavalry, James Ainsley Stevenson of the 72nd Militia, Francis Young Gaines of the 3rd Cavalry, Calvin W. Sharp of the 51st Cavalry, David Jennings of the 51st Cavalry, Charles V. Phillips of the 56th Cavalry (Partisan Rangers), Nathaniel H. Clanton of Clanton’s Battery Light Artillery, “Dogwood,” the home of author Thom Cole, David Francis Weaver of the 2nd Infantry, Whatley McGee Hall of the 29th Infantry and J.A. Teney of the 45th Infantry.

The Forney Brothers Civil War by Thom Cole (pp. 34-36)
Subtitled “The life and times of four of Alabama’s most distinguished soldiers—John, George, William and Daniel Forney,” the author profiles the men and their early service with the Calhoun Guards from Jacksonville, Ala., and later service in several organizations. Images of all three of the four men are included. A likeness of Daniel is missing.

“Yankee Cavalry:” The 1st Alabama Volunteer Cavalry USA with images from the collections of Don Scoggins & J. Dale West (pp. 37-39)
A short history of the regiment is illustrated by no less than ten cartes de visite, of which all but one are identified. They are Erasmus D. Chandler, Edward D. Coe, Alonson W. Edwards, Micajah F. Fairfield, William T. Gray, George W. Kellogg, Philip Sternberg, James C. Swift and Francis W. Tupper.

In Camp At Brandy Station, Virginia, February, 1864 by John Sickles (pp. 40-41)
The author identifies a group of individuals pictured in a carte de visite at their winter quarters. They include Asst. Surg. Cecil Rogers of the 6th U.S. Cavalry, Lt. George T. Ingraham of the 4th and 11th New Jersey infantries, 1st Lt. Alexander C.M. Pennington of the 3rd New Jersey Cavalry, his wife Clara Pennington, 1st Lt. Carle Augustus Woodruff of the 2nd U.S. Artillery and 1st Lt. William Scott Worth of the 8th U.S. Infantry.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 42-44)
In “The Fifth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry (Revisited),” McAfee cites the untimely passing of his colleague, Brian Pohanka, as the primary reason to take another look at the uniform of this regiment. (Pohanka was a noted student of this regiment.) Several well-known and often reproduced images illustrate the text, and one lesser-known image of Capt. (later colonel) Cleveland Winslow, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor in 1864, and his father, Chaplain Gordon Winslow.

The Confederate Soldier (p. 45)
A sixth-plate ambrotype from the Ron Field collection pictures an unidentified South Carolina soldier photographed during the antebellum of early war period.

More Images From the Starring Collection (p. 46)
Miscellaneous wartime and post-war images.

Sutler’s Row (p. 47)

The Last Shot (p. 48)
A carte de visite from the Seward Osborne collection is titled “An Old Yank.”