The complete issue
Vol. 1, No. 5
(28 pages)
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Inside
Cover Image
Indian scout Al-Che-Say, chief of the White Mountain Apache tribe, is one of several Native Americans featured in this 1890 photograph. He served as one of the most famous of the U.S. Army Indian Scouts.
Editor’s Page (inside front cover)
The editor responds to a critical letter, and outlines the purpose of Military Images, a magazine written by its readership. Rather than being a publication dedicated to the images of the Civil War, he notes the other topics covered in past issues, and requests a variety of articles from the readers.
Mail Call (p. 2)
Further investigation shows that the identity of the “Mystery Zouave” discussed in the previous issue is still a mystery, and the clarification between the American private and the Imperial Russian NCO in the Boxer Rebellion cabinet photographs from the previous issue is made. A correction is also made regarding the type of firearm identified in an image as well.
“Jack” of the 102d P.V. (p. 3)
Beginning as a scrappy firehouse mascot, a bull dog named “Jack” followed when most of the members of the Niagara Fire Company enlisted in the 102nd Pennsylvania Infantry in August 1861. The excerpted article tells the story of “Jack” and his service, accompanied by two cartes de visite of the loyal mascot dog.
Otto Scheu, R.A.: Adventures in the Regular Army at the turn of the century by Joseph Bilby (pp. 4-10)
A German immigrant arriving in the U.S. in 1887, Otto Scheu was one of the many soldiers of the Regular Army, serving in various infantry and then engineering units until his retirement 1912. The article, with images, outlines several different timeframes in Scheu’s service, from the frontier army to fighting in the siege of Santiago in the Spanish-American War to the fighting against Aguinaldo in the Philippines. The unique aspects of Scheu’s military career were the fact that his image was featured in a photograph taken of wounded soldiers in Cuba published in Collier’s Magazine in July 1898, and that his experiences as a prisoner-of-war in the Philippines (including being saved by Aguinaldo himself) were featured in the New York Journal Advertiser in December 1899.
The 20th N.Y. State Militia: A regimental history of “The Ulster Guard” by Seward R. Osborne, Jr. (pp. 11-13)
Beginning with a short history of the unit prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, the article traces the history of the “Ulster Guard” from its initial three-month service in 1861 to its first action at the Second Manassas to defending against Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg to raising its national colors over Petersburg. The article includes three cartes de visite of the unit’s Civil War commanders, as well as a group image of the officers of the 20th N.Y.S.M. in September 1863. A poignant image of Hugh Donohue and Reuben Van Leuven from Company D shows the two friends and neighbors sitting together; the former was wounded at Second Manassas, while the latter was killed at Gettysburg.
“Mustering In”: An ambrotype in the collection of William Gladstone (pp. 14-16)
This pictorial features a half-plate ambrotype of what appears to be a mustering ceremony taken in the backyard area of a city or town. Turning the focus onto different parts of the photograph, the reader gets a deeper sense of the activity that the ambrotype captured. Surrounding a water pump and trough, the fife and drummer boy appear to be playing while a man nearby speaks, holding out his hat for emphasis. A woman on the balcony of a neighboring house watches the activity, providing us a glimpse into a part of her house, while an important looking man on a chair in the yard holds onto a dog. The ambrotype allows MI readers a glimpse into an unusual event taking place in an everyday setting.
Passing in Review (p. 17)
Two different publications are reviewed in this issue. The first review covers both volumes I and II of World War One Collectors Handbook, by Dennis Gordon, Hayes Otoupalik, and Paul J. Schulz, which is a very helpful guide for those interested in collecting or the history of World War I artifacts and memoribilia. The second review is of A Pictorial History of the Battle of Gettysburg which is unauthored and appears to be geared towards the tourist rather than the scholar.
Naval Uniforms of the Civil War, Part III: Confederate Images from the collection of John Bracken (pp. 18-21)
The Director of the Virginia Confederate Museum shared 17 carte de visite images of Confederate naval officers. With all but one subject identified, the collection ranges from Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes to several captains of blockade runners. Brief background information on each subject’s naval service is provided and unique aspects of their uniforms are indicated.
Indian Scouts of the U.S. Army by Jacques Noel Jacobsen, Jr. (pp. 22-24)
Accompanied by images of different Indian Scout units, the article discusses the history of the Indian Scout in the service of the U.S. Army, delineating between before and after 1866, when scouts were enlisted into the Army as were other members of the Regular Army. The article discusses in brief some of the more notable actions of the Scouts, including the Crow scouts working with Custer, the last campaign against Geronimo, the scouts with Pershing chasing Pancho Villa in Mexico, and the Navajo in the Pacific during World War II.
Stragglers (pp. 25-27)
Three trios of images submitted by readers are featured. The three examples of rare weapons includes a carte de visite of Capt. John McDonald Laughlin of the 104th Pennsylvania holding a model of a siege gun in his lap, possibly after the siege of Charleston in which his unit participated. The second trio highlights a group of cavalrymen, including a Canadian volunteer cavalry soldier from about 1866. The third trio is of “Three Rebs” including one serious Georgian wielding an 18” Bowie knife in the sixth-plate ambrotype.
Back Cover
The image is a sixth-plate ambrotype of Illinois infantryman Private George W. Walker from Company H of the 13th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
