The complete issue

Vol. VI, No. 5
(32 pages)

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Inside

Cover image
The image that is featured on both the back and cover of the current issue is of San Francisco Bay, taken about 1897 from the Bay Bridge area. The mast-less ship is the Civil War era Camanche; her history is described in more detail on page 29.

Editor’s Desk (p. 1)
The editor announces a change in staff, with Phil Katcher taking over from Bob Fulmer as Book Review Editor. A list of features planned for future issues is also included.

Mail Call (pp. 3-4)
A few interesting items are included, including an additional opinion on the color of the cuffs of the 114th Pennsylvania Zouaves, a question about the possible origin of “light-colored blobs” on an ambrotype, and another story about “Those Funny Looking Shoes” on their way towards Gettysburg. Two letters also remark on the warning by the Editor about fake reproductions, which had been found by readers in Indiana and Georgia.

Passing in Review (p. 5)
Three publications are considered for review in this issue of Military Images. The first is The Confederate Field Manual which is a reprint of the 1862 The Field Manual for the use of Officers on Ordnance Duty. With the addition of modern photographs, the volume is of interest for many, from historians to reenactors to modelers. Next is the pamphlet Why Brice’s Crossroads? by Kevin Duke, which appears to be a generalized account of the battle, possibly geared towards the battlefield souvenir market. Last is Chattanooga: A Death Grip on the Confederacy by James Lee McDonough. The reviewer notes that the author tackles many misconceptions about the campaign in clear, straightforward text, making this a highly suggested work for those interested in this aspect of the Civil War.

John Cassidy, 69th Pennsylvania by Jack McCormack (pp. 6-7)
This short vignette follows the service of Corporal John Cassidy of Philadelphia. While in winter quarters at Camp Observation near Poolesville, Maryland, the corporal was given a copy of the Manual of the Christian Soldier, a prayer book used by Catholics. The presentation of the book was commemorated on the flyleaf. Apparently, the book was lost by Cassidy during the fighting at Antietam, as the book was subsequently inscribed as such by Wm. G. Schief, who somehow got the volume back to its original owner. An additional inscription by a Virginia soldier, Michael Shannon, adds mystery to its travels, as the prayer book and the image of Corporal Cassidy were found on him after he was wounded fatally at Gettysburg. The missal shows the track of a bullet he took at the stone wall, defending against the Confederates, on July 3, 1863.

54th Virginia Infantry: a dual vignette by Keith Bohannon and Gregory Starbuck (pp. 8-9)
Two images, one of three of the four Hornbarger brothers and one of Private Uriah Crawford, tell the story of the 54th Virginia Infantry. The 54th was not part of the Army of Northern Virginia and saw most of its action in Tennessee, fighting around Preston and at Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge, also defending against Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. Crawford was captured near Kennesaw and was eventually exchanged in March 1865, being at home on leave when the war ended. The Hornbarger brothers came through the war to all return home, all having served in Virginia’s 54th.

Images of Romanians in the Civil War by Adrian-Silvan Ionescu (pp. 10-11)
Many men of foreign origin fought or observed the American Civil War in many capacities. The author contributes the images and short biographies of four men from Romania who contributed their own efforts in the American conflict. George Pomut was a refugee from the Revolution of 1848 who had settled in Iowa and joined the 15th Iowa Volunteers at the start of the war, eventually ending the war as a brevet brigadier general. Nicolae Dunca took part in Garibaldi’s Italian army, joining the Union Army in 1861 and fighting at Bull Run; he became an aide to Gen. Fremont and was killed in action in 1862. Eugen Ghika-Comanesti was in a cavalry regiment under Gen. Fremont and was wounded in the same action at Cross Key that killed Dunca. He became a brevet captain in the 5th Regiment of Colored Troops before resigning and returning to Romania in 1863. Emanoil Boteanu was an envoy of Prince Alexandru Iaon I and attached to Gen. George Mead’s staff in early 1865; his image was taken by Alexander Gardner and shows a mix of Romanian undress uniform with American additions.

The Stockton Blues: A California Militia Company, 1856-1861 by John P. Langellier (p. 13)
Two images of the Stockton Blues are featured with a short description of the early origins of the company. One image features five enlisted soldiers with their full uniforms, including shako with pompon. The other is of Patrick Edward Conner, who was the commander of the unit, with his young son. Conner had fought in the Seminole Wars and raised the 3rd California Volunteer Regiment at the outset of the Civil War.

Lt. Edward Cantey Stockton: Vignette by David M. Sullivan (pp. 14-15)
The author brings the readers the story of Edward Cantey Stockton, whose family exemplified the maxim that the Civil War was one of “the house divided against itself.” Brought up in a New Jersey family, his mother was from a well-known South Carolina family and was cousin to Mary Boykin Chestnut. Edward Stockton eventually entered the United States Navy, and was on the U.S.S. Plymouth with Commodore Matthew C. Perry when he entered Tokyo Bay in 1853; his uniform from that voyage is pictured as part of the article. He married in 1857, and is shown in an image with his bride. A series of unfortunate events with “demon rum” would eventually end his naval career with a court martial in 1858. Upon the advent of the Civil War, Stockton was drawn to support the Confederacy and joined the South Carolina State Navy. Upon that unit’s disbanding, Stockton was offered a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant of Confederate States Marines, which was not confirmed and was terminated at the end of September 1861. Following a brief stint as a Captain in the 21st South Carolina Volunteers, he left the CSA upon receipt of an offer as Acting Master in the Confederate States Navy, which he accepted in April 1862. He was promoted to Lieutenant in February 1863, and is the only known man to have served in all three branches of Confederate military service.

Gainesville: The Iron Brigade’s First Fight by Mark Jordan (pp. 16-25)
Seventeen images and one battlemap illustrate this excerpt taken from the author’s upcoming biography of General John Gibbons, who led the “Iron Brigade” in this fight against Jackson’s “Stonewall Brigade” under the command of Maj. Gen. William B. Taliaferro. Fought between Groveton and Gainesville on the Brawner farm in late August 1862, the article describes the movement of both Federal and Confederate troops in this battle that saw the significant loss of officers and men on both sides.

Photos Sought (pp. 26-28)
A listing of images being sought by member readers is premiered, organized by state then branch of service. Other non-Civil War requests are also included at the end of the listing.

Stragglers (pp. 29-31)
This feature begins with a more detailed description of the Camanche as it appears on the cover of the issue and its service during and after the Civil War. Other images include a pair of ninth-plate ambrotypes of a militia or Confederate clergyman, one with the man asleep and the other with him looking towards heaven. A brass cockade for the 1876 centennial is shown in close-up and in an image of E.B. Ball; the cockade is “made in the style of the 1792-1810 leather fan cockade” but with embellishments made for the centennial. Also included is the hat and image of Lt. Henry M. Brewster of the 57th New York Infantry; wounded at Fredericksburg, he was in command of the bridge used by John Wilkes Booth to escape following his assassination of Abraham Lincoln.