The complete issue
Vol. XXVII, No. 6
(40 pages)
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Inside
Cover image
An image from the Roy Mantle collection pictures a youthful federal gunner posed next to a cannon.
Table of Contents (p. 1)
Editor’s Desk and Mail Call (p. 2)
The editor welcomes back to contributors to the pages of the magazine, Donald Bates Sr. and Ted Karle, and shares plans for the remaining issues of the year. A letter from Mike Fitzpatrick suggests that the soldier identified as Elzi Benson on page 34 of the March/April 2006 issue may be Eli Benson of the 7th Georgia Infantry.
Passing in Review (pp. 3-4)
Two books are recommended: Burning Rails As We Pleased: The Civil War Letters of William Garrigues Bentley, 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (McFarland & Company), edited by Barbara Bentley Smith and Nina Bentley Baker, and The Civil War In Maryland: An Exhibit of Rare Photographs (Toomey Press), by Ross J. Kelbaugh.
They Were at Gettysburg: Images From the Collection of Donald Bates Sr. (pp. 5-11)
A total of seven identified Union tintypes are pictured, and each includes a sketch of the soldier’s military service. They include Maj. Gardner Walker of the 1st Massachusetts Infantry, 1st Lt. Moses Lyman Jr. of the 15th Vermont Infantry, Col. Elijah Walker of the 4th Maine Infantry, Pvt. Francis Quinn of the 40th New York Infantry, Corp. Henry G. Taylor of the 146th New York Infantry, Sgt. Ezra Brown of the 4th Michigan Infantry and Pvt. William Marshall of the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry,
Three Years with the Eighty-Third Pennsylvania by Theodore J. Karle (pp. 12-13)
William Lawrence hoped for some action when he enlisted in the 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry in 1861. He may have got more than he bargained when he was wounded at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill in June 1862 and again at Little Round Top during the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. He survived the war, became successful in business and died in 1919.
Pistol Packers by Mike Fitzpatrick (pp. 14-20)
The author surveys seven guns, each illustrated with a modern photograph of the weapon and a corresponding image of a soldier with a gun of the same make and model. Included is the Colt 1860 Navy and William Henry Harrison Hussey of the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry, the Colt 1860 Army and a cavalry trooper, the Colt 1851 1st Model and an infantry corporal, the Colt 3rd Model and John Smith of an unidentified regiment likely connect to Leavenworth, Kan., a Whitney 2nd Model Navy and a cavalry trooper, a Remington Beals Army and a Union soldier and an Allen and Wheelock Sidehammer .31 Caliber Belt Model and a federal infantryman.
Shirt Tales by Mike Fitzpatrick (p. 21)
A short history of the army shirt includes basic information about the essential garment. Three portraits of Union soldiers illustrate the text.
“Straight Shooters:” U.S. Army & National Guard Marksmen of the Post Civil War Era 1880-1900 by Donald W. Harpold (pp. 22-27)
A survey of 17 images from the author’s collection begins with an overview that explains, “The last twenty years of the 19th century saw the United States Army and the state National Guard formations place a considerable emphasis on marksmanship. This ushered in an era of shooting competitions pitting the best army marksmen against one another in ‘shoots’ designed to crown the best of the best.” What follows is portraits of some of the marksmen, almost all wearing medals that mark their individual achievements.
Painted Backdrops and More (pp. 28-29)
A survey of seven real photo post cards from the Brent Musser Jr. collection feature a variety of backdrops with soldiers that include Robert C. Shappell, Frank B. Haines, Brice Abner and Herman McGovern.
Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 30-31)
In the “Boston Light Artillery,” McAfee provides a short history of this artillery unit, also known as Cook’s Battery. The text is illustrated with four images including an 1861 stereoview of the officers and men, a sixth-plate ambrotype of Maj. Asa M. Cook, Ormand F. Sims and Robert L. Sawin.
Stragglers (pp. 32-36)
A total of 8 portraits include Pvt. John T. Ellis of the 2nd Indiana Cavalry, Col. Alexander Pennington of the 3rd New Jersey Cavalry, Capt. Charles S. Reisinger of the 150th Pennsylvania Infantry, a Confederate volunteer with the letters J and G on his cap and an outdoor image that owner Bruce Bonfield believes could be a band of Confederate guerrillas. Also pictured are photos of Pvt. Paul Zink, who served in the 58th Ohio Infantry during the Civil War and his son, Pvt. Charles E. Zink of the 329th Infantry, 83rd Division.
The Confederate Soldier (p. 37)
A sixth-plate ambrotype from the D.W. Owen collection may be one of the five White brothers who served in the 28th, 34th and 55th North Carolina infantries. They were the sons of James and Mary Caroline White of Lincolnton, N.C.
Sutler’s Row (pp. 38-39)
The Last Shot (p. 40)
A cabinet card from the Military Images collection is five views of Capt. Philip Reade, 3rd U.S. Infantry, made about 1893 at the World’s Fair in Chicago, Ill.
