A complete table of contents for the Autumn 2023 issue of Military Images magazine, and information about how to purchase single issues and subscriptions.

Vol. XLII, No. 4
(80 pages)

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Inside

Cover image
A sixth-plate ambrotype from the late Herb Peck Jr. Collection pictures a Confederate soldier.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk (p. 2)
Announcing a new online resource of identified soldier, sailor, and other wartime images that have been published in Military Images magazine since 1979.

Mail Call (pp. 3-4)
Feedback includes praise for the “Jeff. Davis and the South!” Story in the last issue, identifying a field grade Iowa officer, and more.

Military Anthropologist (p. 4)
Since 1979, we’ve published 1,770 identified portraits of Confederate soldiers and sailors.

Passing in Review (p. 6)
A review of Groundbreakers: The History of the Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Association by Stephen W. Sylvia and Nancy Dearing Rossbacher.

Photo Sleuth by Kurt Luther (pp. 8-10)
Finding a portrait of 1st Lt. Presley Oldham Craig, the namesake of Fort Craig, one in a ring of 68 defensive forts surrounding wartime Washington, D.C.

Antebellum Warriors (p. 12)
A militia company lines up along a road in front of a house in Angelica, N.Y.

Most Hallowed Ground (p. 14)
Captain Sanford Cobb Kellogg served as an aide on the staff of his uncle, Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas.

The Honored Few (p. 16)
Francis Edwin “Frank” Brownell received the Medal of Honor for his role in the death of Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth of the 11th New York Infantry.

The Citizenry by Elizabeth A. Topping (p. 18)
Civil War era portraits of individuals posed with empty chairs memorialize the sitter. The empty chair evokes sorrow from viewers.

Fakes, Forgeries and Frauds by Perry M. Frohne(p. 20)
In this case study, Perry uses a blacklight to reveal a modern forgery of an Abraham Lincoln carte de visite.

Searching for Herb Peck’s Images: 45 years after the theft of his pre-eminent collection, an update—and a new call to action by Ronald S. Coddington (pp. 22-37)
In 1978, a break-in at collector Herb Peck’s Nashville home ended with the loss of prize images. The case went cold, then heated up. Here’s the latest.

Lieutenant Washington’s Fateful Encounter: James Barroll Washington sat for a well-known portrait with George Armstrong Custer. Here’s the story behind it. By Ronald S. Coddington (pp. 40-49)
The story behind one of the most recognizable images of the Civil War: Lieutenants George Armstrong Custer, James Barroll Washington, and an enslaved child. 

“The Brave Boy-Lieutenant”: First Lieutenant and Aide De Camp Frank N. Sheets by Brendan C. Hamilton (pp. 52-55)
Frank N. Sheets of the 29th Indiana Infantry proved a model aide to Brig. Gen. Richard W. Johnson until his death at the Battle of Chickamauga.

How to Live Your Best Life: A Civil War Veteran’s Advice to the Future by Ronald S. Coddington, featuring artifacts from the Eleanor Laughlin Family Papers (pp. 56-58)
Months before his death in 1920, Civil War veteran Capt. Henry Haymond wrote a poignant letter of advice to his young great-grandson.

“Hard Cases”: Distinguished European soldiers who did not become U.S. generals by Frank Jastrzembski (pp. 60-64)
This trio of military men—Garibaldi, Klapka, and Zerman—were high on the list for Union generals. But they did not get commissions. Here’s why.

Q&A with Rick Carlile: On Obsessive Collecting Genes, Passion for CDVs, and More (pp. 66-68)
Longtime contributor Rick Carlile shares his origin story as a collector of books, baseball cards, and Civil War photographs. It’s in the genes!

Material Culture by Anthony F. Gero (pp. 70-71)
The distinctive California militia uniform of 1864-1865 featured blue cuffs and collars.

Stragglers (pp. 72-75)
Portraits include a Pennsylvania Bucktail, soldiers and civilians at recruiting headquarters in Philadelphia, and a Confederate lieutenant.

Vignette: Episodes of the Civil War by Scott Valentine (p. 76)
Assistant Surgeon Benjamin Walter Carpenter served in the 2nd and 9th Vermont infantries, and also as chief medical officer at Camp Douglas in Chicago.

The Last Shot (p. 80)
A half-plate ambrotype picturing Company D of the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry (U.S.) posed outdoors with a variety of weapons.