A group of non-commissioned officers and enlisted men relax in camp armed with cooking equipment. The ranking member, a sergeant with an upturned fatigue cap, holds a plate of grub in one hand, and a tin cup in the other. A private to the right prepares to pour coffee into the sergeant’s cup. Behind them, a private and corporal stand with tin plates, cup, fork and knife at the ready. Another corporal and three more privates sit or crouch around the campfire circle and demonstrate various cooking scenes. The knife-wielding man on the far left seems to be smiling. Also visible is a stand of arms, tents and a wagon. The cooking implements and background appear in other images, which suggest the tin ware may have been props. One of these other views identifies the location as a camp at Warrenton Junction along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in Virginia.
Quarter-plate tintype by an anonymous photographer. Ken Bertholf collection.
