The complete issue
Vol. XXIV, No. 4
(40 pages)
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Inside
Cover image
An image from the David Scheinmann collection pictures an officer wearing the 1872 officer’s dress to which is attached a II Corps veteran’s badge.
Table of Contents (p. 1)
Mail Call (pp. 2-4)
Feedback includes commentary about the accuracy of the Edgar Kimball story featured in the September/October 2002 issue.
Passing in Review (pp. 5-6)
Seven publications are listed, including Their Horses Climbed Fences (Schiffer) by Larry Rogers and Keith Rogers, A Scythe of Fire (Morrow/Harper Collins) by Warren Wilkinson and Steven E. Woodworth, Yanks, The Epic Story of the American Army in World War I (Touchstone Books) by John S.D. Eisenhower, The American Home Guard: The State Militia in the Twentieth Century (Texas A&M University Press) by Barry N. Stentiford, Gettysburg, Day Three (Touchstone Books) by Jeffry D. Wert, With My Face to the Enemy (Berkley Publishing) edited by Robert Cowley and Santa Anna: A Curse Upon Mexico (Brassey’s) by Robert L. Scheina.
The Auction Block (p. 7)
A sampling of sales from the popular auction site eBay is included.
The 1872 Officer’s Dress Coat: A Photo Survey by David M. Neville (pp. 8-11)
Described as “stylish, popular and very different from its predecessor, the regulation 1872 officer’s dress uniform coat was worn for three decades by officers of the United States Army,” the author details the origins and history of the coat. A total of 11 portraits support the text, of which 10 are identified: 2nd Lt. David A. Lyle of the 2nd U.S. Artillery, 2nd Lt. William Penn Duvall of the 5th U.S. Artillery, Lt. William E. Kingsbury of the 11th U.S. Infantry, Col. Joseph Roberts of the 4th U.S. Artillery, Capt. Samuel Escue Tillman of the Corps of Engineers, Capt. Alexander Macomb Miller of the Corps of Engineers, 2nd Lt. John Edwin Greer, 2nd Lt. Hugh A. Roberts of the 8th U.S. Cavalry, Lt. Col. Thomas Hewson Neill of the 6th U.S. Cavalry and 1st Lt. Edward H. Totten of the 1st U.S. Artillery.
A Jack of All Trades by Leonard J. Jacobs (p. 12)
John R. Hotaling, a Mexican War veteran and participant in the California Gold Rush, served in Company A of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry. He survived the war and died in 1886.
“A Fair Specimen of an American Regiment” by Robert A. Williams (pp. 13-15)
A history of the 44th New York Infantry, or the People’s Ellsworth Regiment, is detailed. A total of four portraits illustrate the text, two of which are identified; Pvt. John H. Lunt, and Sgt. William W. Johnson.
“I Will Be Killed” by John W. Kuhl (pp. 16-19)
Described as “A fatal prediction capped a tragic New Jersey family’s story,” this is the account of Lt. William H. Egan of the 11th New Jersey Infantry at the Bloody Angle during the Battle of Spotsylvania, Va., on May 12, 1864. A total of 7 portraits illustrate the text: A pair of views of Egan, Col. Robert McAllister, Chaplain Clark E. Cline, Capt. Ira Cory, and two views of Egan’s wife, Emma Snyder.
How to Get Out of the Army by Michael Hammerstein (pp. 21-22)
Henry C. Kelly, an officer in the 55th U.S. Colored Infantry, is the subject of this profile that begins, “The Union Army’s officer corps was not always made of the best material.” The narrative continues to detail Kelly’s service in the navy and army. The story is illustrated with a portrait of Kelly.
Major Leeson’s War by John Sickles (pp. 23-24)
Maj. Moses D. Leeson of the 5th Indiana Cavalry fought, notes the author, “against usurpers, Confederates, civilians, bushwackers and fellow Yankees.” His story is illustrated with the subject’s portrait and two others: Capt. John S. Lyle and Col. Thomas Butler.
A Death Watch by Jerry Harlowe (pp. 25-26)
Three photographs of the Union monitors Sangamon and Saugus are the subjects of this account of the two vessels and their crews on duty in the James River Squadron.
Camp Salomon: A War-Time Camp by J. Dale West (pp. 27-29)
Named for Brig. Gen Friedrich C. Salomon, the temporary camp is credited by the author as having “helped save the West for the Union.” A photo of the general illustrates the text along with four other portraits: Confederate Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke, Pvt. William D. Carr of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry, Union Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield and 1st lt. Moses Baldwin of the 1st Kansas Battery.
The Plain Haversack (p. 30)
Two portraits of soldiers with haversacks and a modern photo of a Massachusetts haversack illustrate this history of the white duck haversack, the precursor to the standard black-tarred canvas haversack often seen in soldier images.
What’s In a Name? by Buster B. Griggs Jr. (pp. 31-32)
Sgt. Martin Luther Coons of the 31st Illinois Infantry was listed by the surname Coonce in his military service records and later his pension file. This simple misspelling would have a great impact on his descendants, who adopted the variation as their formal last name.
Investigating Belle Plain Today by Jay Gloede (pp. 33-35)
The author tells the story of his involvement with D.P. Newton, a local man with vast knowledge of the area of Virginia that once served as a major federal base during the Civil War. The text is illustrated with a map and several period and modern photographs of Belle Plain.
Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 36-37)
In “The U.S. Zouave Cadets, 1861: The Zouave Craze Begins,” McAfee explores the phenomenon inspired by the French army’s Zouaves and Turcos during the Crimean War. The text is illustrated with two stereoviews of the Cadets in New York, and a portrait of Freeman Connor, a member of the Cadets who went in to serve in the 44th New York Infantry.
Sutler’s Row (pp. 38-39)
The Last Shot (p. 40)
A hard-plate photograph from the John M. Hunt collection pictures a soldier described by the owner as, “A wonderful and very rare, important image of a Confederate private wearing a British enlisted man’s shirt that was ru
