The complete issue

Vol. 2, No. 2
(32 pages)

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Inside

Cover Image
A close-up image of the belt buckle worn by the 9th U.S. Infantry, emblazoned with a Chinese dragon and the words “Keep up the Fire!” The buckle featured on the cover of Military Images is linked to the article beginning on page 26 of the current issue.

Editor’s Page (inside front cover)
A guest editorial in the form of a letter written by Roger L. DeMik of Tennessee offers insight on the connection between the understanding of the past and establishment of individual connections to history provided by photographic and future technologies.

Mail Call (p. 2)
Letters include praise from readers in the Netherlands and South Africa, as well as from a collector’s group in California. One letter identified a few errors in a previous article on the “Bucktails” of Pennsylvania, as well as thanking the magazine for its series on naval uniforms, as it allowed the reader to identify the branch of service held by his great-grandfather and thereby getting a copy of his service records from the National Archives.

Sam Hildebrand, Bushwacker by George C. Hart (p. 3)
The image of what appears to be a man wearing the Civil War uniform of a federal soldier in a quarter-plate tintype is actually the image of a Confederate from Missouri who was active in the Western theater of the war. Although not as renowned as a Mosby or Quantrill, it appears that Hildebrand’s Southern loyalty and wartime activity made it impossible for him to return to a peaceful life farming in the Midwest. He dictated his memoirs in 1870, as he was unable to read or write, and was eventually shot by a law officer in Illinois in 1872.

Diary of a Bomber: The World War One Journal of Harold H. Wadleigh (pp. 5-9)
The complete diary of Private Harold H. Wadleigh, a grenadier in the 353d Infantry Regiment, 89^th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War One is presented, beginning with his transport to France in May 1918 and ending with his unit crossing into German territory in December of that year. Some of the entries are short and to the point, while others provide description of the front lines, going “over the top” with his fellow soldiers, escorting a “shell shocked” comrade to an aid station, and how the soldiers in Wadleigh’s unit first received the news of the Armistice on November 11, 1918. In a relatively short space, this MI exclusive provides great insight on the front line experience of one American soldier from the “Middle West” Division.

Passing in Review (p. 9)
The magazine reviews Pickett’s Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863 by George R. Stewart. The book is a reprint of the original 1959 work and goes into what the review calls “the author’s constant, sometimes painful, objectivity,” taking as many perspectives into account as possible and providing some very interesting pieces of information. The book is highly recommended.

Photography During the Civil War by Philip Katcher and David Scheinmann (pp. 10-15)
The article begins with a description of how daguerreotype images were made and then continues with descriptions of newer forms, such as the “hard images” or the ambrotype and tintype processes. These images had standard sizes, were usually placed in some sort of protective envelope or case, and poses were also generally very similar. Occasionally, the images were touched-up by hand, usually with rouge on cheeks and gilt paint on buttons and buckles. The images were negative images, however, and the subject would be seen in the reverse of how he or she would appear naturally; it was not possible to create copies of ambro- or tintypes. A process that used paper as a backing and provided negatives that could be duplicated allowed the advent of the carte de visite, as well as a means for the government to levy a tax. Virtually dying out by the end of the Civil War, the authors provide a few other examples of how photography was used in new and innovative ways. Seven different images illustrate the article, providing examples of what is discussed.

Survey: U.S. Marine Corps Images of George Menegaux (pp. 16-25)
The pictorial provides thirty images of U.S. Marines from between 1859 to about 1934. Many are cartes de visite of identified Maries, but others in the collection were images taken overseas at various duty stations, including in Peking. There are images of Marines in typical occupations, such as bandsmen and cooks, as well as standing at attention. Several Marines who received the Medal of Honor are included, as well as images of foreign Marines.

“Keep up the fire!” by Robert Kelchner (pp. 26-27)
This quotation, featured on the cover image of the belt buckle of the 9th U.S. Infantry, honors the final words of Colonel Emerson H. Linscum, who died rallying his troops on July 13, 1900, in during the Boxer Rebellion in Tientsin, China. After beginning his career with a three-month enlistment as a private with the 1st Vermont Volunteer Infantry at the start of the Civil War, Linscum became a career soldier. Returning to duty after serious injury in the Spanish-American War, Linscum was taking part in the international assault on the captured city when he fell. The 9th Infantry was authorized to use the belt buckle in 1923. A portrait of Col. Linscum accompanies the article, as well as three images taken outside of the Tientsin Gate.

Stragglers (pp. 28-30)
Images include the well-known, in the figure of William J. Hardee as Commandant of Cadets at West Point in the late 1850s, to the unknown, in an image of a young boy who resembles John Clem, the “Drummer Boy of Shiloh,” to a group of Ogalalla Sioux infantrymen from Fort Omaha. Unusual uniforms and insignia include a Bucktail wearing a musician’s frock coat, to an “officer of the day” wearing a Masonic tie pin, to a soldier from the Spanish-American War sporting his 7th Corps badge.

Back Image
Philippine Insurrection campaign veteran 1st Sgt. Amos Hay in his dress blue uniform graces the back of this MI issue in a crisp cabinet photograph image from about 1910.

The complete issue

Vol. XXXII, No. 2
(56 pages)

Print edition: Visit our store to check availability
Digital edition: Visit JSTOR.org to purchase
Subscribe to MI
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Inside

Cover image
A sixth-plate tintype from the collection of Rick Brown shows a youthful Union soldier wielding a cavalry sword and M1860 Colt revolver. The contrast between his youthful appearance and his intense gaze is captured in this image, which prominently features his weaponry.

Table of Contents (p. 1)

Editor’s Desk (p.2)
Showcase. Interpret. Preserve. This issue of Military Images reiterates the stated core mission of the publication which “is as important now as when the first issue of MI rolled off the press in the summer of 1979.” The personal portraits of citizen soldiers and the images of ordinary life 150 years ago have come to take a place in the visual history of the United States, from well-known photographic pioneers like Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner to those of unknown or forgotten photographers. Their work still captures the imagination of collectors both old and new, remaining the focal point of Military Images today and into the future.

Lines of Fire: Iconic Images of Civil War Soldiers From the Rick Brown Collection (pp. 3-27)
This selection of 26 images is from the collection assembled by Rick over the past 15 years. The collection includes ambrotypes and tintypes that provide a study of the equipment, uniforms, and weaponry of both Union and Confederate soldiers, as well as highlighting the aesthetics and imagery of the photographs themselves. The selection provided here includes the issue’s cover image that shows a contrast between youth and determination; a Federal cavalry trooper posing with five firearms and a sheathed saber that shows the industrial potential of the North; a Union soldier likely from the 23rd New York Infantry shown prepared for the fight, with a wonderfully balanced composition between the subject and the background.

Passing in Review (p. 28)
The new publication, Faces of Fort Fisher, 1861-1864 by Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr., is reviewed.

Antebellum Warriors (p. 29)
A soldier from the Mexican War era is featured in this photograph. Various unique features found on his cap and uniform make a clear identification of his belonging to a particular regiment difficult.

A Picture of Treason: The Military Commission Trial of Maj. Henry Kyd Douglas, C.S.A. by Jonathan W. White (pp. 30-33)
The article discusses the trial of one of Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s former staff officers, Major Henry Kyd Douglas, who was tried with treason. At the suggestion of a young lady, Douglas went to have his photograph taken at the studio of Thomas L. Darnell on May 5, 1865, in Shepherdstown, W.V. His crime was returning to his friend’s home still wearing his Confederate uniform after having the portrait made. “Seldom even in these strange times has so small an act been so grossly misconstrued so greatly exaggerated so trivial a fault so grievously answerable,” Maj. Douglas told the court.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 34-37)
The article “Zouaves of ‘64” examines the continuing use of the zouave styled uniform in a series of 9 images from the author’s collection, debunking the common belief that the zouave uniform went the way of the Havelock after the first year of the Civil War.

Battle Shirt! A Field Guide to Unusual Patterns of Civil War Shirts by Ron Field (pp. 39-44)
An examination of the various types of battle dress known as battle, hunting, Garibaldi, or fire shirts is provided. The article includes 12 images that illustrate the garment’s origins, variations in design, and different styles from both Northern and Southern regiments beyond the well-known red battle shirt of Confederate General A.P. Hill.

Stragglers (pp. 45-50)
MI subscribers have provided a wide sampling of 13 unique photographs. The feature starts off with a heartwarming story of Mary Harman, holding their infant daughter in her lap and a photograph of her husband Samuel Harman in her hand. It is paired with an image of Samuel Harman holding the tintype sent to him by his wife. Also included are two different tintypes of an unidentified Federal soldier taken at the same time, but were separated over time. Collector Matthew Fleming reunited the images after finding one in California and the other in Michigan.

A Conspicuous Target: Maj. William Ellis, 49^th N.Y. Infantry, at the Bloody Angle by Scott Valentine (pp. 51-52)
The author tells the story behind a carte de visite in his collection. Major William Ellis was a Canadian serving as an officer with the rank of major in the 49th NY Infantry. A veteran of several significant battles, Ellis’ wound at the Bloody Angle in May 1864 “ranks as one of the most bizarre battlefield injuries on record.”

The Last Shot (p. 56)
This carte de visite is of Captain George Albert Gerrish of the 1st New Hampshire Light Artillery and his wife, Caroline Parker (Kimball) Gerrish. This affectionate portrait is part of the collection of Rick Brown, and is a favorite of his mother, who insisted that he add it to his collection.