Author: MI Editor

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Finding Aid: Spring 2015

The complete issue

Vol. XXXIII, No. 2
(60 pages)

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Inside

Cover image
In this tintype from the Chris Foard collection, Civil War nurse Carrie Wilkins Pollard cared for sick and wounded men in Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky and on hospital ships, and after hostilities ended she taught orphans.
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Table of Contents (p. 1)
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Editor’s Desk (p. 2)
“A groundbreaking gallery” describes the selection of extraordinary portraits of Northern nurses from the Chris Foard collection—the first gallery in MI history dedicated to women who served as caregivers. Included is this quote from Our Army Nurses by Mary A. Gardner Holland: “The privations and dangers which these noble characters endured called for a fortitude equal in many respects to the valor of the soldier.”
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Mail Call (p. 3)
Feedback from previous issues includes the mis-identification of a bird, the re-identification of a pair of ambrotypes of a North Carolina Confederate in the Library of Congress, and the identification of a South Carolina militia company.
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Passing in Review (p. 4)
“Images from Little Connecticut Leave a Big Impression” is a review of Heroes for All Time: Connecticut Civil War Soldiers Tell Their Stories by Dione Longley and Buck Zaidel.
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Ministering Angels (pp. 5-15)
A selection of images of Civil War nurses from the Chris Foard collection. “Whether motivated by patriotism, a calling or the realization that they were needed, nurses became more skilled and confident treating the wounded throughout the entire war. These men and women were the true pioneers of American nursing,” Foard explains in the introduction. Among the images of identified nurses are Annie Etheridge, Almira Fales, Helen Gilson and “Belle” Reynolds.

Mourning a Martyred President (pp. 16-23)
150 years ago, Northern soldiers observed traditional Victorian fashions and rituals in the wake of the assassination of President and Commander-in-Chief Abraham Lincoln. This photo essay explores the practices through the lens of the citizen soldier.

Men of Connecticut! To Arms!!! (p. 24-33)
More than 50,000 sons of Connecticut participated in the Civil War, and one in 10 would not survive to tell their stories. Whatever their fate, many left behind their patriotic portraits. A representative sample of images compose this exclusive gallery from Heroes for All Time, a new book by Wesleyan University Press.

Faces of 1865 by Bryan Flanagan and Ronald S. Coddington (pp. 34-36)
The tragic fate of two men, a Confederate in Virginia and a federal in Tennessee, at the end of the war. Lt. Charles Minnegerode, an aide to Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, was shot in the chest and left for dead at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Lt. Jacob Skirvin of the 7th Indiana Cavalry and a detail of 30 of his comrades got caught in a fierce fight after they were ambushed by Confederate guerillas in Tennessee on April 3, 1865.

The Honored Few (p. 37)
Pvt. Charles A. Taggart of the 37th Massachusetts Infantry wrested a flag away from a Confederate soldier during the Battle of Sailor’s Creek, Va., on April 6, 1865. He was one of 57 men awarded the Medal of Honor for actions that day—47 of which were presented for the capture of enemy flags.

Hard Luck Regiment by Mark H. Dunkelman (pp.38-44)
The 154th New York Infantry was nicknamed the Hardtack Regiment. But justifiably, it could also have been called the Hard Luck Regiment. Perhaps its best known soldier, Sgt. Amos Humiston, became famous when he was identified by means of an ambrotype found in his lifeless hand at the Battle of Gettysburg. A history of the regiment told through the stories of five of its members.

Antebellum Warriors (p. 45)
A shako with a large red and white fountain plume and the brass crossed cannon insignia indicate that the soldier sitting next to it was an artillery militiaman who sat for his daguerreotype between 1854-1860.

Stragglers (pp. 47-51)
Included in this selection of images from MI subscribers are two Confederate images by influential photographers: A Confederate navy officer by Charles R. Rees of Richmond, Va., and an infantryman holding his Enfield rifle by George S. Cook of Charleston, S.C.

Photo Sleuth by Kurt Luther (pp. 54-55)
“Confirmation bias, in which we get fixated on a single, preferred confusion—trust me, it’s a young Robert E. Lee!—leads us to disregard any evidence to the contrary, no matter how compelling,” writes columnist Kurt Luther. He goes on to discuss, using a recent experience of his own, how to blaze a path from confirmation bias to airtight identification.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee (pp. 56-57)
Chevrons are chevrons, right? Not exactly. Mike McAfee shares a sampling of images showing soldiers wearing chevrons of a different stripe. Despite regulations, a surprising number of variations are documented in the visual record of non-commissioned officer portraits from the Civil War period.

The Last Shot (p. 60)
A quarter-plate ruby ambrotype of Christian Funk and three pals prior to his enlistment in Company H of the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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Spring Issue Table of Contents

Pleased to announce the lineup for the spring issue of Military Images magazine. The complete Table of Contents is shown here. The issue is scheduled to be printed and mailed today!

Details:

03-p1-tocEditor’s Desk
“A groundbreaking gallery” describes the selection of extraordinary portraits of Northern nurses from the Chris Foard collection—the first gallery in MI history dedicated to woman who served as caregivers. Included is this quote from Our Army Nurses by Mary A. Gardner Holland: “The privations and dangers which these noble characters endured called for a fortitude equal in many respects to the valor of the soldier.”

Mail Call
Feedback from previous issues includes the mis-identification of a bird, the re-identification of a pair of ambrotypes of a North Carolina Confederate in the Library of Congress, and the identification of a South Carolina militia company.

Passing in Review
“Images from Little Connecticut Leave a Big Impression” is a review of Heroes for All Time: Connecticut Civil War Soldiers Tell Their Stories by Dione Longley and Buck Zaidel.

Ministering Angels
A selection of images of Civil War nurses from the Chris Foard collection. “Whether motivated by patriotism, a calling or the realization that they were needed, nurses became more skilled and confident treating the wounded throughout the entire war. These men and women were the true pioneers of American nursing,” Foard explains in the introduction. Among the images of identified nurses are Annie Etheridge, Almira Fales, Helen Gilson and “Belle” Reynolds.

Mourning a Martyred President
150 years ago, Northern soldiers observed traditional Victorian fashions and rituals in the wake of the assassination of President and Commander-in-Chief Abraham Lincoln. This photo essay explores the practices through the lens of the citizen soldier.

Men of Connecticut! To Arms!!!
More than 50,000 sons of Connecticut participated in the Civil War, and one in 10 would not survive to tell their stories. Whatever their fate, many left behind their patriotic portraits. A representative sample of images compose this exclusive gallery from Heroes for All Time, a new book by Wesleyan University Press.

Faces of 1865 by Bryan Flanagan and Ronald S. Coddington
The tragic fate of two men, a Confederate in Virginia and a federal in Tennessee, at the end of the war. Lt. Charles Minnegerode, an aide to Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, was shot in the chest and left for dead at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Lt. Jacob Skirvin of the 7th Indiana Cavalry and a detail of 30 of his comrades got caught in a fierce fight after they were ambushed by Confederate guerillas in Tennessee on April 3, 1865.

The Honored Few
Pvt. Charles A. Taggart of the 37th Massachusetts Infantry wrested a flag away from a Confederate soldier during the Battle of Sailor’s Creek, Va., on April 6, 1865. He was one of 57 men awarded the Medal of Honor for actions that day—47 of which were presented for the capture of enemy flags.

Hard Luck Regiment by Mark H. Dunkelman
The 154th New York Infantry was nicknamed the Hardtack Regiment. But justifiably, it could also have been called the Hard Luck Regiment. Perhaps its best known soldier, Sgt. Amos Humiston, became famous when he was identified by means of an ambrotype found in his lifeless hand at the Battle of Gettysburg. A history of the regiment told through the stories of five of its members.

Antebellum Warriors
A shako with a large red and white fountain plume and the brass crossed cannon insignia indicate that the soldier sitting next to it was an artillery militiaman who sat for his daguerreotype between 1854-1860.

Stragglers
Included in this selection of images from MI subscribers are two Confederate images by influential photographers: A Confederate navy officer by Charles R. Rees of Richmond, Va., and an infantryman holding his Enfield rifle by George S. Cook of Charleston, S.C.

Photo Sleuth by Kurt Luther
“Confirmation bias, in which we get fixated on a single, preferred confusion—trust me, it’s a young Robert E. Lee!—leads us to disregard any evidence to the contrary, no matter how compelling,” writes columnist Kurt Luther. He goes on to discuss, using a recent experience of his own, how to blaze a path from confirmation bias to airtight identification.

Uniforms & History by Michael J. McAfee
Chevrons are chevrons, right? Not exactly. Mike McAfee shares a sampling of images showing soldiers wearing chevrons of a different stripe. Despite regulations, a surprising number of variations are documented in the visual record of non-commissioned officer portraits from the Civil War period.

The Last Shot
A quarter-plate ruby ambrotype of Christian Funk and three pals prior to his enlistment in Company H of the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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Faces of Nobility and Honor

Brian Boeve purchased a photograph of an identified Union soldier about 25 years ago. The individual, Boeve learned, was a volunteer in the 2nd Iowa Infantry who suffered a mortal wound at the Battle of Shiloh. As it turned out, he was also the brother of a founder of Boeve’s hometown, Holland, Mich. The discoveries hooked Boeve on Civil War photography. Since then, he has focused on collecting citizen soldier likenesses. “To look into the eyes of these noble men and honor their sacrifice is the fuel that drives my passion to collect Civil War images,” he observes. Representative examples of his collection are featured in the Winter 2015 issue of Military Images.

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Rally Round the Flag, Boys

According to the historian of the 118th New York Infantry, 6-foot-6-inch Sgt. Joseph A. Hastings, “Carried our colors all through the war and was a modest and brave man. Because he was unusually tall, we claimed that we carried our colors higher than other regiments.” His image is included in a gallery of color bearers and other citizen soldiers posed with their regimental and national banners in the Winter 2015 issue of Military Images.

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“Ugly as the Devil”

Northern ingenuity created a singular style of headgear for the volunteer soldiery of the Union during the first few months of the Civil War. In order to provide protection from the elements, hatters in several states developed what generally became known as the “Havelock hat” or “Improved Military Cap.” A field guide to this distinctive cap is featured in the Winter 2015 issue of Military Images.

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Life Behind the Iron Shield

Before the Monitor left the Brooklyn Navy Yard in February 1862, Acting Asst. Paymaster William Frederick Keeler had his photograph taken in his new uniform. “I felt awkward enough at first in mine,” he wrote to his wife, Anna, saying that, “it seemed like every one was looking at me.” Thus begins the story of Keeler and his experiences aboard the famed ironclad. He served on the Monitor for its brief lifespan, and his story is told in the Autumn 2014 issue of Military Images.

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One Soldier at a Time

Paul Russinoff has been fascinated by history and antiques for as long as he can remember. His interest was heightened in 1975, when at age 10, and living with his family in suburban Detroit, Mich., his mother bought him a box of lead Civil War soldiers. Soon after, he purchased a tintype of a Union soldier with a name scribbled on the back. “I was hooked,” he recalled. Representative images from Russinoff’s collection are the featured gallery in the Autumn 2014 issue of Military Images.

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Art of War

An ardent collector and part-time dealer of early photography, Matt Cranford is drawn to the uncommon side of Civil War imagery. Matt searches for artfully composed, technically superior and conditionally sound images that reveal the theater of war—from the serious to the whimsical. Although a scientist by trade, Cranford is drawn to images by their aesthetics. He finds ambrotypes especially satisfying. “A great one possesses a rich tonal range from creamy lights to the deep blacks of the backing,” Cranford notes. “They add a painterly aura to the work.” 15 representative images from Cranford’s collection are the featured gallery in the Summer 2014 issue of Military Images.

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Personalized Hatband

viper-gallery

The hatband on the cap worn by William G. Armstrong is marked with his name and regiment. A private in Company F of the 6th Iowa Cavalry, he is pictured here with his cavalry saber and revolver after his November 1862 enlistment. Armstrong was killed in action less than a year later in the Battle of Whitestone Hill, the final engagement in 1863 operations against the Sioux and other Indian nations in Dakota Territory.

Carte de visite by an anonymous photographer.