Participated in the “Powder Boat” Affair

Iowa-born and Oregon raised Roswell Hawks Lamson (1838-1903) graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1862. He was promoted to lieutenant, and commanded the gunboats Mount Washington, Gettysburg and Wilderness. In the latter vessel, he participated in the December 1864 attempt to destroy Fort Fisher using a boat loaded with 215 tons of gunpowder. The “powder boat” exploded, but did not damage the fort.

Lamson sat for this carte de visite in the Napoli, Italy, studio of Fratelli Alinar of Napoli. He resigned from the navy in 1866, and returned to Oregon.

This image is new to my collection, and is available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8026096@N04/14054414882/

On to Washington!

This circa 1861 carte de visite by Kornell W. Beniczky of New York City pictures an unidentified private in the 71st New York State Militia with knapsack and buff accoutrement belts.

This image is new to my collection, and is available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.

Soldier Boy

A child is identified as Jesse Jefferson Martin in period pencil on the back of this carte de visite by G.D. Morse of San Francisco. Young Martin is dressed in a military-inspired outfit. His coat is adorned with brass buttons on the shoulders, collar, and cuffs. A handkerchief is tucked inside one pocket, and a watch chain with a fob shaped like a pistol hangs from the other pocket. He holds a toy musket that seems exact in all the details. A felt cap with a striped band and emblem lay on the floor next to him. This may be Jesse J. Martin (1861-1828) of California.

This image is new to my collection, and available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.

Girl Liberty

A girl with the hint of a smile wears a white dress wrapped with the Stars and Stripes. A second banner is attached to a stick that she grasps in her hand. Completing the costume is a liberty cap, which is emblematic of a slave’s manumission in ancient times and a symbol of freedom in young America. This carte de visite is from Morse’s Gallery of the Cumberland in Nashville, Tenn., circa 1864-1866.

This image is new to my collection, and available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.

Civil War Copper

A police officer armed with a truncheon stands for his portrait in the studio of photographer J.E. James in Utica, N.Y. The number “18” is visible on his cap. He protected the home front while 2.5 million Northern soldiers were off at war.

This carte de visite is now available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.

A Cavalryman and His Lady

A carte de visite by an unidentified photographer, about 1862-1864, pictures a Union cavalryman holding the bridle of a horse, upon which a lady is seated sidesaddle. Dirt roads leading to a building with a cupola and another structure are visible in the background. The trees are covered in leaves, which suggests this photograph was taken in the summer.

This image is new to my collection, and available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.

‘Very Poor Picture’

A Union cavalry sergeant stands at attention with his hands resting on the hilt of his saber. The only clue to his identity is written on the back of the carte de visite: “C.B. Harris Segt very Poor Picture C.B.H.”

This image is new to my collection, and available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.

The Identity of A.S.H.

This carte de visite by J.H. Larrabee of Kendallsville, Ind., pictures a federal infantryman with his canteen. Two uncommon notes about his uniform: His gloves is marked with his monogram A.S.H., and the hatband of his forage cap extends across the front edge of the flat part of the cap instead of wrapping around the base.

Written in pencil across the monogramed glove is an undecipherable word, perhaps his name.

Kendallsville was home to Camp Mitchell during the Civil War. Two Indiana regiments trained there, the 12th Cavalry and the 129th Infantry.

This image is new to my collection, and available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.

Super Patriot

A carte de visite by an unidentified photographer of an unnamed Union cavalryman with one hand resting on the hilt of his saber, and another holding an 1860 Army Colt revolver. He stands in front of the Stars and Stripes, which has been tacked to a canvas backdrop that hangs over simple wood flooring. Penciled on one fold of the flag is a word, and it appears to be “Indiana.”

This image is new to my collection, and available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.

Boy with a Toy Sword

A generation at war is touched in many ways, large and small, by the culture of the military. Here, an unidentified boy holds a toy sword in this Civil War era portrait. Why did he choose to pose with a sword? His father may have been a cavalryman, or perhaps he was inspired by romanticized engravings of combat he saw in Harper’s Weekly and other illustrated magazines. The photograph is from the studio of J.H. Abbott of Albany, N.Y.

This image is new to my collection, and available on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.