Over the last ten years, Military Images has been collecting digital scans of wounded soldiers and sailors from the collecting community—and waiting for the right opportunity to publish. A few months ago, an image came to light, providing the spark to move the project forward. It is a tintype of Evander M. Law, picturing him as the colonel of the 4th Alabama Infantry with his arm in a sling, the result of a gunshot wound at the First Battle of Manassas.
The discovery of the Law image, now in the Dan Schwab Collection, was an unexpected and thrilling addition to images of soldiers who bore the scars of war long after the final shots had been fired. Our cover story, Wounded Warriors, highlights their personal and patriotic sacrifices.
We also explore the life and legacy of Confederate artillerist Lewis Minor Coleman in Gifted Scholar, Faithful Christian, Reluctant Soldier. Coleman’s transformation from a college professor and a man of faith to a soldier mirrors the difficult choices faced by many during the war. Another feature, Sallie Chamberlin’s A Useful Life by Sidney Dreese, chronicles the work of a woman whose dedication to service exemplifies the countless unsung heroines of the Civil War.
Military culture and artistry are examined in Cruising the Potomac and Elsewhere with Brig. Gen. John P. Slough’s Brigade Band and Winslow Homer’s Use of Portrait Photographs in Civil War Era Illustrations by Rick and Victoria Britton. The former examines a band that boosted morale in camp and on the march, while the latter revisits one of the most important visual chroniclers of the Civil War, whose sketches immersed those on the home front in the realities of war.
We also pay tribute to the late Alex de Quesada, a historian who built an extensive militaria collection to support his research spanning conflicts from the past to the present.
In addition to our features, we are excited to include columns that delve into various aspects of military life and Civil War history.
Military Anthropologist analyzes data from The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion on shot-induced limb fractures. Passing in Review examines Righteous Strife by Richard Carwardine (Knopf Doubleday), a new book that explores how religious nationalism shaped Lincoln’s Union and the Civil War’s moral battles. Photo Sleuth by Kurt Luther offers two case studies of Civil War portraits that benefitted from triangulating names, units, and ages to ensure accurate IDs, revealing lost soldier stories and correcting mislabeling. Antebellum Warriors showcases a daguerreotype of an unidentified militia soldier from the 1840s-50s, featuring distinctive insignia, a Model 1840-style sword, and period-specific uniform details. Most Hallowed Ground profiles Edmund C. Bainbridge, who served in key Civil War campaigns before retiring as a colonel. He was buried with honors at Arlington. The Honored Few recounts how John W. Boutwell of the 18th New Hampshire Infantry rescued a wounded comrade—an act that, decades later, earned him and another soldier the Medal of Honor. The Citizenry tells the story behind a portrait of a patriotic woman, likely a fundraising image from the 1864 Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair. Of Arms and Men by Phil Spaugy tells the story of Brig. Gen. Lew Wallace and a found firearm on the battlefield of Fort Donelson.
Material Culture by Frank Graves highlights an early 1840s daguerreotype of an unknown man holding a U.S. Model 1805 Harpers Ferry flintlock pistol, the first military handgun made by a U.S. national armory. Women of War by Melissa A. Winn profiles Clara Barton, the iconic Civil War nurse and founder of the Missing Soldiers Office and American Red Cross. Behind the Backdrop by Dave Batalo considers a painted camp and forts backdrop that appears in Confederate soldier portraits; it may be connected to a Fredericksburg photographer. Scott Valentine’s Vignette recounts the story of Lt. and Adjutant Orett Munger of the 44th New York Infantry, captured at Laurel Hill and later freed by Gen. George Armstrong Custer’s cavalry.
We round out this issue with two more columns. Stragglers features images of Confederate and Union soldiers showcasing unique uniforms, tinting, and photography techniques by Charles R. Rees and other artists. The Last Shot includes a photo of a Confederate captain posed in a rustic studio scene with a tree-trunk chair and table, holstered sidearm, and missing coat button.
As always, our goal is to showcase, interpret, and preserve Civil War history through the lens of photography and storytelling. Whether you are captivated by the personal stories of soldiers, the artistry of the era, or the evolution of military tactics and technology, we hope this issue offers fresh insights and deepens your appreciation for this defining period in American history.
Enjoy!
Ronald S. Coddington
Editor & Publisher
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