Autumn 2024 Issue Highlights
Two years ago, I visited collector Al Niemiec in the Chicago suburbs. I had met Al in person once before for coffee, and since then we corresponded from time to
Tag: usct
“Shall We Sustain the Government?”: A sergeant’s open letter to fight for the Union
By Ronald S. Coddington On a September day in 1864, a Union sergeant stationed at the sprawling military hub in Louisville, Ky., put the finishing touches on a letter. It
Investigating the Iconic Portraits of a USCT Drummer Boy
By Kurt Luther The pair of portraits of an African American young man—one version in tattered clothes and another in the uniform of a Union drummer boy—is among the most
A Rare Image of Historical Significance
All Civil War photographs can be arranged on a broad spectrum of historical significance. Where they fall is determined by criteria that include provenance, subject and content, as well as
Freedmen Warriors, Civil Rights Fighters
By Charles Joyce On the morning of Aug. 9, 1864, a transport with grim cargo arrived at a military hospital in Alexandria, Va., bearing 350 soldiers wounded in the recent
Revealed: The Identity of an Officer in an Iconic Group Portrait
By Kurt Luther As photo sleuths, many of us spend significant time working with relatively obscure images. We may stumble across a loose tintype at a flea market or unearth