Faces of War

News, notes, and narratives documenting my experiences as a collector of Civil War photography, a columnist in the "Civil War News," the author of "Faces of the Civil War" and "Faces of the Confederacy," and as contributing author to the New York Times series "Disunion."

[facesofwar]

The Quintessential Farrier by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by Beers Bros. of Franklin, N.Y. A farrier with his tools of the trade. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Infant with Dog, or Dog with Infant by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by Isaac S. Lachman of Pottstown, Pa. The composition of this portrait makes it unclear as to whether the canine or the child is the central focus. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

A Pennsylvanian at the War’s End by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by Ewing & Painter of Harrisburg, Pa. The simple sack coat and muddy brogans worn by this Union infantry sergeant suggests he is a veteran. An internal revenue stamp on the back of the mount, used from late 1864 to late 1866, indicates that this is a late war image. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Civil War Veteran, Professional Photographer by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by J. Osborn Milne & Co. of Fall River, Mass. In 1863, Minnie E. Bronson married Massachusetts native John Osborn Milne. They settled in her hometown of Fall River, Mass., where John opened a photo gallery. Chances are any local soldier that stopped in to have his portrait knew John’s story. Here’s a version of it that appeared in a Minnesota newspaper. “When the war broke out he was far in the northern wilds of this state. Hearing of it from the driver of a stage coach one afternoon he put his camp in order, arranged his pack-sack and started on a tramp of nearly 200 miles to St. Paul. He enlisted at Fort Snelling in the First Minnesota regiment, Company I, and served until the first battle at Bull Run. In this engagement he was so severely wounded that he was left on the field but he revived. He was taken prisoner but was soon exchanged and sent to relatives in Massachusetts.” The relatives were his parents, Elizabeth and Alexander. They had settled in Falls River at some point, and perhaps introduced the convalescing veteran to Minnie. John soon received a disability discharge. His military career was over. In 1866, he and Minnie started a family that grew to include three children. In 1870, John closed up the gallery and moved with his family to Northern Minnesota. He served a term as state senator. They later settled in Duluth. John died in 1907 at age 68 and Minnie passed two years later. Research about the life and military service of this soldier is currently in progress. If you have any information to share, including letters, journals, and other personal and public documents, please contact me. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Two Enlisted Men, Different Regiments, Two Battles, Two Wounds, One Hospital by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by Charles G. Crane of Philadelphia, Pa.. John W. Wrench of the 114th New York Infantry, left, suffered a wound during the Third Battle of Winchester, also called the Battle of Opequon, on Sept. 19, 1864. A month later, on Oct. 19, Owen H. Laney of the 123rd Ohio Infantry, right, was wounded at Cedar Creek. Both men eventually wound up at Satterlee General Hospital in Philadelphia. The circumstances of how they met are unknown—they may have been in the same ward or assigned to a the same light duties as their health improved. Whatever the reason, they posed for this photograph in uniform, though Owen wears slippers, a clear indication that he has yet to be discharged. Wrench wears his 19th Corps badge. Both men survived their wounds and the war. Wrench lived until 1885, and Laney 1912. Research about the lives and military service of these soldiers are currently in progress. If you have any information to share, including letters, journals, and other personal and public documents, please contact me. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Fighting Abolitionist by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by an anonymous photographer. Mordecai Casson Jr. of the 2nd New York Cavalry survived 35 battles and skirmishes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including Pleasant Hill, Cain River Crossing, Marksville, Yellow Bayou, McClouds Mills, Pollard and Fort Blakely. The son of English Quakers who settled in New York in 1852, Casson was a student at Alfred University when he enrolled in the army during the summer of 1863. His strong support for abolition was not shared by many of his comrades, who made fun of him for his beliefs. Casson was a sergeant when he mustered out of the regiment at the war’s end. He operated a sawmill in New work for many years. Upon his death at age 87 in 1926, two sons survived him. Research about the life and military service of this soldier is currently in progress. If you have any information to share, including letters, journals, and other personal and public documents, please contact me. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Child on Chair, Sans Hidden Mother by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by E.H. Fairbanks of Holliston, Mass. Barefoot and hands outstretched, this child managed to hold his or her head still for the photographer. The absence of a hidden mother to steady the baby and prevent a blurred exposure makes this portrait noteworthy. The floral upholstery frames the child nicely. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

1860s Tiny House by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by an anonymous photographer. The miniaturist who crafted this scale model home was proud enough to have it photographed. Or perhaps the person who commissioned it did the deed. It may be that they were one and the same person. However it came to be memorialized, the main house with turret and stable with weathervane may have been modeled after an actual home or have been a proposal for a home to be built. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Traverse School, Minnesota Frontier by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by Hiram J. Jacoby of St. Peter, Minn., circa late 1860s. An inscription in blue pen on the photo album sleeve into which this image was inserted notes, “Traverse School Grandma Goldsmith in back row.” A corresponding mark on the image can be found above the head of the young woman pictured fourth from the right. Another similarly inscribed image of her in the album gives his her full name: Mary Helen Miller Goldsmith. Born in 1851 in Utica, N.Y., she was the daughter of clergyman John Miller. Little is known of his life other than his occupation. An analysis of census and other records suggests Mary Helen arrived in Minnesota after 1860 and settled near St. Peter. About a mile north of the town, the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed between the Sioux (Dakota) and the U.S. government in 1851. The federal government failed to keep promises established by the treaty, which prompted the Dakota War of 1862. Whether or not Mary Helen was present for any of the hostilities is not known. Mary Helen was a teacher by profession, and the individuals with whom she posed here are her fellow educators and pupils. Most of the children pictured here exhibit Native American characteristics, and so it is possible that Mary Helen was a missionary teacher charged with instilling Christianity into her charges. Also of interest is the soldier standing at far left, who wears a Civil War era cavalry greatcoat. His identity is not known. In 1873, Mary Helen married Civil War veteran Nelson Goldsmith Jr., a Kentucky native who had remained Union loyal and had served in his home state’s 4th Cavalry from 1862 to 1864. After leaving the army, he settled in Minnesota. Postwar portraits of Goldsmith bear no resemblance to the soldier pictured with the Traverse School class. The couple started a family that grew to include five children who lived to maturity. Goldsmith died in 1907 and Mary Helen in 1930. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Traverse School, Minnesota Frontier by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by Hiram J. Jacoby of St. Peter, Minn., circa late 1860s. An inscription in blue pen on the photo album sleeve into which this image was inserted notes, “Traverse School Grandma Goldsmith in back row.” A corresponding mark on the image can be found above the head of the young woman pictured fourth from the right. Another similarly inscribed image of her in the album gives his her full name: Mary Helen Miller Goldsmith. Born in 1851 in Utica, N.Y., she was the daughter of clergyman John Miller. Little is known of his life other than his occupation. An analysis of census and other records suggests Mary Helen arrived in Minnesota after 1860 and settled near St. Peter. About a mile north of the town, the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed between the Sioux (Dakota) and the U.S. government in 1851. The federal government failed to keep promises established by the treaty, which prompted the Dakota War of 1862. Whether or not Mary Helen was present for any of the hostilities is not known. Mary Helen was a teacher by profession, and the individuals with whom she posed here are her fellow educators and pupils. Most of the children pictured here exhibit Native American characteristics, and so it is possible that Mary Helen was a missionary teacher charged with instilling Christianity into her charges. Also of interest is the soldier standing at far left, who wears a Civil War era cavalry greatcoat. His identity is not known. In 1873, Mary Helen married Civil War veteran Nelson Goldsmith Jr., a Kentucky native who had remained Union loyal and had served in his home state’s 4th Cavalry from 1862 to 1864. After leaving the army, he settled in Minnesota. Postwar portraits of Goldsmith bear no resemblance to the soldier pictured with the Traverse School class. The couple started a family that grew to include five children who lived to maturity. Goldsmith died in 1907 and Mary Helen in 1930. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

A Union Petty Officer by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by an anonymous photographer. This Union sailor is identified as George Cager, Petty Officer, according to a period pencil identification on the back of this portrait. A revenue stamp, also on the back, dates this image between August 1864 and August 1866. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Signal Corp Soldier by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by an anonymous photographer. A soldier dressed in a nine-button shell jacket and carrying a holstered revolver grasps a Signal Corps flag, as evidenced by the square on a plain field. In this case, the square is likely white against a field of red or black. This color combination was used on bright days. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

A Union Veteran and His Dog, June 24, 1864 by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by Frank Ransch of Manitowoc, Wis. The vest worn by this gent features small brass buttons embossed with what appears to be an eagle and shield—a clear indication that he is a veteran. The presence of a civilian jacket and pants and a date on the back the mount, June 24, 1864, suggests he may have been on furlough. Another possible scenario is that he had just mustered out, or was about to muster out, at the end of a long term of enlistment. He might also have just enlisted in one of Wisconsin’s late war regiments. Whatever his status, he has his trusty dog at his side. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Drinker or Temperance Activist? by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by J. Halstead of Milton, Pa. At first glance, this gent seems to be posing for a stiff glass of whiskey. Upon closer examination however, the glass is empty and the bottom third of the whiskey bottle appears to be covered in thin dark material—not filled with alcohol. Is he indeed a drinking man posed with props, the dark material being used to trick viewers into believing that it is whiskey? Or, does the empty glass and bottle indicate that the man is a reformed drinker? I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

A Casually Dressed Connecticut Soldier? by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by an unidentified photographer. This photograph was once part of an album of soldiers who served in the 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery. The bewhiskered man, dressed in a shirt and what appears to be military pants and a waist belt buckle, stands in front of a unique painted backdrop and a section of tree trunk. The imagery is similar to an Alexandria, Va., photographer. The 2nd served in the defenses of Washington until early 1864 when it, like many of the heavies, were ordered to join the Overland Campaign. The 2nd suffered serious losses at Cold Harbor and the Shenandoah Valley, and went on to participate in the Petersburg and Appomattox Campaigns. After Appomattox, it was sent to North Carolina to assist Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's army in compelling the surrender of the Army of Tennessee. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Dreams Never Realized by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by L.M. Whitney of West Batavia, Ill. The fleshy face of this deceased child suggests that he or she died after a brief illness, compared to numerous other images of babies whose thin and emaciated forms suggest a protracted struggle for life. The stroller obtained by the parents of this child likely acquired it with happy thoughts of pleasant walks about town—dreams never realized. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

[facesofwar]

Big Hat, Bushy Beard, Little Dog by Ronald S. Coddington Via Flickr: Carte de visite by Finley & Sons of Canandaigua, N.Y. The contrast of the bushy-bearded gent wearing a stovepipe hat and his little dog is almost comical. His canine friend with the thick collar makes him seem perhaps a bit vulnerable despite his commanding presence. I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.