Golden Thread A field officer a day for 9 months and 2 weeks

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Col. Samuel C. Armstrong, 8th U.S. Colored Infantry, Founder of Hampton Institute
 
Although Audenried may have been a colonel, I seriously doubt this photo shows him as such. The single-breasted jacket and Stevens Patent shoulder straps look like those of a junior officer.
The caption at the LOC is "Lt. Col. J. C. Audenried, Aide-de-Camp." I added his name to the caption in a photo album. When I copied the caption I missed the 'Lt.'
Difficult to see any rank on his shoulder strap.
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Difficult to see any rank on his shoulder strap.

Before you enlarged it, it had the look of having more like lines in the ends rather than the oak leaves of a lt. col. or major; the middle looks bare rather than having the eagle center for a col. Another negative feature is the description of him as an aide-de-camp which was usually a junior officer. Field officers serving on larger brigade, divisional, corps, or army staffs usually held specific titled positions like adjutant general, chief of staff, medical director, etc.
 
... Another negative feature is the description of him as an aide-de-camp which was usually a junior officer. ...

Audenried was a Captain for most of the war with brevets up to Lt. Col.; becoming a full Colonel as Aide de Camp to President Grant (in whose staff he had been during a part of the war, too).
 
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