A New Take On Enlisting Confederates Photo.

Robert Gray

Sergeant Major
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
First published in Miller's Photographic History of the Civil War in 1911 [Volume 1, Page 102], this image was identified as Confederates enlisting at the Natchez courthouse early in 1861. Recently, while examining digital files in the Louisiana State University Libraries Special Collections, I found the original image and another print that cast doubt on these men being Confederates.

The Union Army occupied the City of Natchez after the fall of Vicksburg in 1863. Henry and M.J. Gurney of Natchez recorded the occupation in a series of photographs that were preserved by the William E. Stewart family. One shows Union troops standing in front of the courthouse and is numbered 188. If you compare this with the number seen on Miller's photo and the original [186] it appears both were added by the same person, presumably the photographer. Also the shadows of the trees against the building are similar in both views. I am now of the belief that these images were recorded at about the same time and do not show Confederates as opinied in Miller's 1911 publication. Of course, this is just my own guess, and I could be wrong.

Images:
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR
Frances T. Miller - Editor in Chief - The Review of Reviews Co.
1911

Thomas H. and Joan W. Gandy Photograph Collection

The_Photographic_History_of_The_Civil_War_Volume_01_Page_102a.jpg


download (11).jpg


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I tried to magnify the Miller picture but the pixilation got blurred. The best I could make out was the hats the men are wearing seem to be about the same, as well as the trousers and coats.
Lubliner.
 
First published in Miller's Photographic History of the Civil War in 1911 [Volume 1, Page 102], this image was identified as Confederates enlisting at the Natchez courthouse early in 1861. Recently, while examining digital files in the Louisiana State University Libraries Special Collections, I found the original image and another print that cast doubt on these men being Confederates.

The Union Army occupied the City of Natchez after the fall of Vicksburg in 1863. Henry and M.J. Gurney of Natchez recorded the occupation in a series of photographs that were preserved by the William E. Stewart family. One shows Union troops standing in front of the courthouse and is numbered 188. If you compare this with the number seen on Miller's photo and the original [186] it appears both were added by the same person, presumably the photographer. Also the shadows of the trees against the building are similar in both views. I am now of the belief that these images were recorded at about the same time and do not show Confederates as opinied in Miller's 1911 publication. Of course, this is just my own guess, and I could be wrong.

Images:
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR
Frances T. Miller - Editor in Chief - The Review of Reviews Co.
1911

Thomas H. and Joan W. Gandy Photograph Collection

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Amazing photo. Without a caption, I would have guessed a Federal unit! They must have come up with some way of distinguishing themselves from Union troops.
 
Very cool find. I had thought before that Miller's recruit caption for the photo could actually have been one of the many fictional tales told in the Miller books.
 
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