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- Feb 5, 2017
I had never seen anything like this before. I'm guessing these men were Copperheads originally.
This is from Robert Gray's FaceBook Civil War Buff's page.
"Here's the complete photograph. The Nashville Press described this image shortly after it was taken on April 15, 1865. "We saw a photograph yesterday of ten men who were arrested at Chattanooga on Sunday last for expressing pleasure at hearing of the death of President Lincoln," reported a correspondent, who added, "Upon the breast of each was a tin plate with the words 'Assassin Sympathizer' painted on it." The men were sentenced to labor on the streets in Chattanooga by day while wearing the placards, and by night they were confined in irons.
The Press also identified the men. They were a mix of soldiers and contract employees. It is unclear if the names listed by the Press match the actual order, left to right, in the photo: Government employees E. Jones, R.C. Jones and James Martin; citizen S. Moxley and blacksmith C.G. Moxley; and 18th Ohio Infantry privates Cyrus Leight, Henry D. Metzer, David Alspaugh and Moses H. Matheny. The soldiers were all late war recruits: Leight, Metzer and Alspaugh were substitutes who mustered into Company K during the last week of March 1865. Matheny mustered into the regiment in February 1864, making him the veteran of the group. The four men eventually received honorable discharges.
They also hailed from the same state as U.S. Congressman Clement Vallandigham, the leader of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats, and a powerful opponent of the Lincoln administration.
A fragmentary period pencil inscription on the back of the mount notes that a lieutenant presented the photograph to a major general.
This most unusual Lincoln assassination image was originally published in the Spring 2015 issue of Military Images magazine.
Albumen by an anonymous photographer. Paul Loane collection."
Photo taken in Chattanooga of men from the 18th Ohio Infantry. They're labeled as "Assassin Sympathizers" for not being distraught Lincoln lovers.
This is from Robert Gray's FaceBook Civil War Buff's page.
"Here's the complete photograph. The Nashville Press described this image shortly after it was taken on April 15, 1865. "We saw a photograph yesterday of ten men who were arrested at Chattanooga on Sunday last for expressing pleasure at hearing of the death of President Lincoln," reported a correspondent, who added, "Upon the breast of each was a tin plate with the words 'Assassin Sympathizer' painted on it." The men were sentenced to labor on the streets in Chattanooga by day while wearing the placards, and by night they were confined in irons.
The Press also identified the men. They were a mix of soldiers and contract employees. It is unclear if the names listed by the Press match the actual order, left to right, in the photo: Government employees E. Jones, R.C. Jones and James Martin; citizen S. Moxley and blacksmith C.G. Moxley; and 18th Ohio Infantry privates Cyrus Leight, Henry D. Metzer, David Alspaugh and Moses H. Matheny. The soldiers were all late war recruits: Leight, Metzer and Alspaugh were substitutes who mustered into Company K during the last week of March 1865. Matheny mustered into the regiment in February 1864, making him the veteran of the group. The four men eventually received honorable discharges.
They also hailed from the same state as U.S. Congressman Clement Vallandigham, the leader of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats, and a powerful opponent of the Lincoln administration.
A fragmentary period pencil inscription on the back of the mount notes that a lieutenant presented the photograph to a major general.
This most unusual Lincoln assassination image was originally published in the Spring 2015 issue of Military Images magazine.
Albumen by an anonymous photographer. Paul Loane collection."
Photo taken in Chattanooga of men from the 18th Ohio Infantry. They're labeled as "Assassin Sympathizers" for not being distraught Lincoln lovers.
Bringing the