Captain Kerrigan 117th N.Y.V.

[relichound]

To me the interesting thing about this CDV is the backmark. Often we need all the help we can
get from backmarks, revenue stamps and autographs. Many things can give us clues as to when
and where a photo was taken. This backmark says "S.A. Cooley, Photographers 10th Army Corps,
Beaufort, S.C." and first of all we know that Samuel Cooley was a famous Union army photographer
and usually he is associated with the wartime occupation of South Carolina. Less well known, at least
to me, was the fact that he was at this time associated with the Union 10th corps. When a very
new collector I was shown a CDV of an officer with his name in old ink and 1st Regiment, SC volunteers,
and I could see the SC buttons on his milita type coat. It was marked with the Samuel Cooley backmark
and I concluded he was a Reb. Wrong! Cooley was a Fed, not a Reb, and he took photos of other Feds.
I paid too much for what was not a Reb!

Revenue stamps are also clues, because they were used from about Sept. 1 1864 to Sept 1, 1866. And
they were Union stamps. Backmarks generally also tell us where the photo was taken.

Many of you already know all of this but I hope this will help the new collector.

 

[ErnieMac]

UTICA TELEGRAPH.
SATURDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 8, 1864.
The 117th Regiment.--The Chaplain of this regiment furnishes the following account of the recent losses, sickness, etc., in the 117th regiment to the Herald, from which we quote:
********
Capt. Kerrigan, sick, nearly convalescent; expect to go home soon.
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http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/117thInf/117thInfCWN.htm

Captain John Kerrigan was discharged from the service on October 8, 1864.