Civil War Couples

[James N.]

Whoa. You see these tintypes ( They're sometimes more haunting, think it's the dark background ), wonder what became of the people. Bet that is the Buchanon tartan she's wearing- weirdly we're Buchanons, too, from Nova Scotia although they're connected to PA, these clans came over, invited each other all over heck and back. Like there was Amtrak or something, amazing how people moved around.

Was this taken shortly before he left, do you know? How deeply sad these are, the photos with the wife, you look at the unsmiling faces. You know they had that long exposure time, so were told not to smile- just seems so prophetic, that's all, when ' Dunker Church ' is part of the conversation. ' Elijah ', one of yours, if I can be nosy ( there's a surprise ) ?

This is NOT a tintype; look at the scratches where someone tried to clean it and instead almost wiped off the emulsion; I almost ruined another Daguerreotype in my collection doing the same thing! Daguerreotypes were the first photographs and were on mirror-like reflective silver coated tin plates. The emulsion is much less "fixed" than on later ambrotypes and tintypes and very fragile. They fell out of favor as soon as ambrotypes were perfected, making it unlikely this photo was made after about 1850.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

OH whoa, really? That fits- we have one where the same thing must have happened, thank you! I personally never, ever clean any of these, or handle them much- I think it was one of you folks here who scared the stuffing out of me on handling them. It pays to read threads! I never did clean the old things on the grounds that anything old got that way by being left alone, not out of wisdom. Thanks very much for the head's up- I'm guessing for the one person who said something there may have been several who had a mild stroke, in case anyone did attempt a cleaning.

It is awful, sometimes seeing things like scratches on old Daguerreotypes ( think they could have come up with another name easier to spell at 4:30 a.m. ? ) or other abominations. We just cleaned our old family home- have 2 sets of ancient ' twin' beds, and I mean ancient. The person who last took one of them down did not bother to understand the old mechanism of how they were assembled- the old ' slide ' and mesh thing, was looking for some easy clip like maybe you'd find on KMart pressboard. The dingdong splintered the wood out of frustration, instead of sitting down and LOOKING at the piece. I heard antique wood sobbing, ran to the scene, cried myself. He seemed to blame the old craftsmen, too, not himself for being a doofus. Just a good rule of thumb, you don't understand these old things, stop in your tracks- go find someone who does because when they're gone they're gone. My husband is painstakingly doing a repair- it's in ICU down in the shop. It'll require far too much work to be considered original, poor old thing.

 

[James N.]

It is awful, sometimes seeing things like scratches on old Daguerreotypes ( think they could have come up with another name easier to spell at 4:30 a.m. ? ) or other abominations.

You'll LOVE this then: Amazingly enough, First Lady Dolley Madison, wife of fith U. S. President James and for the next thirty years considered the unofficial Hostess of the U.S. lived long enough to have her photograph made in the 1840's. Unfortunately it was a Daguerreotype ( named for Frenchman Louis Daguerre who developed the process ) and was largely RUINED in that manner someteime later! It's often reproduced anyway because she was the earliest First Lady to be photographed, even if it now just looks like a lumpy old lady in a turban ( her "trademark" ) in a washed-out photo covered with scratches, most of them on her FACE.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

You'll LOVE this then: Amazingly enough, First Lady Dolley Madison, wife of fith U. S. President James and for the next thirty years considered the unofficial Hostess of the U.S. lived long enough to have her photograph made in the 1840's. Unfortunately it was a Daguerreotype ( named for Frenchman Louis Daguerre who developed the process ) and was largely RUINED in that manner someteime later! It's often reproduced anyway because she was the earliest First Lady to be photographed, even if it now just looks like a lumpy old lady in a turban ( her "trademark" ) in a washed-out photo covered with scratches, most of them on her FACE.

Sometimes it's just a huge mistake to log in here, talk about interesting- end up poking around in side alleys decades removed from the topic! Thank you for that, though- found it, LoC! Whoa, right? I'm guessing some folks felt a little nauseous when that came to light. I LOVE Dolley- one of the first bios of anyone at all I ever read ( 4th grade ) was Dolley Madison. In the back of our classroom existed a bookshelf with a bio series for young people, which I've never been able to find- and I've LOOKED. A lot. It was old then- 1969-ish- included bios on most of the great Native American chiefs ( the REAL stories, very weird ) , diverse subjects like Jane Addams and Hull House, Dolley, a LOT of super, super American stories. Read them all while class was going on, somehow did not flunk everything that year. One day I'm going to find those darn books, talk a publisher into re-issuing them! OH- Johnny Clem!

We might have more beautiful iconic American females in History- for History's Best, most charming, unforgettable face- I'm sorry, has to be Dolley Madison.

Dolley and her niece, Anne Payne

And at least a LITTLE back on thread- Dolley as part of a couple, with James.

 

[donna]

I always like Dolley Madison too. Post one of her early portraits. She was very pretty.

I loved reading those early books on different folks too. I still have a few of them including Florence Nightingale, Christopher Columbus and Daniel Boone. I can't find them at library as think some of the grandchildren would like them.

Really like the statue of Dolley and James Madison, thanks for posting.

 

[Pvt.Shattuck]

Meanwhile, back at the Civil War, a Captain of the Veteran Reserve Corps and his wife

 

[Mike Serpa]

(Brevet?) Brigadier General Louis Douglass Watkins and wife Mary E. Rousseau. She was the daughter of General Lovell Rousseau.

 

[diane]

Sometimes it's just a huge mistake to log in here, talk about interesting- end up poking around in side alleys decades removed from the topic! Thank you for that, though- found it, LoC! Whoa, right? I'm guessing some folks felt a little nauseous when that came to light. I LOVE Dolley- one of the first bios of anyone at all I ever read ( 4th grade ) was Dolley Madison. In the back of our classroom existed a bookshelf with a bio series for young people, which I've never been able to find- and I've LOOKED. A lot. It was old then- 1969-ish- included bios on most of the great Native American chiefs ( the REAL stories, very weird ) , diverse subjects like Jane Addams and Hull House, Dolley, a LOT of super, super American stories. Read them all while class was going on, somehow did not flunk everything that year. One day I'm going to find those darn books, talk a publisher into re-issuing them! OH- Johnny Clem!

We might have more beautiful iconic American females in History- for History's Best, most charming, unforgettable face- I'm sorry, has to be Dolley Madison.
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Dolley and her niece, Anne Payne

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And at least a LITTLE back on thread- Dolley as part of a couple, with James.

Dolley is one of my favorites, too. Wondered, though...has anybody run that picture through a computer to tidy it up? It's really amazing how they've saved some that seemed to have been destroyed, and actually found things in others nobody knew was there. That's how they realized the Confederates high tide mark at the battle of Can't Remember (!) was closer to the Union than thought. The rebels kept saying they'd gotten to the fence, but everybody else said no. Well, they recently cleaned up a scratchy picture of the fence line and, what do you know! There were dead Confederates right in front of it.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

No way! Someone here will know exactly which battle that was- and gosh, what are the odds a Timothy or Matthew would have showed up THERE to catch that moment before anyone managed to bury those poor men? ( have to say I really almost prefer to find a Timothy- of course both have amazing pics, I mean who am I to quibble- O'Sullivan seems to have caught more ' of the moment' shots quite deliberately or something ) LOVE to see that pic- probably a good thing for me I have a birthday cake to finish this morning or I'd be at it as soon as I'm done here!

I'll bet JamesN knows whatever process that is, which cleans it up via a computer and whether or not it's been done- I did spot a couple ' Dolley ' photos which seem unfamiliar, maybe it's one of them?

 

[diane]

Somewhere, hope to hunt it down, is a small collection of ancient photos of people from the Revolution who were still alive. That is, as I remember, really remarkable! They had a few famous folk but mostly it was just vets and their wives and families. There's a rare one of Andy Jackson in his old age wearing specs. Think it was done just before he died - a daguerreotype. There is one of Lee done toward the last that, once cleaned up, showed a shallow scar on one side of his face. It confirmed his story that Yankee sniper durn near missed him one day!

 

[James N.]

I'll bet JamesN knows whatever process that is, which cleans it up via a computer and whether or not it's been done- I did spot a couple ' Dolley ' photos which seem unfamiliar, maybe it's one of them?

Unfortunately I don't know because that's in the field of modern technology and computer work - I know about the originals and original processes used to create them. In your pictures of Dolley above, the one I was refering to is the small one third from the top, though this seems to look better than the reproduction I'd seen of it before. I'd never seen the larger one below it - thank God it seems to have survived intact! They were obviously made during the same sitting ( not unusual since they were one-of-a-kind and couldn't be reproduced like the later tins and ambros ) since she's wearing the same clothes, etc.

 

[James N.]

Meanwhile, back at the Civil War, a Captain of the Veteran Reserve Corps and his wife
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This is somewhat unusual because officers of the so-called Invalid Corps often wore regular regulation dark-blue officer's uniforms instead of the sky-blue kersey. Both officers and enlisted men hated the sky-blue because it made them stand out and due to "insensitive" ridicule at the time made them feel less than real soldiers.

 

[Pvt.Shattuck]

This is somewhat unusual because officers of the so-called Invalid Corps often wore regular regulation dark-blue officer's uniforms instead of the sky-blue kersey. Both officers and enlisted men hated the sky-blue because it made them stand out and due to "insensitive" ridicule at the time made them feel less than real soldiers.

So, now I'm with the Invalids,
And cannot go and fight, sir!
The doctor told me so, you know,
Of course it must be right, sir!
While I was there a host of chaps
For reasons were exempted,
Old "pursy", he was laid aside,
To pass he had attempted.
The doctor said, "I do not like
Your corporosity, sir!
You'll "breed a famine" in the camp
Wherever you might be, sir!

 

[James N.]

So, now I'm with the Invalids,
And cannot go and fight, sir!
The doctor told me so, you know,
Of course it must be right, sir!
While I was there a host of chaps
For reasons were exempted,
Old "pursy", he was laid aside,
To pass he had attempted.
The doctor said, "I do not like
Your corporosity, sir!
You'll "breed a famine" in the camp
Wherever you might be, sir!

There came a fellow mighty tall,
A "knock-kneed overgrowner,"
The Doctor said, "I got no time
To take and look you over."
Next came along a little chap,
Who was 'bout two feet nothing;
The Doctor said, 'You'd better go
And tell your mammy you are coming."

Some had the ticerdolereau,
Some what they call "Brown critters,"
And some were "lank and lazy" too,
And some too "fond of bitters."
Some had "cork legs," and some "one eye,"
With backs deformed and crooked;
I'll bet you'd laugh'd till you had cried,
To see how "cute" they look-ed.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Adam & Elizabeth Cox Shipley of Washington County, east Tennessee. Adam was a Sergeant in Co. D 4th Union Tennessee Cavalry. He had a cousin by the same name from neighboring Sullivan County in the Confederate Army. Elizabeth's four brothers were also Confederate Soldiers

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

SO sorry, I missed some super photos further up the page-
and HA, meanwhile, back at the Civil War, SO sorry, I get distracted by things sooooo easily, good one, Pvt. Shattuck! It's not always helpful to explain ' Yes, but officer I was just distracted, you see there was this GREAT tree.. ' when you drive off the road into someone's field. They don't seem to care. Seems a little heartless to me.

Am a little crazy about Gen. Watkins and wife- I'd seen this elsewhere at some point and thought it was Hancock at first, super pose, isn't it? So, a VRC would mean he was out of the hospital, considered himself fit for some kind of duty and may or may not have rejoined his unit in the future? I only say that because my grgrgrandfather was in the 21st after his wound, ended up back in the 50th PA- am assuming it went that way?

 

[James N.]

... So, a VRC would mean he was out of the hospital, considered himself fit for some kind of duty and may or may not have rejoined his unit in the future? I only say that because my grgrgrandfather was in the 21st after his wound, ended up back in the 50th PA- am assuming it went that way?

Not exactly... The Veterans' Reserve Corps ( also known both respectfully and derisively as the Invalid Corps ) was established mid-war to accomodate those wounded or otherwise invalided veterans who were considered unable to take the field as members of their original regiments but still capable of serving in some capacity. Famously they served as prison guards, gaurds over public buildings, commisaries, hospital orderlies, etc. where they could live in barracks and perform various duties considered not too strenuous for them. Unfortunately this gave them the reputation of shirkers and "coffee coolers" by members of the "real" army and some of the public as well, demonstrated by the lyrics to the popular song Pvt. Shattuck and I quoted above.

They were organized into their own Veterans Reserve Corps units - companies and regiments - under equally invalided officers, many of whom were amputees; as such they ceased to have any connection with their original units. In most units there were companies or details strong enough to carry weapons and serve as guards, etc.; while others performed mainly light duties like clerking and paperwork. In both cases this released units of able-bodied soldiers for duty at the front, something that didn't make them popular with those rear-area heroes.

The distinctive light blue jackets, made from the same material as regular kersey trousers, were soon seen as a badge of dishonor due to the ridicule and were eventually replaced by the usual dark blue frock and sack coats; since they were already items of private purchase, officers usually replaced theirs as soon as they could. I've examined an original owned by a friend of mine; they're a heavy wool cut like cavalry or artillery shell jackets, light blue piped with dark blue woool tape trim up the 12-button front and around the standing collar and inverted V's at the cuffs. If you look closely at the crowd in the photos of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address you can see Invalid Corps sentenials in the crowd still wearing light blue.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Oh, whoa, thank you for all this. Those light blue jackets must have felt like being branded then. Must have been pretty humiliating, being in one then, after being wounded while in an active unit- guessing there would have been relief felt by some to not have to go back out there and risk death again. A lot probably felt they'd done their job, maybe were still serving, it was ' something'. Seems pretty harsh to suffer ridicule also, no?

So interesting then, Harrison ( my grgrgrandfather ) managed to get himself back to his unit after being in the VRC, huh. I forget the dates off-hand, have to go look them up- he was wounded at Spotsylvania Courthouse and do not know HOW he convinced anyone he could hold a gun again- the Minnie ball must have hit him as he was aiming-went in right above his left elbow, tore up the arm, exited a few inches below his shoulder. That arm was increasingly useless thereafter, the hand slowly curled itself into a claw. Now- he may have been a lefty, not sure, would change the story- our whole family is. I've always wondered if this was the reason he was given such a hard time with his pension, that it was his left arm and hand that was crippled, it wasn't considered important but to him it sure was. Anyway- sure can see from your description of life in the VRC, that anyone who could would get out of it, back to their unit. I mean, especially if the soldier had served really actively, like the 50th PA and so, so many other units had, must have really irked them to be considered a slacker!

 

[Mr. King]

These women look mean. It's no wonder that these men were itching to run off to war for 4 years.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Family Resemblance?
The fellow below is Samuel "Ake" Shattuck who I believe was Willis Shattuck's (my avatar) cousin from Ohio. Next to him is my G Grandmother, Willis' daughter, Bertha Shattuck. Below Ake is the eponymously named Willis Shattuck, My GG grandfather Willis' living grandson, descended from his second marriage. And next to him is another cousin. What do you think?
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OH my gosh I hadn't bumped into that post, Pvt. Shattock- whoa! it's TRUE, funny isn't it? Seems impossible for genetics to carry through so many, many generations given the plethora of new DNA introduced but there it is in black and white, sepia and color! Love to see more of these in familes- we have a few, also- always delight me, looking them! Thanks for that, your family must get a major kick out of these.