General Busteed's ... son?

[Stryker65]

Found this image on wikipedia of infamous Union General/Judge Richard Busteed. Any idea who the little drummer boy is? I immediately thought it could be his son...but no idea. He did have a son, Richard R. Busteed, who was born in 1855, and would have been roughly eight years old around this time, then.

 

[JOHN42768]

Child looks a little young to be 8, but who knows

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Although not conclusive per se, all captions viewed for this Brady photograph state, ...'Brigadier-General Richard Busteed and a drummer boy, between 1862 and 1863.'...

If the drummer boy was actually his son (viz. Richard jnr., born in 1855), thought one could reasonably expect that at least this significant relationship fact would have been mentioned in the photo caption. But the description is generic, merely referring to the young lad pictured as á drummer boy'.

On this basis, believe this featured young boy was probably not his son.

 

[on again]

View attachment 551307
Found this image on wikipedia of infamous Union General/Judge Richard Busteed. Any idea who the little drummer boy is? I immediately thought it could be his son...but no idea. He did have a son, Richard R. Busteed, who was born in 1855, and would have been roughly eight years old around this time, then.

Note the Drummer Boy....not in Uniform,,chances are this is indeed his son,,,,,

 

[Mike Serpa]

I found a copy of this in my Civil War photos digital library. He looks like a young George Custer to me.

 

[BrianB]

Busteed was commissioned a brigadier general on August 7, 1862. He was nominated as a federal judge for the US Middle District of Alabama on January 5, 1864 (he resigned his judgeship under threat of impeachment in 1874). So the photo would have to have been made in the latter part of 1862 or in 1863.

His son, Richard Busteed Jr., was born in September, 1855 and would have been 6, turning 7, at the time that his father received his commission as a brigadier general. Despite the caption of the photo, the boy is too young to be a real drummer boy, even by Civil War standards, and is not wearing a real uniform. Most likely, the drum was a photographer's prop (it was common for photographers in this era to have props for people to pose with, and this was especially true of children). The cap might also be a photographer's prop.

I think there is little doubt that the boy in the photograph is General Busteed's son.

 

[BrianB]

Busteed was commissioned a brigadier general on August 7, 1862. He was nominated as a federal judge for the US Middle District of Alabama on January 5, 1864 (he resigned his judgeship under threat of impeachment in 1874). So the photo would have to have been made in the latter part of 1862 or in 1863.

His son, Richard Busteed Jr., was born in September, 1855 and would have been 6, turning 7, at the time that his father received his commission as a brigadier general. Despite the caption of the photo, the boy is too young to be a real drummer boy, even by Civil War standards, and is not wearing a real uniform. Most likely, the drum was a photographer's prop (it was common for photographers in this era to have props for people to pose with, and this was especially true of children). The cap might also be a photographer's prop.

I think there is little doubt that the boy in the photograph is General Busteed's son.