This is a fun one.

[TheRebelPatriot]

Here's a fun one. In my new series of Union or Confederate? The seller states that he's a Confederate Soldier. I also included the sellers description. So, what y'all think? Yank or Reb?

 

[TheRebelPatriot]

Also, just so there's no confusion like my last thread. I am not purchasing these images that I've been posting. These are not impulse buys, or anything like that. I have an extensive collection of Confederate relics, first edition books from the 1860s-1930s, documents, newspapers, CDVs, ambrotypes, etc... I even own an original copy of the Confederate Constitution, printed in 1861 in Montgomery, AL. I understand the effort it takes to research some of these ambrotypes and tintypes, to see if they really are a yank or a reb. Sometimes you will never know. Some Rebs wore blue, some yanks wore gray, us Southerners had Secession cockades, and the Northerners had Union cockades. I've researched an image for over a week before I considered buying it. I am posting these simply for fun.

 

[Old Soldier]

The 11th had cloth coats and red piping that would turn out very dark grey or black on this photo. It may be that this was not a uniform photo.

 

[chubachus]

I hope that tape does not mess up the outside of the case if someone tries to take it off! Don't recall seeing a jacket like that before. The kepi is nice.

 

[RedRover]

Not a CSA soldier, and not a corduroy garment.

It's just a Union soldier with one of the army sack coats made of woolen knit, instead of the more common blue flannel. Over half a million of these were procured by the US Army QMD during the war, and issued alongside the flannel ones indiscriminately.

Here's a post showing an identical USA sack coat in knit...
CWT post, knit sack coats...


the knit fabric generally required a binding on the edges to keep from unravelling.

Images of these knit sack coats are not particularly numerous, but it's not CSA.

 

[TheRebelPatriot]

Images of these knit sack coats are not particularly numerous, but it's not CSA.

Good eye! I knew he wasn't a Confederate Soldier. That's what I meant by "this is a fun one." Lol Many tintypes and ambrotypes of Soldiers are listed as Confederate, to try to get more money.

 

[RedRover]

Good eye! I knew he wasn't a Confederate Soldier. That's what I meant by "this is a fun one." Lol Many tintypes and ambrotypes of Soldiers are listed as Confederate, to try to get more money.

I recall seeing many questionable images in even some of the old "Confederate Faces" volumes. One of my uncles recalled in the '50s many families in his neighborhood had a photo or two of a uniformed reb, many of whom they knew only as an unnamed ancestor, or at least thought so. His recollection as a history enthusiast was that at least older people in the South didn't talk about the war, and he recalls being hushed by his granny when he was inclined to be nosy about it. He noted alot of these pictures probably ended up in the trash long before the centennial and any particular interest in the subject. He once lamented to me that had he any foresight, he would have procured many such images, and even Confederate made rifles, which he occasionally saw in gun shops for comparatively reasonable prices.

Keeping that in mind, after a great aunt of our died some decades ago, my mother and granny were invited to stop by her place to salvage any family oriented stuff. Didn't find much. Ma had a hunch, and actually jumped in a dumpster, and from some dutiful rummaging found in a box the 1860s photo of their Confederate gramps in uniform, and his wife...

 

[iron bender]

This is one of my best friend's (grew up with him) GGGrandads. E co. 5th Georgia Cav. I'll give his name with permission from my friend. Anyhow a nice Confederate cav uniform...my buddy was twins with this guy when we were in high school.

 

[chubachus]

I recall seeing many questionable images in even some of the old "Confederate Faces" volumes. One of my uncles recalled in the '50s many families in his neighborhood had a photo or two of a uniformed reb, many of whom they knew only as an unnamed ancestor, or at least thought so. His recollection as a history enthusiast was that at least older people in the South didn't talk about the war, and he recalls being hushed by his granny when he was inclined to be nosy about it. He noted alot of these pictures probably ended up in the trash long before the centennial and any particular interest in the subject. He once lamented to me that had he any foresight, he would have procured many such images, and even Confederate made rifles, which he occasionally saw in gun shops for comparatively reasonable prices.

Keeping that in mind, after a great aunt of our died some decades ago, my mother and granny were invited to stop by her place to salvage any family oriented stuff. Didn't find much. Ma had a hunch, and actually jumped in a dumpster, and from some dutiful rummaging found in a box the 1860s photo of their Confederate gramps in uniform, and his wife...

Yeah, I suspect some percentage of Civil War portrait photos were destroyed in fires/natural disasters or thrown away. At least some portion that were lost had copy photos made or else were published in books during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

 

[RedRover]

Yeah, I suspect some percentage of Civil War portrait photos were destroyed in fires/natural disasters or thrown away. At least some portion that were lost had copy photos made or else were published in books during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

If YOU were allowed to only preserve/keep ONE 1861-65 photograph of a Confederate soldier, at the expense of all the rest, do you know which one would it be?

 

[iron bender]

I'd guess you could find millions of US (any country) vets in their uniform in the trash pile. I'd hope to doubt it's malicious, but accidental. I'd imagine as we speak, some house is getting cleaned out, and no one cares about the old nameless pics. On that note I will say I've told my parents that they need to write names on ancient family pics if they expect anyone to keep them. As for the Confederate pic to keep, I know there's a pic of a relative name Samuel Folsom who was in the Confederate army in some capacity. I hope it still exists and I'd love to have it.