Union Trooper, Look Like Anyone?

[JPK Huson 1863]

Hope this doesn't sound silly. Have a great magazine picked up on ebay, " Photographs of American Civil War Cavalry ". It might be a little beginner level for a lot of people, I'm loving it. For one thing there's this thing in your head with unidentified photos- ' What if he's my grgrgrandfather? ' Not likely but he was provost for awhile- could have been somewhere in proximity to a photographer. Anyway, cool book/magazine.

There's an unidentified photo, only blurb says ' Early war, federal ', no ID. Maybe I have someone Buford on the brain but gosh, hair style, height, mustache ' triangular gray eye ', hair PART, boots which are obviously well-worn ( This trooper has been there for awhile. If it's early war, he's been cavalry before. ). Even a slight overbite, resulting in that deep shadow beneath the man's bottom lip.

The thing is, I'm more than certain the people compiling this would have spotted the man I'm thinking of in a hot second Buford, right? Or at least conjectured on the subject, not allowed this particular photo to have been left sitting in the middle of an entire compilation of cavalry- he's in photos later on, looking older.

Let's see- 37 when he died. This photo doesn't have to be ' early war', the man in question Buford was riding hard for the Army years before. There's some discussion on the rifle, but even that's confusing. Looking it up, a handful of these entered service in '57? Joslyn breech loader, purchased later by the thousands ( 11 ) but according to Wiki ( sorry, only reference I could find ) some found their way earlier. I'd have thought active troops would have been the ones to receive them. Even if my dates sound silly, swear this looks like him. Buford.

It's ok to laugh, honest. No ego here swear.

 

[Mike Serpa]

This Buford? Their eyes, eyebrows and chins don't seem to match.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

This Buford? Their eyes, eyebrows and chins don't seem to match.
View attachment 53371

No, you're right, I guess not? Except... that chin might be the same if the photo wasn't over exposed? Maybe the eyebrows too. Still- guy has to be in the same gene pool.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

The other thing which struck me was the man standing for the portrait looks like he's not happy being in front of a camera- which fits the profile. According to his best bio ( we know which one that is ), he loathed any hint of self-aggrandizing, just did not engage in it. The person in the portrait really does not look to be there willingly, which was my first thought.

 

[FarawayFriend]

This Buford? Their eyes, eyebrows and chins don't seem to match.
View attachment 53371

Aw, Mike, don't be a spoilsport...
I think it could very well be Buford, he is just showing the other side of his face ... surprising how that can change the looks!

 

[Rebforever]

It seems to me that rifle is not the Joslyn but a Trapdoor Carbine.

 

[Northern Light]

Aw, Mike, don't be a spoilsport...
I think it could very well be Buford, he is just showing the other side of his face ... surprising how that can change the looks!

After my brother-in-law died, his wife had a very recent picture of the two of them together altered so she was not in. The photographer merely took the one side of his face and reversed it to make a complete picture of just him. His mother hated the picture because she said it did not look like him as it was too symmetrical, so I understand what you mean. I hope my post is equally clear.

 

[Mike Serpa]

Aw, Mike, don't be a spoilsport...
I think it could very well be Buford, he is just showing the other side of his face ... surprising how that can change the looks!

I dunno FF. I'm usually not too good at figuring out who people are but the odds are on my side. 2.5M+ men in the Union Army. Only 0.00004% chance he is Buford.

 

[FarawayFriend]

I dunno FF. I'm usually not too good at figuring out who people are but the odds are on my side. 2.5M+ men in the Union Army. Only 0.00004% chance he is Buford.

Well, chances are multiplied by a vague resemblance ... and of course JPKs desire that he might be Buford

 

[Mike Serpa]

Why are we whispering Buford's name?

 

[FarawayFriend]

I don't have the slightest idea ...
But it's fun.

 

[Northern Light]

So Henry Heth doesn't know he's there!

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

It seems to me that rifle is not the Joslyn but a Trapdoor Carbine.

Thanks for that! I know zero and it probably gives me other time frames to look up? The original writer describing that photo used ' Joslyn' and am not married to the concept- well could not be. It's a huge benefit of the forum, so, so much knowledge on so many fronts.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Why are we whispering Buford's name?

Hahahahaha! Oh, because the entire concept that this could be a missed photo of General John Buford is so absurd I figured I'd either get yelled at or laughed off the forum or both, stating it out loud.

Subliminal messages have never been proven effective in advertising, I thought it'd be worth a shot anyway- those teeny letters? You weren't supposed to see them, didn't they leak into your subconscious?

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

And ps, you guys are hysterical. This really is fun.

 

[7thWisconsin]

You can't jus flip a picture over and get a true likeness; faces are symmetrical, but the hemispheres aren't identical. To prove it, take a photo of yourself and cover one side with a file card. Now the other side. Notice the differences?
John Buford graduated in the West Point Class of 1848 and entered service with the 1st Dragoons, later transfierred to the 2nd Dragoons. Unless I miss my guess, your unidentified cavalryman is an enlisted man. He's wearing shoulder scales, not epaulets, no sash and there's no stripe on his trouser leg. I don't think that's the old dragoon uniform. It was redesigned right before the war, but by then, Buford would neither have looked that young, nor would he have been wearing what would amount to a junior officer uniform. I'm going with "unidentified cavalryman" as a safe ID here. Sorry.

 

[Northern Light]

You can't jus flip a picture over and get a true likeness; faces are symmetrical, but the hemispheres aren't identical. To prove it, take a photo of yourself and cover one side with a file card. Now the other side. Notice the differences?

That was her point. It was better than nothing and most people wouldn't have noticed it(I didn't).

 

[Rebforever]

Thanks for that! I know zero and it probably gives me other time frames to look up? The original writer describing that photo used ' Joslyn' and am not married to the concept- well could not be. It's a huge benefit of the forum, so, so much knowledge on so many fronts.

I could be wrong, ya know. I am familiar with the Trapdoor and that is what it appears to be to me.

 

[Mike Serpa]

Hahahahaha! Oh, because the entire concept that this could be a missed photo of General John Buford is so absurd I figured I'd either get yelled at or laughed off the forum or both, stating it out loud.

Subliminal messages have never been proven effective in advertising, I thought it'd be worth a shot anyway- those teeny letters? You weren't supposed to see them, didn't they leak into your subconscious?

I noticed the teeny letters. It reminded of the Coty perfume ad that said, "If you want to capture someone's attention, whisper."