Anybody Recognize These Guys?

[CompanyWag]

This image was posted on another forum asking if this was an authentic image of confederates. I replied that it looks to me to be a modern image of federal reenactors in a period case. As I look at the image, the fellows look awfully familiar. Anyone recognize them? Here's the images.
Paul McKee

[Dan]

Paul,

I agree, these guys look familiar, but I can't figure out where. I'd say it's a modern tintype of Union reenactors. The middle aged bespectacled Sgt. with the sizeable beard in the first close up, and the officer at left in the second look familiar to me, but I can't say why. Looking at the tonal quality of the trees, they look like new growth Birch trees, which might also narrow down the location. Were you able to take the image out of the case to see if there's anything behind the image?

What's going on in the far background in the far left of the main image? It looks like there's some sort of structure in the background. (Earthen fortification? building?)

Can you send me a scan of the full image?

Dan Schoeneberg

[CompanyWag]

Hi Dan, good to hear from you.
No, its not my image...I'm just trying to save a collector from making a very expensive mistake. I don't want to see this being passed off as original.

The guys kind of remind me of Craig Hadley's Cracker Company from a few years back. They were that college course where students participated in living histories for class credit under the supervision of older reenactor ncos. The mix of very young and old salty types would fit that description. I think they had a 1st Sgt that had a beard like that.

Paul McKee

[Dan]

Hey Paul,

Glad to hear from you!

That sounds reasonable about the Cracker Company thought. I'd heard of them, but never saw them. Reading your description though, it makes sense- indeed, it looks like quite the age spread in the close ups you posted. (Cracker Company- That would have been what, late 90s? Been out of the loop a bit.)

Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and the collector can save his hard earned sheckles for an original.

Cheers, and hope all is well!

Dan Schoeneberg

[PogueMahone]

Cracker Company was my first guess. That looks like Craig Hadley standing to the left with sword in hand and the grizzled old sergeant is barefoot, as was Hadley's. His name escapes me, but he and his son were the sergeants for Hadley's company. The site looks like the location of the Outpost events in the late '90's.

Lee White might be a good one to ask about this, as he is familiar with both the site and the organization.

[Bushrod Carter]

BINGO!

I think y'all have it tagged.

I agree with Joe - it does look like Hadley carrying the sword as well and the barefoot Srgt. looks like the dude who was his Srgt. I cannot remember the name either. Good impressions - bad teeth.

[CompanyWag]

Thanks for the reply & suggestion. I'll give Lee a poke.
Paul McKee

[LibertyHallVols]

Folks,

This IS the Cracker Company!! Here's THE image, thanks to a friendly webcrawler:


Caption Reads:

The Cracker Company along with other reenactors portraying the 60th New York Volunteer Infantry at the November Outpost event.

**I'll bet that the fellow standing below and to the left of the uppermost man (near the center of the pic) wearing the beegum hat is none other than our very own Paul Calloway. ***

Here's another from the same event (Outpost 2000, I believe):

Caption:

(From Left) Ed Kirch, Brent Brumagin, Craig Hadley, Matt Kirch, Paul Calloway and David Grant strike a pose for wet plate photographer Wendell decker at the Oupost event in November.

[ScottCross]

Good work fellows. I thought I recognized that sergeant and that is Hadley! I suppose it was just a matter of time before modern wet plate images started showing up on the market. One can only guess how many images of ourselves are sitting in someone's proud collection of Civil War relics and artifacts!

[LibertyHallVols]

I'm rather a fan of the practice of using aluminum plates for these photographs. You get the same photographic effect with a clear indicator to a collector that the image is modern. The image discussed here was from a time when (I think) most folks were using glass plates.