Neat image of Federal Provost Guard in front of Petersburg

[bAcK88]

I was geeking out looking at images of Petersburg, Virginia taken during the War and I stumbled across his image. WOW!

It has everything: cavalry, infantry, zouaves, and arms inspection. Is it just me or is the zouave sergeant wearing a CS waist-belt, I can't tell.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?ils:104:./temp/~pp_guXi::displayType=1:m856sd=cwpb:m856sf=04049:@@@mdb=fsaall,app,brum,detr,swann,look,gottscho,pan,horyd,genthe,var,cai,cd,hh,yan,bbcards,lomax,ils,prok,brhc,nclc,matpc,iucpub,tgmi,lamb,hec

TIFF image:

http://memory.loc.gov/master/pnp/cwpb/04000/04049u.tif

[yeoman]

Re: Neat image of Federal Provost Guard in front of Petersburg

Sir, I see the four cavalrymen look to be from different Co.s (I, ---?, D and C). The soldier at extreme right looks to be wearing a 3rd corps badge on his cap. Yeah they look sharp, nice photo.

[Dusty Merritt]

Re: Neat image of Federal Provost Guard in front of Petersburg

The soldier at extreme right looks to be wearing a 3rd corps badge on his cap.

That's particularly interesting since the caption places this image in February '65, almost a year after the 3rd Corps and 1st Corps were discontinued. Former 3rd and 1st Corps troops were still allowed to wear their old badges; if this man was still doing so it's a testament to level of corps pride he and many of his comrades retained. But could it also be the area where the badge used to be, which is still visible due to different levels of fading?

[yankeecav]

Re: Neat image of Federal Provost Guard in front of Petersburg

Very interesting photo. Notice the guys in the photo to the left in the background and how casual they are as compared to the troops on the far right being inspected and the cavalry fellows. Several on the left have hands in their pockets or crossed at the chest and one guy even has both hands down the front of his trowsers.

[yeoman]

Re: Neat image of Federal Provost Guard in front of Petersburg

Sir, a little side note with this image. The book "Civil War, A Complete Photographic History" by William C. Davis and Bell L. Wiley has this photograph with the caption, if I may quote, "The formal duties were ever-present in camp. Orderlies had to stand inspection at the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac near Brandy Station in March 1864". Page 210, the photo credits are the "Pennsylvania-MOLLUS Collection, War Library and Museum, Philadelphia. I also see the caption from the LOC site. With two photo credits cited for same image, (LOC and P-M) guess I'm not sure where or when this image was taken. My gratitude in advance for a more clear understanding with the provenience of this image, thanks.

A little while ago I thumbed through this same book and 13 pages later, page 229, is the same phptograph again with another caption. If I may quote caption, "When they did, the provost guard spirited them away to the guardhouse. Here the guard for the Army of the Potomac headquarters at Petersburg in 1865. Behind them is the picketed fence of their stockade. Photo credit (USAMHI), U.S. Army Military History Instiute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.