Early war Confederate on Ebay

[garyjd]

When I first saw this I thought succession badge. What does the "MR" on the kepi stand for? I'm at least thinking ______ Rifles. ~Gary

http://cgi.ebay.com/Civil-War-Tintype-Soldier-w-Ribbon-Fancy-Uniform-Photo_W0QQitemZ230180162382QQihZ013QQcategoryZ13712QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Early war Confederate on Ebay

Gary,

I'm curious as to how you deduced that this image was of a Confederate Soldier. Nothing jumps out to me denoting it as such.

Aside, this is a great image with nice tinting.

Paul

[nick19thind]

Re: Early war Confederate on Ebay

Looks like a federal uniform.
The red, white and blue ribbon could be a patriotic cockade, i think they were worn by civilians in the north after the attack on Fort Sumter.

[Secesh]

Re: Early war Confederate on Ebay

Hello,
You mean Secession, not succession badge....the MR could stand for just about anything, ie. Monroe Rifles, Marion Rifles, etc. Since this is an early War image it is most likely that he is wearing his militia uniform, and if that is the case than he could be either Federal or Confederate. Blue was a very common uniform color for troops both North and South Pre-War, and as the previous gent pointed out, both sides wore patriotic cockades and ribbons. It is an excellent image! Thanks for sharing the find with us. Best regards...

[Matthew Semple]

Re: Early war Confederate on Ebay

The Arkansian printed in Fayetteville, Arkansas on January 5, 1861 stated the following: "The Union Cockade.-This is also a double rosette, the center one being of red silk, the inner one of white silk, and the pendants of blue. The gilt button that fastens the whole together shows the eagle of America, surrounded by the starts of the United States."

After seeing pictures and examining a couple over the past few years, I have noticed a variation in the colors of silk used. They all exhibited a similar construction to the one displayed in the photograph that started this thread.

Attached is a picture I came across on the internet last year. This Union cockade has a picture of Major Robert Anderson in the center. I will search for the webpage and post the link.

[rogue]

Re: Early war Confederate on Ebay

My vote for MR would be Mounted Rifles, a pre-war unit that all but disappeared after 1861, as his shoulder scales and jacket also suggest something horsey.
Steve Sullivan

[Secesh]

Re: Early war Confederate on Ebay

That is a good call; however, I have in my collection a CDV of an Early-War Federal in forage cap, frock coat, accoutrements, and grasping an 1842 musket...On his shoulders are also scales, same as in this image. While decorative, the idea behind the scales was to deflect saber cuts to the shoulders. It is also possible that he is an artilleryman, as noted by the red tinted kepi, and the "R" in "MR" could denote rifled cannon. Just more musings....thanks.

[GermanDraftee]

Re: Early war Confederate(?) on Ebay

The description on Ebay (although never definitive) states that this is a Federal officer. The Union Cockade, aptly ID'd by Mr. Semple, supports this.

As for the "MR" on the kepi, I would also be drawn to Mounted Rifles. I have seen "HA" in one or two images of men in Heavy Artillery units. The other type of artillery was Foot Artillery (later Field Artillery). The red trim on the kepi does confuse the issue, though. It is hard to tell whether the cuff trim on his frock coat is the normal gray of the photograph, or a colorized light blue. The trouser stripe does not seem to have been colorized, so its difficult to tell what color it is.

It was very considerate of this young man and the successive owners of this image to provide us with just enough info to arouse our interest, while leaving out enough to keep us occupied and entertained.

[garyjd]

Re: Early war Confederate on Ebay

Gary,

I'm curious as to how you deduced that this image was of a Confederate Soldier. Nothing jumps out to me denoting it as such.

Paul

Paul, I'm not sure what it is. I just thought of a Secession badge upon seeing what was on his chest that's all. ~Gary

[Matthew Semple]

Re: Early war Confederate on Ebay

Attached is a picture I came across on the internet last year. This Union cockade has a picture of Major Robert Anderson in the center. I will search for the webpage and post the link.

I was finally able to locate that website. Here it is:

http://home.freeuk.com/gazkhan/cockade_federal.htm