Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

[OleMissRebel]

I've never seen this photograph before and there is absolutely zero documentation that goes along with it, so no clue as to who they are or when it was taken:



Check out that farb with the gaiters



"You'll shoot your eye out with that thing."


Look at the guy on the far right...I didn't realize Nicholas II fought for the blue.




Any of you more enlightened boys on Federal outfits want to take a stab at date, unit, etc?

Also, are those 1842's they are carrying?

[Benedict]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

I got a German book on the Civil War which has this picture in it. Caption is that these are Federal veterans of the Army of the Potomac, Peninsular Campaign (if I remember correctly.)

[OleMissRebel]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

I got a German book on the Civil War which has this picture in it. Caption is that these are Federal veterans of the Army of the Potomac, Peninsular Campaign (if I remember correctly.)

If I was forced to guess a campaign for these guys, I'd probably guess that one. That looks about right.

[rebinnj]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

I noticed that one soldier on the left with arms crossed and legs spread apart, it looks like he has he left pants leg tucked in his sock but his right is untucked.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Hi,

I think the man in the third picture with the gun across his chest is a 1861Springfield, because of the hammer shape. But the man in the 4th picture with his gun leaning against his shoulder is a 1842 Springfield. These soldier look like they are from New York, because of the jackets, leggings, and 1842 Springfields. I would guess that this picture was taken some time in 1862

Andrew Kasmar

4th Missouri Company E

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Hallo!

Yes, the hammers, rear sights, flat bands, and curved buttplates would seem to make them M1861's.
Except for the one lad who appears to have an M1842 because of the front band/nose cap.

Curt

[OleMissRebel]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Hallo!

Yes, the hammers, rear sights, flat bands, and curved buttplates would seem to make them M1861's.
Except for the one lad who appears to have an M1842 because of the front band/nose cap.

Curt

Ya, that one guy with the 42 threw me off.

[2ndva]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Any explanation for the lack of knapsacks or bedrolls?

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Any explanation for the lack of knapsacks or bedrolls?

How about the "baggage wagon" in the background? ;)

One soldier is eating out of his haversack and one has his tin cup attached to his haversack (someone at an event tried to tell me it was a no-no in terms of authenticity-Ha!).

With the technology of the time in respect to photography, how did this image not blur with people that seem to be doing activities? Unless the image maker yelled "freeze at what you are doing for 7 seconds"... hmm. Can someone explain this to me?

This picture is awesome in that it is not a "staged" or "posed" looking. Very telling about the common soldier- people don't change, just the times they are in. Some of these men look like modern friends of mine...

I love seeing the "relatively uncommon" pics like these.

Good stuff -Johnny

[roundshot]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

These guys are members of Company B, 4th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Reserve Corps (33rd PVI). Their uniforms are gray. Photo date Winter '61/'62. See Military Images Magazine, Vol. IV, No. 1, "Pennsylvanians in Gray: Early War Uniforms in the Keystone State" by Michael J. Winey. An example of a PVRC jacket can be seen in EOG/Union, p. 153.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Hallo!

Was the image attacked with "White Out?"

Curt

[Dignann]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Bob,

Does the article cite the source for the photo?

Eric

[OleMissRebel]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

These guys are members of Company B, 4th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Reserve Corps (33rd PVI). Their uniforms are gray. Photo date Winter '61/'62. See Military Images Magazine, Vol. IV, No. 1, "Pennsylvanians in Gray: Early War Uniforms in the Keystone State" by Michael J. Winey. An example of a PVRC jacket can be seen in EOG/Union, p. 153.

That's great information!

Looking at a brief history of this unit, it looks like they missed (luckily for them) a good bit of hard fighting, as they were held in reserves during several large engagements and then spent most of the entire year of 1863 defending D.C.

They mustered in with 847 men and had 78 men killed or mortally wounded and 61 die of disease.

If this photo is indeed Company B, they had 9 men killed in action.

http://www.pa-roots.com/~pacw/reserves/4thres/4thresorg.html

[roundshot]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Eric: From Mass. Mollus Collection at USAMHI.

[roundshot]

Re: Rare shot of Union soldiers under arms

Another view also from Mollus Collection.