Brigadier General Joseph A. Haskin and Staff, Albumen

Brigadier General Joseph A. Haskin and Staff, Albumen Photograph

Albumen photograph, 16.5 x 11.5 in. (sight), matted to 26 x 20.25 in., taken by Alexander Gardner ca 1865. Photograph shows Brigadier General Joseph A. Haskin (1818-1874) in uniform, seated in an interior space with members of his staff. A veteran of the Mexican-American war, Haskin lost his left arm at the Battle of Chapultepec (1847), and his empty shirtsleeve is visible at his side in the photograph.

Haskin graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1839 and served with Winfield Scott's army in the Mexican-American War. At its close, he was promoted to the rank of captain and served as a staff officer in the Quartermaster's Department. Haskin also performed recruiting duties and was posted at garrisons throughout the South and Southwest. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was stationed in Louisiana, overseeing the barracks and arsenal at Baton Rouge. He was transferred to Washington, DC after Louisiana's secession and, for most of the war, served as a brigade commander for the Department of Washington, tasked with defense of the capital.
Condition Report: Photograph with spotting, soiling, and areas of surface abrasion, particularly at right. Enhancements made in ink or another medium visible to facial features of several figures, including Haskin. Not examined outside of mat.