CDV of African American Senior Officer

CDV bearing a full-length portrait of an African American man in uniform. He wears a senior officer's coat and a shako with a state front plate and aiguillettes, with a cavalry saber held in his left hand. His shoulder straps suggest the rank of either major or lieutenant colonel, though the clarity of the image inhibits a definitive conclusion. Pencil inscription on verso identifies subject as Alexander Augusta, the head surgeon of the 7th US Colored Infantry. Augusta attained the rank of lieutenant colonel by brevet on March 13, 1865, becoming the highest-ranking black officer in the Union Army.
Condition Report: Soiling, staining, and surface abrasions, including small areas obscuring front plate of shako. Staining on verso, with contemporary pencil inscription.