Civil War CDV Album Containing Portraits of Union

Civil War CDV Album Containing Portraits of Union Generals and Soldiers, Many From Michigan Regiments, Plus Outdoor Scenes Incl. Cannon

Leather album, 4.5 x 5.75 in., containing 25 CDVs of Union officers and enlisted soldiers, with the exception of one portrait of British stage actress Laura Keene, with D.C. Winans & Co., NYÂ paper label on verso. A number of the images are credited to Mathew Brady.

Identified subjects include: 2 cartes of General U.S. Grant, each by Wenderoth, Taylor & Brown, Philadelphia, PA; Brady portrait showing General George L. Hartsuff and two staff members, including his brother, William Hartsuff, who would subsequently be brevetted brigadier general; autographed view of Brvt. Major General John M. Oliver, signed on print with rank, verso imprint of Goldin & Co., Washington, DC; autographed view of Brvt. Colonel Doctor Willard Bliss, signed below image and on verso, by Brady. A native of Grand Rapids, MI, Bliss enlisted as a surgeon and was commissioned into Field & Staff, 3rd MI Infantry 6/61, then commissioned into US Volunteers Medical Staff 9/61, raising in the ranks between 1861 and 1865 to colonel by brevet. Bliss was the attending surgeon for President Garfield after he was shot; Brady view of Colonel Horace S. Roberts, with detailed period inscription on verso recounting his Civil War service record and death at 2nd Bull Run. Roberts enlisted as a captain 4/61 and first served with Co. F, 1st MI Infantry, then was commissioned into Field & Staff, 1st MI, 10/61 as a lieutenant colonel. He was WIA, Gaines' Mill, VA, 6/27/62, and KIA 2nd Bull Run, 8/30/62. The verso inscription notes, "body never found, Rebs stripped all bodys, in retreat a sergeant of his Reg. recognized his body and took his watch and sleeve buttons home to the Cols wife..."; autographed view of Anson Heffron by C.K. Bill, NY, signed on verso, "Lt. Col Heffron, 79th NY / Provost Marshal, 9th Army Corps"; 2nd Lt. Alfred Townsend, by Purviance, Pittsburgh, PA, possibly signed on verso with rank. Townsend enlisted 5/61 and mustered into Co. H, 38th PA Infantry. He was severely wounded in the left leg at Bull Run, 8/30/62, which resulted in an amputation. Two months later, he was commissioned into the US Army 18th Infantry as a 2nd lieutenant, and rose in the ranks to captain by brevet by 9/63; and Corporal Albert J. Burgis armed with rifle, autographed on verso with rank. Burgis served with Co. F, 27th MI Infantry, raising in the ranks between 1862-1865 to 1st sergeant. Similar studio views of 4 other soldiers attributed as coming from Michigan are also enclosed. Accompanied by 8 cartes of unidentified officers and privates, including a studio view of a 1st lieutenant and friend sharing a drink, as well as a CDV-sized tintype showing three privates seated together.

The lot also features two outdoor views credited to Winder's Sky-Light Gallery, Cincinnati, OH. The first shows two officers standing beside a cannon in an open field, and the second shows three cannon together, with a split rail fence and homes visible in the distance.Â
Condition Report: Good to near excellent condition. Some with toning/spotting. Most mounts with corner/edge wear. Some with clipped corners.