Cover stories surface in different ways. When the reveal themselves, it is unexpected and joyful. The image and story that leads are Summer 2025 issue is no exception.
I was deep into researching images for collector Karl Sundstrom’s gallery, “Collector and Mentor,” introduced by his nephew, Austin Sundstrom, when I found the story of Maj. Horace N. Attkisson of the 50th Indiana Infantry. Captured at Jenkins’ Ferry, Ark., in 1864 and imprisoned at Camp Ford, Texas, he met a former comrade who he served with during the Mexican War. His old pard now wore Confederate gray. For you collectors of Civil War images, it is also the second time in my 11 years as editor and publisher that an albumen print and the first carte de visite has been featured on the cover. The result: “Bonds of Loyalty: Forged in Mexico, 1847 — Tested in Texas, 1864.”
Mexican War references pop up in other places in the issue. “Antebellum Warriors” by Joe Bauman highlights Lt. Col. Joshua Howard who served in Mexico and two other conflicts. Scott Valentine’s “Vignette” profiles Brig. Gen. Joseph King Fenno Mansfield, the veteran engineer and Mexican War hero mortally wounded at Antietam.
Another surprise occurred in an email from noted author and contributor Norman Delaney, who shared a 1952 Boston Globe cover honoring the last Union veterans and a young Korean War soldier, bridging generations of service and capturing a poignant national moment. You’ll find profiles of these men in “The Last Grand Army Vets and a Youthful Symbol of America’s Fighting Men.” For balance, I added “The Last Confederate Veteran,” a profile of Alabama’s Pleasant Riggs Crump. My fears of locating a portrait of Crump disappeared when I found a press photo of him on eBay.
We normally offer Gettysburg content in our summer number, and this issue is no exception. Senior Editor Chuck Joyce tells the story of Capt. Richard Wistar Davids of the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry, a man of means from Philadelphia who suffered a mortal wound during the second day of fighting in “‘Died at Gettysburg!’ No Prouder Epitaph Need Any Man Covet.”
Phil Spaugy’s “Of Arms and Men” investigates the weapons claimed to have been carried by John Burns, the civilian hero of Gettysburg, into battle on the first day. Another Gettysburg item can be found in our regular column, Military Anthropologist, in the form of a chart that plots the number of miles marched by the men in Union regiments in the Army of the Potomac in the lead-up to Gettysburg.
I was especially pleased with a submission by Senior Editor Dave Batalo and Hunter Lesser, “A Boy Company Goes to War: William Henry Harrison Ewing and His Hampden-Sydney College Classmates.” Dave and Hunter’s narrative includes what is believed to be the only known portrait of a soldier wearing the Boy Company’s early uniform, complete with its distinctive cap. Delighted to have a researcher and writer of Hunter’s caliber with us.
Rounding out our features is Contributing Editor Rick Leisenring’s “Capturing Elmira: The photographers who documented a Northern prisoner of war camp,” an adaptation from his forthcoming book.
Check out Kurt Luther’s latest “Photo Sleuth” column, where he sorts out the mis-identification of a Union officer as Thomas Meagher or John Buford. Kurt also introduces us to the concept of “Fame Fixation,” a condition that “afflicts researchers who set out to prove that an unidentified photo is a newly discovered image of a famous person, rather than following the evidence wherever it leads.” Kurt has a gift for describing and categorizing such personas.
“Passing in Review” showcases two new books spotlight overlooked forces in the Civil War—Catholic chaplains who served troops and the powerful role of weather in the Gettysburg Campaign. “Most Hallowed Ground” profiles Capt. Edward C. Townsend, a Union officer and War Department clerk who mourned Lincoln’s assassination and led U.S. Colored Troops at the Battle of the Crater. “The Honored Few” features a distinctive portrait of Christian Fleetwood, a free Black man from Baltimore, wearing the Medal of Honor he earned for gallantry at New Market Heights. “The Citizenry” reveals a brief meeting in New York City between an unofficial Revolutionary War veteran and President-elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861.
This issue’s “Material Culture,” guest-hosted by Ron Field, is a primer about how to distinguish U.S. and British Navy sailors in Civil War-era photos. “Women of War” by Melissa A. Wynn traces Elizabeth Keckly’s rise from slavery to Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker. “Behind the Backdrop” documents the Sea of Tents background by Philadelphia photographer Washington L. Germon. Our “Stragglers” column includes images of a Union soldier gripping a War of 1812-era cavalry saber, and a collector’s first image. “The Last Shot” features two portraits of John “Laurenz” Rosenberger, a Confederate band member and postwar orchestra leader pictured in uniform and civilian garb.
As always, I’m eager for your feedback.
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Ronald S. Coddington
Editor & Publisher
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