The Model 1805 Harpers Ferry Pistol
By Frank Graves The man pictured in this daguerreotype holds a U.S. Model 1805 Harpers Ferry .54 caliber flintlock pistol. A little more than 2,000 pairs were manufactured from 1806
Category: Material Culture
Fastening Buttons on the “Opposite” Side
By Jack Hurov The Summer 2024 issue of Military Images magazine featured Evander M. Law and his staff on the cover. Current evidence suggests the half-plate ambrotype was taken by
The Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver
By Bill Thompson, with artifacts from the author’s collection Samuel Colt sold more Model 1860 Army revolvers to the government than any other gunmaker’s revolvers during the Civil War. About
5th Maine Private Purchase Infantry Jacket, Early 1864
By Richard M. Milstead, PhD Enoch Whittemore, Jr., advanced to first sergeant on Feb. 4, 1864. A member of Company I of the 5th Maine Infantry, he had received several
Uniform of the First Light Infantry of Providence
By Ron Field The expense of full dress and fatigue uniforms required by many antebellum militia companies largely limited their membership to men from the upper classes of American society.
Early U.S. Model 1855 Harpers Ferry Rifles
By Mark Elrod Two brothers from New York City are armed with Harpers Ferry Model 1855 Rifles and attired in full marching-order military accouterments in the distinct military uniforms of
California Militia Uniform, 1864-1865
By Anthony F. Gero In early 1864, Californians glimpsed new uniforms for state militia. A report in the Sacramento Bee sets the scene: “At the window of Lamott’s on J
Edmands’ “Famous Military Hat”
By Ron Field The first few months of the Civil War were a period of experimentation with military hats and caps, particularly in the Northern states. One pattern used extensively
Colt Second Model Dragoon Revolver
By Frank Graves Portraits of Civil War soldiers armed with any of the three models of Colt Dragoons are uncommon. Images such as this tintype of a Union cavalryman gripping
The 28th Iowa Infantry Jacket
By Ronald S. Coddington “While not originally uniformed as Zouaves this regiment created one of the most unique and readily identifiable uniforms of the war,” writes Daniel J. Miller in