Conflicting Clues, Cobalt Blue, and a Trio of Pards
Cobalt glass creates a fittingly appropriate blue hue in this ambrotype of a Union officer. The background painting appears in other portraits credited to Stephen Evans of St. Louis.
Recent Stories
Ancestors, Living History and Photo Sleuthing Inspires a Mission
By Michael Huston When I was 10 years old, my grandfather showed me a binder with genealogy information and a portrait photograph of a Civil War soldier. The stern look
The Autumn 2022 issue
The Autumn 2022 issue is now available, and I’m excited to share it with you. The focus is Illinois in the Civil War. As Austin Sundstrom points out in his
Why We Need Access to Affordable Images
Sales are an indicator of the health of any collector’s market. By this measure, a review of recent sales indicates that the state of Civil War image collecting is strong.
Photo Survey: Marked Differences of Formats in Southern States
An MI survey of 190 identified Confederate portraits published in the magazine reveals format variations in six Southern states. SPREAD THE WORD: We encourage you to share this story on social
New Books: Union Colonels and White House Souvenirs
Final Installment of Colonels In 2001, Roger D. Hunt embarked on an ambitious mission with the publication of his first volume of colonels in the U.S. army during the Civil
Researching a Grouping of USCT Officer Photos
By Kurt Luther In previous columns, we have typically focused on identifying a single photo of a soldier or a small group. What approach can we take when researching an
The Sapper
By Ron Field Axe-wielding sappers were an invaluable asset to Napoleonic armies, and still prominent in many antebellum U.S. militia units. During the 1850s, sappers were the militia equivalent of
“The Light 12’s Were Magnificent”
At Trevilian Station during the afternoon of June 12, 1864, Union reserves moved quickly to contain damage inflicted by Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton’s cavalry. One of the hastily formed skirmish
“Hurrah for Col. Smith!”
The 1st Maine Cavalry faced annihilation near St. Mary’s Church, Va., on June 24, 1864. About 3 p.m. that afternoon, an overwhelming force of Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton’s rebel troopers