Exceptional Image of Kemper County, Mississippi Confederates

March 30, 2024 / southernhistoryblog / Leave a comment

This quarter plate clear glass ambroptye depicts two solders from Kemper County, Mississippi that would enlist in the Kemper Rebels. In the image, the soldiers wear “battle shirts” with dark piping on the collars, tops of pockets and sleeves. The three stripes on their sleeves do not indicate rank. The slightly darker trousers have a stripe down the side. The shirts have a light pinstripe. The tinting to the face is most striking and both have piercing eyes. Thankfully the names of the solders (G.W. Jones and S.J. Gordon) were scratched in the plate so that their identity was not lost. The image was found in a local estate in Lauderdale County, Mississippi.

*Privates George W. Jones and Samuel J. Gordon; Company I (Kemper Rebels), 24th Mississippi Infantry*

George W. Jones enlisted as a private on July 8, 1861 at Rocky Mount in Kemper County, Mississippi to Captain R. P. McKelvaine’s company (Kemper Rebels). This company would become Company I of the 24th Mississippi Infantry and they were mustered into service in September 1861 at Marion Station in Lauderdale County. He was 23 years old at the time. He was present with the company until May 1862 when he was absent sick. It is reported that the surgeon sent him to a hospital in Mississippi for an indefinite period of time. He was wounded in the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862. Apparently after the injury he was reported a deserter in February 1863. He joined the unit again from desertion and was arrested. He was sentenced forfeiture of 2 months wages and was back with the unit in March 1863. He was killed at the Battle of Resaca May 14 or 15, 1864 while the unit was a part of Walthall’s Brigade.

Samuel J. Gordon would also enlist as a private on July 8, 1861 at Rocky Mount in Kemper County in the Kemper Rebels. By the May/June 1862 roll he is listed as present but sick. He was sent to the hospital in Glasgow, Kentucky by the surgeon in September 1862. He apparently was transferred to a hospital in Chattanooga where he reportedly died on October 11, 1862. He is buried at the Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery.

Samuel J. Gordon was the second son born to Elkanah M. Gordon (1797-1888) and Martha Clark. The family was from South Carolina and all their children were born in that state before they moved to Kemper County, Mississippi after 1847. Elkanah is buried at Blackwater Baptist Church Cemetery in Kemper County. Samuel’s brother, Charles F. Gordon (1833-1863), also died in the war while hospitalized at Rome, Georgia in 1863. George W. Jones was originally from Georgia but was serving as a manager and farmer on the farm of Samuel’s uncle, Elijah Clark in the 1860 census. This is certainly the connection the two soldiers shared and explains their posing for an image together. Elijah and Henrietta (Gordon) Clark moved to Mississippi from South Carolina around 1857.

The 24th Mississippi was stationed at Camp Pillow in Sanderson, Florida in late 1861. They did not make it to Corinth before the Battle of Shiloh but arrived in time to be part of the Siege of Corinth. They retreated to Tupelo on May 31, 1862 as part of Samuel B. Maxey’s brigade of Cheatham’s Division. They were brigaded with the 9th Texas, 41st Georgia and Wright’s Tennessee Battery at the time. At Perryville the unit was led by Colonel William Frances Dowd in Samuel Powell’s Brigade of Patton Anderson’s Division in Hardee’s Corps. They would take part in the fight near the city. The unit would also participate in the battles of Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain.

*Detail of shirt showing light pinstripe*

Mourning ribbon captured by photographer Charles Rees

August 12, 2023 / southernhistoryblog / Leave a comment

It is estimated that about 750,000 Americans died during the Civil War. This represented about 2.5% of the population. Most families were affected to some degree and many were captured in photographs wearing mourning attire and articles. In this poignant photograph by Charles Rees of Richmond, Virginia, a young lady is pictured wearing a black mourning ribbon on her arm. She also wears a brooch with the image of a lady visible on magnification. Her daughter is held by her side. Rees was a master at tinting as evidenced by the tinting on their dresses. The somber look on their faces helps to tell their story. Rees has signed the image on the left lower aspect.

*Sixth plate clear glass ambrotype by Charles R. Rees of Richmond, Virginia*

Charles Ricard Rees was a prominent photographer in Richmond during the war. For an excellent review of Rees please refer to Dominick Serrano’s article Rees of Richmond: A fresh look at the combative, competitive and brilliant Confederate photographer Charles Ricard Rees in the Winter 2022 issue of Military Images.

https://www.militaryimagesmagazine-digital.com/2021/11/17/rees-of-richmond-a-fresh-look-at-the-combative-competitive-and-brilliant-confederate-photographer-charles-ricard-rees/

Guy Gugliotta, “New Estimate Raises Civil War Death Toll,” New York Times, April 3, 2012.
Facing History & Ourselves, “Statistics From the Civil War,” last updated July 11, 2022.

Thomas Morton and Martha Frances Brown of Barnesville, Georgia

April 16, 2022April 16, 2022 / southernhistoryblog / Leave a comment

Thomas Morton and Martha Frances Brown were twins born on February 17, 1838 in Pike County, Georgia to Stephen Justus Brown (1798-1857) and Susanna Lacy (1817-1878). Stephen and Susanna were actually cousins, the children of sisters Francis and Anne Durham of North Carolina. Their ancestors settled in the area and were responsible for naming Durham, North Carolina. Stephen’s father, John R. Brown, was a captain in the Revolutionary War who was born in Virginia and moved to the Chapel Hill/Durham area. John would later move to Baldwin County, Georgia. He married Frances Durham after his first wife died. Stephen and Susanna moved to Pike County, Georgia in 1828 and settled on Zebulon Road about two miles west of Barnesville. He was listed as a farmer in the 1850 census.

*Sixth plate daguerreotype of Martha Frances Brown*

Martha Frances married Benjamin Charles Milner (1832-1902) on December 27, 1853 when she was 15 years of age. Her daguerreotype was likely made at about the time of their marriage based on case and mat characteristics. The Milner family was prominent in the area and was involved in railroad construction. Benjamin Charles and Martha were living in Baldwin County, Alabama near Stockton in the 1860 census as they were in the area for railroad construction. Incidentally, it appears that Thomas Morton was living with them at the time and was listed in the census as a “railroad overseer”. He had apparently joined in his brother in law’s railroad construction endeavors. Martha died on February 10, 1910 and is buried in Zebulon Street Cemetery in Barnesville.

Thomas Morton enlisted on May 7, 1862 in Griffin, Georgia to Captain Obadiah C. Gibson’s company of light artillery (Griffin Light Artillery). This unit was later led by Captain John Scogin and became known as Scogin’s Battery of Georgia Light Artillery. The unit was initially in John King Jackson’s brigade of Withers’ division in the Army of Tennessee. They were later transferred in August 1863 to Cheatham’s division. Brown was killed in action at the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19, 1863.

*Ninth plate melainotype of Private Thomas Morton Brown*

The image of Brown was taken on March 2, 1863 based on the case inscription. In the image, Brown wears a dark unbuttoned jacket with 5 of the buttons visible but gilded. The jacket does not appear to have any insignia. His belt buckle is an imported “snake buckle” that has been gilded. He also has two revolvers tucked in each side of his belt. The image is presented in a Berg 5-21 “fold over” leather case. This case was popular in 1858-1865. The inscription on the pad of the case reads:

“March the 2nd ‘63

Killed in battle of

Chickamauga on

Sept. 19 1863.

Thomas Morton

Brown

Barnesville, Ga.”

Apparently Morton was the only member of the unit killed in the battle as Captain Scogin’s report noted that only one private was killed in the action.

*Inscription that accompanied the image of Thomas Morton Brown*

The first of Benjamin Charles and Martha’s children was Tilola Warthen “Lola” Milner. She was born on February 28, 1855 in Barnesville. She was 5 at the time of the 1860 census. Lola was responsible for the inscriptions that accompany this image grouping. Her image was likely taken in 1859-1860 based on case characteristics. Lola would die on July 11, 1936 in Atlanta, Georgia. The ninth plate ambrotype of Lola shows her at about 5-6 years of age wearing a dress with checks. She wears a gilded round medallion around her neck. The image has some loss to the lower right side. It is presented in a Nolan #826 (Morgan’s geometric) full case.

*Ninth plate ambrotype of Tilola Warthen “Lola” Milner*

Sixth plate melainotype of Edward Livingston Hopkins of Natchez, Mississippi wearing a secession cockade

March 20, 2021 / southernhistoryblog / Leave a comment

*Sixth plate melainotype of Lieutenant Edward Livingston Hopkins of Natchez, Mississippi wearing a secession cockade*

Edward Livingston Hopkins was born on June 14, 1834 in Flatbush, New York to John Derrick Hopkins (1808-1885) and Jane Jones (1811-1895). His parents emigrated to the United States from England on December 5, 1833. John was a carriage maker and artist. It seems that he primarily performed carriage painting. They were living in New York during the 1840 census but moved to Natchez, Mississippi in the following years.

By the 1860 census Edward had entered the business world as a saddler. He reportedly worked at the prominent saddler, harness and carriage company of the area, Livingston and Rountree. It was about at this time (1859-1860) that he entered a local militia company, the Adams Light Guard, as a lieutenant. When the war began this unit would become Company D of the 16th Mississippi Infantry after a brief stint in state service. Edward entered as a 2nd lieutenant. The unit was sent to the eastern theater and was mainly training until elections were held at the end of the one year enlistment. He was not elected as an officer at that time and he resigned to return to Mississippi. He then enlisted on May 4, 1862 in Jackson, Mississippi as a Junior 2nd Lieutenant in Company F of the 31st Louisiana Infantry. He would be promoted to full 2nd Lieutenant on January 1, 1863. The unit was engaged at Chickasaw Bluff and lost 9 killed and 16 wounded. Edward was surrendered at Vicksburg in July 1863 and paroled. The unit was placed in A. Thomas’ Brigade in the Trans-Mississippi Department and fought in various conflicts in Louisiana. He was eventually promoted to 1st Lieutenant. The 31st was consolidated in January 1864 with the 3rd, 17th, 21st (Patton’s), 22nd, 26th, 27th and 28th (Thomas’) Louisiana Infantry Regiments to form the 22nd Louisiana Infantry Regiment.

After the war Edward would move back to Natchez. He apparently moved to Galveston, Texas briefly as he is listed there in the 1870 census. He is back in Natchez by the 1880 census as a saddler and living with his parents. He would work for the firm Rumble and Wensel for a time and in 1888 he opened his own business, Messrs. Hopkins & Co, where he continued to sell saddles, harnesses and carriages. It appears that he was married for a brief period of time as the 1890 census notes that he was widowed and married in 1882. He died on May 31, 1910 in the home of his nephew and is buried in the Natchez City Cemetery.

_{Detail of secession cockade with tinting}

In this finely tinted melainotype he is wearing a gray shell jacket with dark piping to the center and collar. There are two rows of dark piping at the sleeves. He wears a secession cockade on his jacket that is tinted red and blue. His kepi is gray with a dark band. His trousers have been tinted as well. He is identified behind the image in period writing “Edward L. Hopkins”. This is likely the uniform of the Adams Light Guard when they entered Confederate service. Company D was commanded by Captain Samuel E. Baker and the regiment was initially commanded by Colonel (future General) Carnot Posey.

1853-1856 Quarter Plate Daguerreotype of a Probable Mardi Gras Page by Edward Jacobs of New Orleans

April 11, 2020 / southernhistoryblog / Leave a comment

*c 1853-1856 Quarter plate daguerreotype of a possible Mardi Gras page by Edward Jacob*s Author’s collection

This quarter plate daguerreotype depicts a young boy in striped pants, a jacket with lace up sleeves, and a white shirt with a stiff, ruffled collar and cuffs. There is an elaborate hat that rests on the table beside him. Given his costume, this boy likely served on the Mardi Gras court, as an attendant to the queen. The image was taken by Edward Jacobs of New Orleans and contains his studio imprint “E. Jacobs, N.O.” on the mat.

The image is housed in a Rinhart #260 (Roses and Bluebells) leather case. This case was introduced in about 1853. The mat is a modified nonpareil that was primarily used from 1843-1849 but had use in the early to mid 1850’s as well. The mat contains a sandy texture with an inside bevel. The image contains a preserver (Nolan s_horseshoes) that was in common use from 1850-1856. Given these characteristics it is likely that the image was made between 1853-1856.

The image was previously part of the Eugene R. Groves Collection of 19th Century Photography.

*Sleeve detail also showing striped pants*

Edward Jacobs (1813-1892) was born in England and was an active artist and photographer in New Orleans from 1844-1864. He initially established a daguerrian gallery at 1 Camp Street in 1844 and was in partnership with Charles E. Johnson for a period of time. In the fall of 1846 Edward White took over the gallery and it is likely that Jacobs continued to work from the gallery. It is reported that he was one of several New Orleans daguerreotypists who took a portrait of General Zachary Taylor in 1847 while he was visiting the city.

In about 1850 Jacobs established his own gallery at 93 Camp Street and embarked on a period of time that would establish him as one of the premier photographers in New Orleans. It was during this time that this image was likely taken.

References:

Cowan’s Auctions. Auction Listing, 2020

Nolan, Sean William. Fixed in Time. 3rd edition, 2017

Palmquist, Peter E. and Thomas R. Kailbourn. Pioneer Photographers from the Mississippi to the Continental Divide: A Biographical Dictionary, 1839-1865.

Rinhart, Floyd and Marion. American Miniature Case Art. 1969

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