Southern photography

Exceptional Image of Kemper County, Mississippi Confederates

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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. 

Detail of Private George W. Jones

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.  

Detail of Private Samuel J. Gordon

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

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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/

View of the image in full case
Mourning ribbon, detail
Brooch, detail

Thomas Morton and Martha Frances Brown of Barnesville, Georgia

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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.

Detail of the inscription
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

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

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c 1853-1856 Quarter plate daguerreotype of a possible Mardi Gras page by Edward Jacobs 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.

Detail of face and collar
Hat detail
Sleeve detail also showing striped pants
Edward Jacobs studio stamped mat

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.

Case. Rinhart #260

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