Deciphering a Photo, Civil War Style

Nancy Gibson’s story will sound similar to many readers. She found this photo in her great-grandmother’s album. Initially, she had no idea who the man might be, but now she thinks it might be her great-grandfather, born in 1822.

This is a fabulous photo! It’s a man dressed in uniform posing with his weapons—sword at his side and pistol on the table. At his feet (to the right) you can see the brace that holds him in place:

He wears an officer’s or enlisted man’s nine-button frock coat. These coats were worn by company-grade officers and enlisted men. In this case, I think he’s an officer. The sash could be for dress-up for the photo, or it could signify that he’s the officer of the day. The symbol on his hat signifies the type of unit:

I’ve called in a military expert to help with that. I’ll add the information here as soon as I have it. The type of cap is a kepi. It was worn by thousands of soldiers during the Civil War. A great source for information on uniforms is William K. Emerson’s Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms (University of Oklahoma Press).

On the back of the picture is the photographer’s name and a revenue stamp (above). Unfortunately the photographer’s imprint is lightly stamped and too faint to see here, but it reads “J.D. Wardwell, Photographer, Fort Ethan Allen, Virginia.”

The US Treasury Department collected revenue from photographs from Aug. 1, 1864 to Aug. 1, 1866. Photographers were required to put their initials and the date on the stamp, but few fully complied. Wardwell wrote his initials on this two cent stamp. It signifies that Gibson’s ancestor paid 25 cents or less for this image.

As for Wardwell … He was taking pictures at a temporary earthwork fortification built in Alexandria County, Va. You can learn more about it on Wikipedia. Today it is a state park. It’s likely Wardwell was one of those photographers who spent his days photographing soldiers so they could send images home to loved ones.

There are a lot of story angles in this picture. The man and his days in the service during the Civil War, the photographer, or the fort.

It’s possible that this man is Gibson’s great-grandfather. A good way to check would be to determine which units served at the fort during the latter part of the War. She also could check Civil War papers at the National Archives or the Civil War service records or pension records online at Fold3.com.

If you need help researching your Civil War ancestors, check out the July 2007 Family Tree Magazine (available as a digital download from Family Tree Shop).