A collection of three photographs relating to Company B of the 81st New York Infantry, better known as the Second Oswego Regiment. The two albumen photographs likely date from the same 1907 reunion gathering and, according to the consignor, both depict Corporal John H. Darling (1842–1917). Darling mustered into the 81st New York as a private on 24 September 1861 and re-enlisted on 1 January 1864. During his second term of service, he was wounded in action at the Battle of Cold Harbor on 3 June 1864. He nevertheless recovered sufficiently to be promoted to corporal on 27 February 1865, and he ultimately mustered out with his company on 31 August 1865 at Fort Monroe.

In addition to Cold Harbor, the 81st New York saw hard service at Seven Pines and Fair Oaks, as well as during Grant’s first assault on Petersburg. Over the course of the Civil War, the regiment lost 13 officers and 129 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, while 1 officer and 98 enlisted men died of disease.

The photographs included in this lot are as follows: 

1. Group indoor albumen of the Company B, 81st New York regiment's veterans. [Lovell: Oswego, New York, 1907]. 12 x 5 1/4 in., mounted to 15 1/4 x 9 in. With modern pencil inscriptions and corresponding "X"s identifying subjects, modern label identifying regiment and pen inscription likely misidentifying the year. 

2. Group outdoor albumen of the Company B, 81st New York regiment's veterans. Oswego, New York: Lovell, 1907. 9 1/2 x 7 3/4 in., mounted to 14 x 11 in. Photographer's imprint stamped on mount recto. Writing in negative identifying subjects and year. 

3. Page 20 from the Syracuse Post-Standard Pictorial. Likely included for the picture of the Oswego River bridge at the bottom rather than the group photo of the 76th New York at the top. 1 page, 13 July 1958. Approx. 11 x 13 1/4 in. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards] 

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