This 4-piece collection of CDVs functions as an extraordinary, narrative-driven regimental archive tracking the leadership of the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry, with a powerful emphasis on the heavy price paid by its elite "California Battalion." The lot includes:

1. Lieutenant Wesley C. Howe: Full-length standing studio portrait albumen CDV. Washington, D.C.: Mathew Brady, [ca. 1864]. Captures the officer standing in full dress coat with a sash and officer's sword, his slouch hat tucked under his right arm. The lower front margin carries a period ink signature "Yours truly / Wesley C. Howe / Lieut. 2d Mass Cav.," while the reverse bears a crisp Brady's National Photographic Portrait Galleries stamp augmented by modern collector notations tracking him as "POW, Winchester / 9/19/1864."

2. Captain John C. Norcross: Three-quarter length standing studio portrait albumen CDV. Washington, D.C.: John Holyland, [ca. 1863]. Documents the officer wearing a dark sack coat and forage cap, resting his hand on a draped chair backdrop. The reverse features a prominent Holyland Metropolitan Gallery backmark overlaid with early research tracking his capture as "POW, Ashby's Gap" and his subsequent confinement in the notorious "Libby Prison."

3. Major George A. Manning (Standing Study): Full-length standing studio portrait albumen CDV. Washington, D.C.: John Holyland, [ca. 1864]. A magnificent uniform study showing Manning in his officer frock coat and sash, leaning his hand on his sword hilt next to a studio pedestal. The reverse carries a Holyland stamp affixed with a blue two-cent Washington proprietary revenue stamp, accompanied by extensive collector notations reading: "George A. Manning / 2nd Mass. Cav. / 'California Battalion' / POW, Dranesville."

4. Major George A. Manning (Bust Vignette Variant): Vignette bust portrait albumen CDV. Washington, D.C.: John Holyland, [ca. 1864]. A crisp, close-up variant portrait from the same studio sequence, focusing on Manning's distinct chin beard and officer attire. The reverse features an identical Holyland backmark beautifully enhanced by a bold, original presentation signature reading: "Yours &c / Geo. A. Manning / Ex Major / Cal Bat." Lower margin annotations document his service history: "POW 2/22/64 Dranesville, VA. / Captured in Mosby Ambush."

This lot represents a textbook example of the deeply personal, high-consequence material that defined the Carlile collection. The 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry spent much of its service in a brutal, asymmetric war against John S. Mosby’s partisan rangers in northern Virginia. On 22 February 1864, near Dranesville, Mosby’s men executed a devastating ambush on a detachment of the regiment. Major George A. Manning was captured in the thick of this melee, a trauma directly detailed by his autographed variant portraits. Later that autumn in the Shenandoah Valley, Lieutenant Wesley C. Howe was captured at the Battle of Opequon (Third Winchester) on September 19, 1864, while Captain Norcross endured the grim interior of Richmond's Libby Prison after his own capture at Ashby's Gap.

Combining premier wartime gallery marks from Brady and Holyland with an unbroken run of prisoners of war from the same elite command, this grouping offers an uncommonly rich, ready-made display for advanced archives. 

[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, Stereographs] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]

Very good to fine overall. The albumen prints exhibit excellent clarity and contrast. The cartes remain square, and unclipped, showing only minor toning and nominal handling wear.