A group of 3 CDVs (1 signed) and 2 clipped signatures of John F. Farnsworth, accompanied by a first edition regimental history of the 8th Illinois Cavalry, the important unit he raised and commanded until 1863. Items include: 

1. Vignetted bust-length albumen CDV studio portrait of Farnsworth in civilian clothing. Unmarked. SIGNED BY FARNSWORTH to mount verso.  

2. Three-quarter length albumen CDV standing studio portrait of John F. Farnsworth in uniform with sword. New York: Brady/Anthony. Publisher's imprint to mount verso alongside modern pencil identification.

3. Vignetted bust-length engraved albumen CDV studio portrait. Chicago: S.M. Fassett. Imprint to mount verso. 

4. Clipped signature of John F. Farnsworth. N.p., n.d. ## x ## in. 

5. Clipped signature of John F. Farnsworth. St. Charles, Illinois, n.d. ## x ## in. 

John Franklin Farnsworth (1820-1897) was an Illinois lawyer and politician who organized the 8th Illinois Cavalry and was commissioned as its colonel. He led the regiment during the Peninsula Campaign, seeing action at the Battle of Williamsburg and in the Seven Days Battles. During the Maryland Campaign, he sparred frequently with Confederate cavalry commanded by J.E.B. Stuart and Wade Hampton. 

In March 1863, he resigned his commission to fill his seat in the United States Congress. Serving until 1873, he was a supporter of Reconstruction policies and opted to impeach President Andrew Johnson. 

6. Abner Hard. History of the Eighth Cavalry Regiment Illinois Volunteers. Aurora, Illinois: N.p., 1868. 8vo. Frontispiece portrait of General John F. Farnsworth. Original publisher's dark plum cloth. FIRST EDITION. Nevins I, p. 100; Nicholson p. 356. 

FIRST EDITION regimental history of the 8th Illinois Cavalry, called "Farnsworth's Abolitionist Regiment" by President Lincoln. The only Illinois cavalry regiment to serve the entirety of the war in the Army of the Potomac, it saw several major battles, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. At the latter, Lt. Marcellus E. Jones fired what is considered the first shot of the battle when he fired at an unidentified Confederate. After President Lincoln's assassination, the regiment aided in the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and served in Lincoln's honor guard while he lay in state in the rotunda. 

RARE. Only 2 copies have sold at auction. A scarce regimental history of an important regiment. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Ephemera, Pamphlets, Publications, Booklets] [Books, Bibles, Soldier's Bibles, Prayer Books, Ephemera, Pamphlets, Publications, Booklets] [Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee] 

Signficant chipping to spine with fading and some loss.