An exceptional and candid Civil War photograph capturing three rugged Union cavalrymen posed before a studio backdrop. 

The sitters, three Union cavalrymen, are sharply detailed in their shell jackets, leather accouterments, and forage caps, with two of the troopers prominently clutching their canteens. The painted studio canvas draped behind them, which depicts a realistic canvas camp tent nestled against a dense line of trees, is seen in other identified images of eastern theater soldiers -  including members of the famed Iron Brigade. While these men are clearly mounted troopers and not black-hatted infantrymen, their presence in front of this specific camera places them squarely in the exact same hard fighting.

Candid shots of "pards" such as this are frustratingly scarce in Civil War photography. Examples like this remind us of the humanity of the men who volunteered to risk their lives in defense of the Union. 

Very good. The plate retains excellent clarity and tone. There are scattered surface abrasions, particularly where an oval-shaped mat once sat.