A four-item photographic archive comprising four original cartes de visite  explicitly documenting the wartime career of Brevet Brigadier General Charles Albert Whittier of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry. Three cards retain clear period backmarks and/or ink signatures, with one featuring a hand-cancelled internal revenue stamp.

An extraordinary lot tracking the meteoric rise of one of the most historically significant staff officers in the Army of the Potomac. Originally a Harvard graduate and law clerk, Charles A. Whittier entered the service as an officer in the legendary 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the so-called "Harvard Regiment". His administrative competence quickly elevated him from the line to the personal staffs of major generals John Sedgwick and Horatio G. Wright, culminating in his appointment as the Assistant Adjutant General for the entire 6th Army Corps.

Most importantly, Whittier served as the courier of destiny during the final hours of the war in Virginia. Starting on 7 April 1865, Major Whittier was tasked with personally riding between the lines under flags of truce to carry the intense, high-stakes surrender correspondence between Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee. Whittier carried almost every single piece of the historic paperwork that directly hammered out the capitulation of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House two days later. This four-card lot offers a profound, multi-layered visual record of Whittier, capturing him in solo poses, alongside his fellow staff officers, and paired with a Medal of Honor recipient. The lot includes: 

1. Seated Portrait of Charles A. Whittier: A crisp portrait of a young Lieutenant Whittier seated in a fine wooden studio armchair. He wears a dark, sharp infantry frock coat and rests his hands upon his forage cap held in his lap. The reverse bears the backmark of prominent Boston studio of J.W. Black, 173 Washington Street. Also on the reverse are Rick's notes detailing Whittier's role as the primary correspondence courier between Grant and Lee at Appomattox.

2. Autographed Vignette Bust Portrait of Charles A. Whittier: A beautiful gallery vignette bust portrait of Whittier in an officer's coat. The lower portion of the image area features a magnificent period ink presentation signature reading: "Chas. A. Whittier / Lt. Col. & A.A.G. / 2d Corps." The reverse features a blue-ink printed mark for artist A. Sonrel of Boston, a 3-cent green internal revenue stamp, and a 20th Mass regimental association address notation.

3. 6th Corps Staff Group Outdoor View (1864): A rare, historic outdoor camp landscape view showing a grouping of seven officers and orderlies gathered around a field wagon in the timber during the Overland Campaign. Identified by research correspondence from legendary Civil War author Roger D. Hunt, the group includes a young William S. Worth seated at the left front, Philip Schuyler Jr. standing at the left, and Charles A. Whittier seated at the center front. The reverse of the card bears the remnants of black paper, suggesting it was once mounted in a scrapbook or album.

4. Charles A. Whittier and Medal of Honor Recipient Martin T. McMahon: A highly important dual portrait capturing two of the most powerful staff officers in the 6th Army Corps sitting side-by-side. Seated on the right with a riding crop in his hand is Lieutenant Colonel Martin T. McMahon, the brilliant Adjutant General of the 6th Corps who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his extreme gallantry at White Oak Swamp. At his left is Major Charles A. Whittier. The reverse features an early pencil identification reading: Lt. Col. McMahon & Maj. Whittier. 

This is an extraordinarily rare, museum-grade archive tracking the historic career of Appomattox surrender courier General Charles A. Whittier. 

The four CDVs are in good to very good condition overall. There are minor areas of loss to the extreme lower edges of the mount on the image of Whittier and McMahon, and black paper residue on the verso of the image of officers in front of the wagon.