Photographic archive of Captain Ellis Merrill Sawyer, 17th Maine Infantry, comprising ten photographs and a gold-plated locket filled with ornately-braided hair.

A remarkable grouping of original Civil War photography primarily related to Capt. Ellis Merrill Sawyer of the 17th Maine Infantry. Sawyer served his country with great distinction through many of the major battles of the War's Eastern Theater, including in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg, before he succumbed to wounds received during an assault at Locust Grove, Virginia, in November of 1864. 

Ellis, a Port Elizabeth native, is pictured in six of these photographs; he wears his Civil War officer's uniform in four. Other included images are not identified but likely depict Ellis's close family members. The original owner of the hair in the included locket is unknown, but it was common for soldiers to carry such sentimental items with them in the field. This may point to Ellis's wife, Phoebe. The locket may also be Phoebe's, as they were also often carried by women as a memento of their soldier away at War. 

The four photographs of Ellis in uniform - a hand-colored albumen, a CDV, and two tintypes - trace the relatively short but incredibly hard-fighting journey of a valiant Union officer from his enlistment in August of 1862 to his death caused by a Rebel musket ball in November of 1864. Both the albumen and CDV show Ellis standing in the classic formal pose of a commissioned officer, while the tintypes present far more relaxed scenes. An uncased sixth plate tintype shows Ellis in a moment of quiet comfort, with his sword in one hand and a packed cigar in his mouth. A remarkable uncased (but matted) quarter-plate tintype of Ellis and his pard engaged in a card game is worthy of its own special description. 

Informal views of Civil War soldiers like the one depicted in this outstanding tintype are highly uncommon and prized among collectors. A humanizing and relatable image, Ellis and a fellow officer from the 17th Maine, Lt. Frederick A. Sawyer, sit opposite each other, each holding a fan of playing cards. Frederick, seated with his boots elevated, cooly puffs on his pipe while gazing intently at the lens. His outstanding slouch hat bears the diamond-shaped emblem of the Union II Corps. Ellis, at left with sword at hip, also enjoys his pipe. A wooden crate behind them serves as a makeshift place to rest a wine bottle and their respective tin cups. Other visible objects on the crate include a cigar case, a stack of cards, and another sword. Stenciling on the wide panels indicates this crate was once filled with provisions from a merchant on Fulton Street, New York City, delivered to camp by way of the US Commissary Department. To avoid doubt about the crate's contents, someone, presumably Ellis, boldly inscribed the words "HARD TACK" above the stenciling. 

What officer ultimately won the hand has been lost to history, but Frederick's War exploits are well-documented. The native of Portland, Maine, was wounded twice during the Civil War, alongside Ellis at Locust Grove and again the next spring at the Battle of the Wilderness. The latter was serious enough to relegate Frederick home to Portland, where he resumed his civilian life as a carriage mechanic. Ironically, we can find no close familial relation between Frederick and Ellis. 

It is difficult to obtain such a complete photographic history of a single soldier, particularly a soldier who sacrificed his life for freedom. These images deserve a place within the finest of Civil War photo collections. 

[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]