Sixth plate half-length studio portrait ambrotype. [Florida], circa 1862. Full velvet case. 

WITH Partly printed soldier's discharge, completed in manuscript. [Florida], 4 December 1862. 1page, 4to, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in., mounted to period newspaper.

A remarkable portrait of the Sistruck brothers of Jasper, Florida. William (right) and Henry (left) Sistruck enlisted in Company F of the 5th Florida Infantry on the same day, 14 March 1862. They are pictured seated together in their simple issue jackets and beehive caps. Henry holds a small child in his lap, something almost never seen in Civil War portraiture. While somewhat speculative, the youngster in this image may be Jeff, their baby brother. Jeff would have been about 1 year old at the time the Sistruck brothers left for War. 

William compiled a hard-fighting record in the Army of Northern Virginia. He served for about 10 months with the 5th Florida before earning a medical discharge just six weeks after the battle of Antietam, of which his discharge paperwork is included with this lot. 

A year later, he re-enlisted. William served with distinction with his comrades in the Florida Brigade from the brutal spring of 1864 through his capture at the Battle of Sailor's Creek just three days before Lee surrendered to Grant. Records indicate he signed an Oath of Allegiance to the United States in June. A farm laborer, he lived out the rest of his life in Tyler, Florida, with his wife, Leonora, and several children.  

Unlike his younger brother, Henry did not last long as a soldier. Soon after enlisting he contracted pneumonia while in camp in Tallahassee. He died less than two months later.

Of additional interest is the fragile and crude case in which the image is housed. This case is completely unique and appears to be a rarely encountered "homespun" southern variety constructed of wood, linen, and silk. Photographic supplies became scarce as the Civil War progressed, and it is reasonable to speculate that this problem was particularly pronounced in remote Florida by the spring of 1862 when the Sistrucks enlisted. 

[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] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs]

Conditions vary.