Sixth plate half-length studio portrait ambrotype. [North Carolina], circa 1862-1865. Full leatherette case. 

Fine portrait of a Rebel soldier identified as Jacob C. Earnhart, Company K, 5th North Carolina Infantry. Earnhart looks almost regal in his ornate jacket, which features three rows of brass buttons and a "ladder" trim design. This is an outstanding visual artifact of a very hard-fought Rebel soldier. 

Earnhart enlisted in August 1862 and went on to have an eventful service history. He was first wounded in action at the Battle of Chancellorsville, but would return to his regiment just two months later. In May 1864, he was captured during the Battle of Spotsylvania, which began a six-month period of incarceration at various Union prisons, including Elmira and Point Lookout. He survived his service and returned to his home in Richfield, North Carolina, where he led a quiet life until his death there in 1909. 

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