Three-quarter studio portrait albumen CDV. Boston: A. Sonrel, 46 School Street, [circa 1864]. Photographer’s imprint to mount verso. Three-cent green Washington proprietary revenue stamp to mount verso. Research pencil identifications to mount verso read: "Maj Chas J. Mills / AAG 2nd Corps / KIA Mar 31 1865 @ Hatchers Run / See Photo in book 'Thru Blood & Fire'."

This poignant study captures Maj. Charles James Mills, a brilliant young staff officer of the 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac. Posed in a private-purchase officer’s sack coat with a simple bow tie, Mills exudes the refined character of the Harvard-educated elite who populated the high-level staffs of the Union army. The portrait was produced by Antoine Sonrel, a Boston photographer favored by the city's intellectual and social circles. The reverse of the mount serves as a solemn memorial, detailing his final moments during the war's closing weeks.

Mills served as the assistant adjutant general for the 2nd Corps, a position that placed him at the nerve center of the army's final offensive operations. On 31 March 1865, during the Battle of Hatcher's Run (part of the larger Boydton Plank Road engagement), Mills was struck and killed instantly by a Confederate shell. His death occurred just nine days before the surrender at Appomattox Court House. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys, his corps commander, lamented the loss of Mills as one of the most capable and gallant officers on his staff, noting that he fell at the very moment of victory.

Because Mills was killed in action during the Appomattox Campaign, his story concludes with his sacrifice in Virginia. He was returned to Massachusetts and buried with full honors, a symbol of the immense cost paid by the Commonwealth's leading families. His correspondence and life are memorialized in the seminal regimental and staff histories of the 2nd Corps. 

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The image is in generally excellent condition, featuring soft, rich tonal quality and sharp detail in the subject's features. The albumen surface is well-preserved with a pleasing matte finish characteristic of Sonrel’s work.