This significant 13-piece lot represents a rare visual roster of the officers of the 5th Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry, the only regiment of African American cavalry raised in the North during the Civil War. These images, which appear to have been sourced from a single dedicated regimental album, feature thirteen distinct sittings of the unit’s leadership. The lot contains a mix of vignetted bust portraits and full-length studies, most of them taken by a single photographer at Point Lookout, Maryland, "L.V. Newell's Photograph Gallery." The collection includes the following subjects: 

1. Lieutenant Charles Nicholson: A sharp, vignetted bust portrait. Nicholson served as an original officer of the regiment, overseeing the training of the 5th's recruits at Camp Meigs. 

2. Lieutenant A.J. Mallory: A formal seated bust study. Mallory was a veteran of the 40th Massachusetts who transitioned to the 5th for his commission, serving with the regiment during the grueling Siege of Petersburg.

3. Profile Study: A crisp, right-facing profile of a yet-unidentified young officer. This image highlights the distinct cut of the cavalry shell jacket used by the unit during their guard duty in Maryland.

4. Lieutenant Rienzi Loud: A vignetted bust portrait. Loud was a veteran of the 13th Massachusetts who was captured at Gettysburg. After his release, he earned a commission in the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry and later became a prominent member of the Massachusetts Bar.

5. Lieutenant P. Jackson: A youthful study of a junior officer. Jackson was part of the leadership core during the regiment's service at Point Lookout, where they guarded thousands of Confederate prisoners.

6. Captain Francis L. Higginson: A vignetted study. Higginson left Harvard to serve and became a high-profile officer in the regiment. His family was deeply entrenched in the abolitionist movement, mirroring the 5th's political importance.

7. Lieutenant G.W. Bruswood: A rare full-length standing study with saber. Bruswood served throughout the 1864 campaigns and was part of the unit during its historic entry into Richmond.

8. Captain Horace B. Welch: A detailed seated study. Welch was a veteran of the 17th Massachusetts who was wounded at Goldsboro, North Carolina, before joining the 5th.

9. Captain John Anderson: A vignetted bust study. Anderson was a career-minded officer who helped maintain regimental discipline during the transition from coastal guard duty to active field service in Virginia.

10. Lieutenant Cornelius Kaler: A formal bust portrait. Kaler was a veteran of the 20th Massachusetts - the famous "Harvard Regiment" - and survived the heavy losses of that unit before accepting a commission in the 5th.

11. Lieutenant Abram D. Swaim: A vignetted study. Swaim served in the Department of Washington and helped lead the 5th during its final deployment to Texas after the war's end.

12. Lieutenant John G.S. White: A vignetted bust portrait. White was another veteran of the 40th Massachusetts who sought a commission in the USCT, serving with the 5th until his resignation in late 1864.

13. Captain Francis L. Gilman: A vignetted study. Gilman was a stalwart company commander who led his men through the final campaigns that culminated in the fall of the Confederate capital.

The 5th Massachusetts Cavalry occupies a unique space in the narrative of the Union victory, representing the intersection of Northern abolitionist fervor and the professionalization of the USCT. These officers were responsible for the training and combat readiness of a unit that faced intense scrutiny and prejudice even from within their own army. By preserving the individual likenesses of the men who led this historic command, this archive provides a rare opportunity to acquire a near-complete visual roster of the leadership of the North's only Black cavalry regiment. 

[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, Stereographs] [Civil War, Union, Confederate] [African Americana, African History, Black History]

The collection is in generally excellent condition, featuring strong tonal contrast and sharp detail across the thirteen subjects with minimal fading. The mounts remain structurally sound, featuring clear, legible period identifications on the verso and the uniform L.V. Newell backmarks. Several images exhibit typical minor age-related toning and period-clipped corners, consistent with their shared history in a 19th-century album.