Full length albumen CDV studio portrait. [Brownsville, TX?]: N.p., n.d. Period pencil inscription to verso reads "Capt + Mrs Woodward" alongside modern pencil inscription: "Captain James Woodward /117 U.S.C.T. / Brownsville, Tex." 

Captain Woodward, seated, wears his officer's frock coat with his straps just visible. His wife stands next to him with her hand resting on his shoulder. She wears a full striped skirt with an elegant coat, dangling earrings, and a hat festooned with tassels. 

James Woodward originally enlisted at the outbreak of war on 18 April, 1861, into Company B - "the LaCrosse Light Guards" - in the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry. They quickly saw action, fighting at the First Battle of Bull Run. The regiment stayed in Northern Virginia and, in 1862, were bloodied at the Battle of Gainesville (Brawner's Farm), losing 298 men in a brutal firefight with the Stonewall Brigade. 

The 2nd Wisconsin fought in more savage battles, including Second Bull Run, South Mountain, and Antietam, where they were part of the Iron Brigade that formed the spearhead of General Hooker's early morning attack down the Hagerstown Pike. Woodward, at some point during the heavy fighting, was promoted to Corporal, though the date is not retained in the available records. 

Finding no solace, the regiment fought at Fredericksburg, slogged through the Mud March, and were present at Chancellorsville. On the morning of July 1st, they were among the first Union infantry to reach the field at Gettysburg, forming a line just as Heth's Confederate Division launched an attack. They then launched their own attack on Archer's Confederate Brigade. Sometime during the intense assaults, Woodward was wounded in action. 

After recuperation, Woodward was discharged and promoted to 1st Lieutenant of Company K, 6th United States Colored Troops (USCT) on 6 October 1863. They were stationed at Yorktown, Virginia, where they participated in several expeditions. In the spring of 1864, they joined the early operations against Petersburg and Richmond. 

Woodward was promoted again to Captain, now of the 117th USCT, on 26 November 1864. Originally organized at Covington, Kentucky, they had joined the siege operations in the fall of 1864. 

They were present at Appomattox Courthouse and witnessed the surrender of General Robert E. Lee. In the War's aftermath, the regiment was assigned to Texas, where they performed guard duty at Brownsville and along the Rio Grande. He was discharged with the regiment on 10 August 1867.

Provenance: Previously sold with a larger group that may have been assembled by Assistant Surgeon Albert Norris of the 114th USCT, who was stationed in Brownsville, Texas. (Hindman Auctions, 15 June 2023, Lot 515).

[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] [USCT, United States Colored Troops, Glory, 54th Massachusetts, Buffalo Soldiers, Black Soldiers]