A group of six original cartes-de-visite photographs depicting identified officers, enlisted men and associated figures from the legendary 1st and 2nd United States Sharpshooters. The collection features highly desirable photographer imprints including C.L. Howe of Brattleboro, Vermont; Charles Miller of Burlington, Vermont; L.D. Cox of Ludlow, Vermont; and C.H. Williamson of Brooklyn, New York.

The lot includes:

1. Lt. James M. Mathews, Company I, 2nd USSS: Vignette portrait of an officer with a goatee wearing a dark frock coat with a period ink notation on the front margin reading, "J.M. Matthews." Backmark: E. Crockett, Photograph and Ambrotype Rooms, Spofford Block, Up Stairs, Rockland, Me. Verso bears a pencil inscription: "Co I 2nd USSS / Lt. James M. Mathews." Enlisting out of Maine, Mathews served as an officer in Company I of the 2nd USSS, a company that faced heavy fighting during the 1864 Overland Campaign and the Siege of Petersburg.

2. Lt. J. Edward Doughty, 2nd USSS: A sharp vignette studio portrait of an officer with a prominent mustache. The front of the mount carries a dark, extensive period ink signature: "Your aff. Brother / J. Ed. Doughty / Lt & a.a.d.c. / To Genl Ward." Backmark: C.H. Williamson's Photographic Portrait Gallery, 245 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Verso features a pencil notation reading, "2 USSS." Doughty served with distinction as an officer in the 2nd USSS and was detailed as an acting assistant aide-de-camp on the staff of Brig. Gen. John Henry Hobart Ward, who commanded the famous brigade containing Berdan's Sharpshooters at Gettysburg.

3. Capt. Charles Dwight Merriman, Company E, 2nd USSS: Seated portrait of an officer in a frock coat looking toward the left. Backmark: C.L. Howe, Brattleboro, Vt. Verso features an extensive, highly descriptive period biography: "Charles Dwight Merriman called Dwight, born May 13, 1833 in Northfield Mass, died May 20, 1899 in Brattleboro VT, cancer of stomach. Was Captain in a sharp shooter regiment in Civil war." Merriman led the Vermont marksmen of Company E, 2nd USSS through some of the most harrowing actions of the war, including the desperate fighting at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania.

4. Unidentified 2nd USSS Sharpshooter in Tall Boots: Full-length standing studio portrait of a bearded soldier wearing a fatigue blouse, light-colored trousers and high leather riding or field boots, leaning against a decorative chair. Backmark: Charles Miller, Burlington, Vt. Verso features archival pencil tracking: "Warren Fletcher Album / 2 USSS," with a small period index numeral 6 at the top corner. This portrait provides an exceptional study of non-regulation veteran field gear associated with the Green Mountain marksmen of the 2nd regiment.

5. Henry L. Campbell, Company E, 2nd USSS: Seated portrait of a young soldier in a four-button fatigue blouse resting his arm on a studio chair. Backmark: From L.D. Cox, Picture Gallery, Ludlow, Vt. Verso bears the clean pencil identifications "Henry L. Campbell / 2nd USSS" and the likely period signature "H. L. Campbell" at the lower margin. Campbell served as an enlisted rifleman in the highly engaged Vermont company of the 2nd regiment during the intense campaigns of the Army of the Potomac in 1864.

6. Unidentified Sharpshooter and Companion with Rubber Buttons Note: Full-length portrait depicting a seated Union soldier alongside a standing woman in a period dress. The mount reverse is blank with a clean, descriptive modern collector's pencil notation reading: "Rubber Buttons / USSS." The reference highlights a classic hallmark of Col. Berdan's Sharpshooters, who were famously issued non-reflective dull rubber buttons instead of bright brass to prevent glinting from exposing their concealed firing positions to enemy counter-snipers.

Col. Berdan's Sharpshooters represent one of the absolute premier collecting categories in Civil War photography due to their elite status, specialized green uniforms and iconic tactical implementation on the battlefield. An entire six-card lot containing definitive identifications and highly specific material culture associations to both the 1st and 2nd USSS — including an elite brigade-level staff officer, a fully biographed Vermont captain, and a visually arresting study of a field-geared veteran — is an extraordinary market offering.

[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]

Overall very good. The albumen prints retain strong contrast and excellent detail, with minor handling wear typical of period album insertion. The mounts are structurally sound, showing light corner softening and expected reverse age-toning. Reverse inscriptions and historical notations remain completely clean and legible.