A group of six original cartes-de-visite photographs depicting identified officers and enlisted men from the legendary 1st and 2nd United States Sharpshooters. The collection features highly desirable photographer imprints including Henry Ulke of Washington, D.C.; C.L. Howe of Brattleboro, Vermont; D.O. Furnald of Manchester, New Hampshire; and Billings & Hough of Lebanon, New Hampshire.

The lot includes:

1. William Gould, Company F, 2nd USSS: Full-length standing studio portrait of a young soldier in a fatigue blouse and light trousers leaning against an ornate studio chair. Reverse bears a circular photographer's stamp for Billings & Hough, Lebanon, New Hampshire, along with a pencil inscription: "William Gould / Co F 2nd USSS," and a collector tracking note: "ID By Brian White." Gould served as a frontline marksman in the highly active New Hampshire company of the 2nd regiment.

2. Lewis Pike, Company H, 2nd USSS: A vignette studio portrait of a bearded soldier enclosed in a decorative oval graphic border design. The reverse features a clear, period ink signature from Lewis Pike and an additional archival notation: "Lewis Pike / Co H 2nd USSS." Pike enlisted out of Vermont, serving faithfully with the Green Mountain sharpshooters through the intense campaigns of the Army of the Potomac.

3. Cpl. Charles H. Howard, 2nd USSS, KIA at Petersburg: A vignette studio portrait of a young soldier enclosed in a matching decorative oval graphic border design. The reverse bears clear pencil notations: "Charles H. Howard / Corp. Charles H. Howard / 2nd USSS," accompanied by the tragic battlefield entry: "KIA Petersburg 6-22-64." Howard gave his ultimate sacrifice during the early, brutal assaults of the Siege of Petersburg, falling on 22 June 1864.

4. Samuel Murry, Company F, 2nd USSS: A vignette portrait of a sharp-featured soldier with a goatee. The front margin carries a period pencil identification: "S. F. Murry." Backmark: Photographed by D.O. Furnald, Manchester, N.H. The reverse features a green 3-cent proprietary revenue stamp canceled in ink, along with clean pencil tracking: "Samuel Murry Co. F 2nd USSS." Murry served alongside his New Hampshire compatriots through the regiment's most exhausting field campaigns.

5. George Chase, 2nd USSS: Seated portrait of a soldier wearing a heavy coat over a buttoned vest, holding his cap. Backmark: C. L. Howe, Photographer, Brattleboro, Vt. Verso bears the pencil identification: "George Chase / 2nd USSS." Chase represented the resilient core of Vermont marksmen deployed to disrupt Confederate lines in the Eastern Theater.

6. Lt. Benjamin S. Calef, 2nd USSS: A fine vignette studio portrait of an officer sporting a full, long beard. Backmark: Henry Ulke, 278 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. The reverse features a bold, highly desirable period ink signature and inscription: "Sincerely Your Friend / Benj. S. Calef / Brandy Station / Jan 17/64." Archival pencil tracking at the lower margin reads: "Lt. Benjamin S. Calef / 2nd USSS." Calef served with distinction as an officer in the 2nd USSS, with this portrait beautifully capturing him at the army's winter encampment at Brandy Station, Virginia, just prior to the bloody 1864 campaigns.

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 to both the 1st and 2nd USSS — including a beautifully hand-signed winter camp portrait of Lt. Calef from the famous Ulke studio, and a deeply poignant, documented Petersburg casualty card for Cpl. Howard — 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, signatures, and localized New England backmarks remain completely clean and legible.