Vignetted studio bust portrait albumen CDV. Rockland, Maine: A. J. Pierce, [ca. 1862]. Photographer's imprint to mount verso. Recto bears a bold, period ink signature: "Capt J McClure / Co D 2 USSS." The mount verso bears a corresponding pencil signature and a collector's notation: "WIA—Gettysburg."

A strong vignette portrait of Capt. James McClure (1836-1912), Company D, 2nd United States Sharpshooters. Recruited from Rockland, Maine, McClure served in one of the most elite and recognizable units of the war. During the Battle of Gettysburg on 2 July 1863, McClure’s company was positioned on the Union left, specifically tasked with skirmishing against the advancing Confederate columns of Gen. Law’s Alabamians. While his unit was instrumental in frustrating the Southern assault on Little Round Top, McClure was wounded in the thigh during the fierce back-and-forth fighting. He survived his injuries and returned to command, eventually being mustered out as a brevet major for his meritorious service.

This vignetted study captures McClure in his officer's coat, with the focus and clarity characteristic of the Maine photographic artist A. J. Pierce. The inclusion of his bold signature and regimental designation on the mount recto elevates this CDV into a higher tier of desirability. Identified images of Col. Berdan's Sharpshooters struck in their home states are highly sought after, as they ground the elite nature of the unit in the unique and varied local communities that raised them. This CDV stands as a poignant record of a courageous Maine sharpshooter who fought at the very edge of the Union line to secure the heights of Gettysburg, and paid a steep price. 

[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]

Remarkable clarity in the portrait with deep, consistent tones. The ink signature is exceptionally bold and well-preserved. A superior identified specimen of a Berdan Sharpshooter casualty.