Collection of 7 albumen CDVs. Various photographers and locations, ca. 1861-5. Several mounts feature photographer's imprints, period ink inscriptions, modern research identifications and canceled US Internal Revenue stamps.

This compelling collection features seven cartes-de-visite dedicated to the men of the 4th and 5th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. The archive includes six military portraits of officers and enlisted men, along with one civilian view, showcasing a variety of uniforms including an enlisted overcoat and standard officer's frock coats. The reverses of the mounts offer a wealth of information, including highly significant period inscriptions, modern research notes and photographer's backmarks from Washington, D.C., New York and local Michigan studios in Sturgis, Adrian and Ionia.

Botht the 4th and 5th Michigan are legendary for their desperate, hand-to-hand combat in The Wheatfield at Gettysburg. The 4th in particular lost its beloved Colonel, Harrison Jeffords, who was famously bayoneted defending the national colors. Gathering multiple identified men from these hard-fighting Wolverine regiments presents a highly desirable, focused regimental archive.

The lot contains the following CDVs: 

1. Vignetted bust portrait of Col. George W. Lombard. Following the tragic death of Col. Jeffords in The Wheatfield, Lombard took command of the regiment and led it through the remainder of the Battle of Gettysburg. A seasoned combat leader, he was later mortally wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864.

2. Full-length standing portrait noted as Nelson Hazen, wearing an enlisted overcoat (S.B. Hutchinson, Sturgis, MI, backmark).

3. Three-quarter length standing portrait of an unidentified officer holding his sword (F. Abrams, Adrian, MI, backmark with an 1864 revenue stamp).

4. Vignetted bust portrait of Lt. George Monteith. Most remarkably, the reverse features a period ink inscription reading: "A Happy New Year General - Halls Hill Va Jany 1/62 / One of my aids." Monteith served as an aide-de-camp to Gen. Charles Griffin (commander of the 1st Division, Fifth Corps), making this almost certainly a portrait presented directly to the general himself.

5. Seated civilian portrait noted as Edgar Leonard (J.W. Bogert, Ionia, MI, backmark). Leonard, of the 5th Michigan Infantry, was WIA in his left arm (amputated) on Gettysburg's second day. 

6. Oval vignetted bust portrait of Capt. William H. Loveland. Like many in his regiment, Loveland was severely wounded in the swirling, brutal combat of The Wheatfield at Gettysburg.

7. Vignetted bust portrait noted as Capt. Alvah W.C. Lawson, who is also noted as serving on the brigade staff (C.D. Fredricks, NY, backmark).

Assembling an archive featuring the 4th MI's Gettysburg commander,  Wheatfield casualties and an aide-de-camp's personally inscribed photograph to his commanding general is a textbook example of the elite, narrative-driven history that defined the Carlile collection.

[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]

The images range from good to very good condition. The albumen surfaces exhibit varying degrees of age-related fading, minor surface wear and the soft tonality typical of period photography.