Confederate Soldier Picture of the Day: Confederate POWs in Virginia, Mid-War

"They were the dirtiest men I ever saw. A most ragged lean and hungry set of wolves. Yet there was a dash about them that the northern men lacked."

Maryland Resident upon seeing the Confederate Army

Hat tip:  The Southern Cross FaceBook Page

Confederate Soldier Picture of the Day: Infantryman With Kepi and Bayonet

This young Confederate soldier is wearing  a kepi hat and a frock coat (a long coat).  The epaulets on his shoulders indicates an early war uniform.  The color of the trim might have been blue, designating infantry. (Red was for artillery, yellow for cavalry).

You can see his bayonet scabbard on the left side of the picture (his right).  The white strap that extends from his left shoulder to his right waist holds his haversack.  A haversack was a square bag used to hold miscellaneous items and supplies.

Confederate Picture of the Day: After Fredericksburg, on the Rappahannock River

After the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Southern and Northern armies were separated from each other, on opposite sides of the Rappahannock river.  Some Northern photographer took a photo of Confederate soldiers on the other side.  The uniforms of the Confederates is very interesting -- basically, gray uniforms, shell jackets (short jackets that reach to the waist) with black slouch hats.  I have blown up the photo to see the soldiers better.  There is one soldier, probably an officer, wearing a frock coat (long, reaches to mid-thigh) with a double-row of buttons.

Confederate Soldier, Picture of the Day

Here's an interesting picture of a Confederate soldier.  He is wearing a slouch hat, pinned up in the front, making him look quite dashing.

This must have been taken in early war, as he appears to be holding a flintlock musket.  This type of musket was used in the Revolutionary War, not so much in the American Civil War.  However, early in the war, rifles were hard to get and many Confederates made do with personal weapons, like flintlocks or shotguns.  The 1853 Enfield rifle from Great Britain soon replaced these older muskets, and became the most typical weapon of the Confederate infantryman.

I have two replica 1853 Enfields, and they both fire real minie balls. When Lindsay Graham comes to dig up my great grandfather's grave, however, I will probably resort to more modern hardware in order to dissuade him.  (Don't try it Lindsay, you prissy, pathetic, political whore.)

Confederate Soldier Pic of the Day: Butternut Kepi

Here's a handsome young Confederate soldier.  He's wearing a nice kepi hat and an interesting shell jacket -- interesting because of the unusual trim.  The bars on his shoulders indicate an officer, perhaps a lieutenant.

I colorized the image with Photoshop.  I gave the uniform a light butternut color; that was a beige color that was used when gray dye became hard to get, due to the blockade.

We do not know this soldier's name, where he came from or what happened to him -- did he survive the war?  Is he buried somewhere on some battlefield?

Because he is unknown, I posed his image in front of a tombstone to an unknown Confederate soldier.  Each of those stones represent a real human being who lived, fought, bled and died for his country.  We will not forget them, nor will we ever let the invader or his heirs pressure us to do so.

The war continues, but on a different kind of battlefield.

Confederate Pic of the Day: Rebel Soldier With Hound Dog

Here's a Confederate soldier posing with his shotgun and his hound dog. Notice the gold filigree frame around the picture. These were common for the time period and I have a couple in my collection. The frame had two pieces, held together with small hinges. The frame could be closed for protection of the photo while traveling. When opened, the frame could stand on its own for display of the photo.

The original photo has been digitally "flipped" to show the subject properly (and not the mirror image that wet plate photography created).

Confederate Pic of the Day: General George Washington Custis Lee

1. 

   George Washington Custis Lee, also known as Custis Lee, was the eldest son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis Lee. His grandfather—George Washington Custis—was the step-grandson and adopted son of George Washington. Wikipedia
3. Born: September 16, 1832, Fort Monroe, Hampton, VA
4. Died: February 18, 1913, Alexandria, VA
5. Education: United States Military Academy
6. Parents: Mary Anna Custis Lee, Robert E. Lee
7. Siblings: William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, Robert E. Lee, Jr.