A truly classic Civil War photograph, this original carte-de-visite (CDV) photo depicts General William Tecumseh Sherman and his staff during the 1864 siege of Atlanta. The General rests his arm on the breach of a cannon. A flowery period ink inscription on the reverse reads, “Major General William T. Sherman & Staff”. Interestingly, a modern ink inscription below that reads, “From an album owned by W.S. Chapin, Livonia NY, my great grandfather.” This note refers to William S. Chapin of Livonia, who served under Sherman in the XII Corps with the 136th New York Infantry. Chapin enlisted in August of 1862 and steadily rose in rank to Captain in the late summer of 1863, soon after his service at Gettysburg. On May 15, 1864 Chapin was wounded at the Battle of Resaca, Georgia. He would recover to join Sherman on his March to the Sea. Perhaps owning this view of Sherman was quite personal for Chapin, who bled for the General in battle. Condition is very good with minor war to the extreme edges of the mount.



[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Antique Photograph, Daguerreotype, Ambrotype, Tintype, CDV, Albumen, Abraham Lincoln]