Posted 5 years ago
tintyper
(98 items)
This is a 10" X 14" image of a 19th century relation of ours that we recently inherited.
His first name was William, and we are told that he was a trooper in the 2nd Virginia cavalry
in the American Civil War. We are told by our genealogist relative that this image has appeared in
various genealogy online articles about him, or our relatives. We were also told this image may be
partly a photograph, and perhaps partly a painting. He had at least three horses shot out from under
him in the war, including one during the epic cavalry battle at Brandy Station, Virginia in 1863.
The army gave him $500 in compensation for his horse, and he went home to get another.
This man survived the war, and lived until 1890.
Of course, we will keep this image in the family to remember this relative.
$500 in compensation for a few horses is an enormous amount of money in those days.
Thank you, ho2cultcha.
I expect that was Confederate money. During that war gold was the ultimate
money. Federal greenbacks were much less desired, with Confederate money
even less desirable! Today we still like gold, if we can ever fine any!
A real hero of the fight against federalist domination. I was already familiar, a bit with the 2nd Virginia, but just refreshed my memory a bit. They were there from the 1st to the last fighting northern aggression. Both sides lost the war.
The Civil War was unbelievably bloody. Terrible for the casualties on both sides.
The lives ruined, or cut short. Heroism was common on both sides.
Lincoln said something not too long before his assassination, if I can remember the gist of it. Both sides prayed for a favorable outcome, but really neither side totally got what they wanted. It was far worse than any one anticipated.
Personally I admire the courage on both sides, but am sorry for the awful carnage.
At least it brought emancipation for all, and a discouragement to those who
would later seek to split up our country.
Although slavery wasn't the cause of the War, it was just simply taken out of the private sector and put in the gov't. sector in the end.
"Although slavery wasn't the cause of the War..."
Revisionist bs-- reading the words of the era tell a different story.
Alexander Stephens (VP of the Confederate States) stated that "[African slavery] was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution" during his cornerstone speech of MAR 1861.
A reading of several state's Declaration of Secession contain similar sentiment.
scott