Posted 12 years ago
tlmbaran
(136 items)
FANTASTIC EBAY FIND that JUST arrived! Paid $8.19 "BUY IT NOW"
Civil War Carte de visite of Union General James B McPherson, commander of the Army of the Tennessee in 1864. One of Sherman's army commanders, McPherson was killed during the Battle of Atlanta when surprised by Hood's disastrous attack when he rode into Confederate lines by mistake.
James Birdseye McPherson began his career after graduating first from the United States Military Academy class of 1853, along with classmates Philip Sheridan and John Bell Hood. After graduation, he was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers, and participated in building improvements to New York Harbor, the building of Fort Delaware, and the construction of fortifications on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.
After the outbreak of the Civil War, McPherson requested a transfer back to the east, briefly serving on the staff of General Henry Halleck. He was transferred to the command of Ulysses S. Grant and served as his Chief Engineer during the capture of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, as well as during Grant’s advance on Corinth. On August 19, 1862, McPherson was promoted to a Brigadier General, and after the battles of Corinth and Shiloh, was promoted to Major General of volunteers on October 8, 1862. He was given command of the XVII Corps in the Army of the Tennessee under Ulysses S. Grant, and served throughout the Vicksburg Campaign with distinction. On August 1, 1863, he was made a Brigadier General in the regular army, and was given command of the Army of the Tennessee on March 26, 1864 after William T. Sherman was promoted to command all armies in the West. McPherson’s army made up the right wing of Sherman’s force as he moved against Atlanta beginning in May of 1864. He and his troops participated throughout the Atlanta Campaign, trying to outmaneuver Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston. McPherson tried to flank Johnston at the Battle of Marietta, but was unsuccessful. On July 17, 1864, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston with McPherson’s former classmate, General John Bell Hood, as a result of Johnston’s poor performance around Atlanta. On July 22, 1864, Hood launched an attack against the Union forces in front of Atlanta. During the battle, a line of Confederate skirmishers shot and killed McPherson while he attempted to reach the headquarters of William T. Sherman. Both Sherman and Hood mourned the loss of the general, who was returned to Union forces to receive a proper burial.
I didn't know EXACTLY who it was when I purchased it, but I knew it had to be worth more that the "BUY IT NOW" price. I did my homework, and found out the identity of the photo. ...and HERE is how the auction was listed!>>>>>>
1870s US Military Officer Card de visite-Nice
wonderful classic
pretty & stylish, this cool collectible is
ideal for collecting, a great conversation piece and perfect for display
a great Gift Idea
Not a bad price-- McPherson is a fairly popular General from the Civil War!
scott
Great info. What made you ID him as McPherson? Another photo that you found? Looked for Union Generals? Just interested in your investigative process. Any particular resource that was really good?
Great find!
Thanks Scott....I see these selling on various sites between $125 to $250 dollars....
Amber- what I did was GOOGLE search under "images" civil war Union General CDV...came up with a whole bunch. When I saw the one General that looked like my CDV, I GOOGLE searched HIS name, and BINGO....Dead ringer...General McPherson took a lot of photos durring the war. No mistaking it. This CDV is McPherson....
Its a known view of McPherson. I have been collecting for a while and many of the General Officer faces are identifiable. Generals and Brevets is a good site (when it is up)-- most of the GOs are pictured.
Your image is a lithographic view which is distinct from a photographic image. They sell for more than your price, but usually the price range you mention (actually selling) is for photographic views.
scott
Here is an example of what I am talking about.
Here is a photographic image that sold at $195:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CDV-Civil-War-General-James-McPherson-KIA-Atlanta-/120748182447?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item1c1d270baf
Part of that price was the fact that it has a Vicksburg backmark-- probably about $50- $75 of that price is due to the backmark.
Here is a litho view that sold at $41:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Civil-War-General-General-James-B-McPherson-Original-Photo-Carte-de-Visite-/270968789734?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item3f16ff9ae6
There is another one that sold for about $27.
scott
Thanks for that great info Scott! Still not a bad buy for $8 bucks! This is staying in my collection!
Not a bad buy at all.
Now go find a "from life" view!
Thanks for sharing.
scott