Description
Wonderful carte view of an unidentified member of the 13th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The subject here is posed in the early grey Chasseur uniform with red shoulder knots issued to the regiment. A two-piece eagle militia waist belt is worn along with a holstered revolver which he has folded the flap back to expose the revolver. The elite 13th Massachusetts cost a recruit $12.50 for the privilege of enlisting in the exclusive 4th Battalion of Rifles, but before considering the fee, the applicant needed to be approved by a vote from members of the Boston Militia group. Made up of mostly well educated and out spoken men, Colonel Samuel H. Leonard led the regiment through 3 years of hard campaigns which gained them an enviable service record. They wee generally an insubordinate lot of fellows, but they could fight, and fight they did. They would fight in many of the wars bloodiest battles. Cedar Mountain, Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and a good many more. They would be mustered out of service in August, 1864 with nearly 20 battles under their belt. Back marked out of Boston, this has a tax stamp on the reverse dated March, 1864.
