Description
Superb, pre-war ambrotype identified as Captain David Poyner of the 5th Battalion Virginia Infantry. This image was previously part of the collection of the renowned image collector, Bill Turner. When the war broke out, Poyner enlisted for one year’s service at Lawrenceville, Brunswick County, on May 4, 1861, as Captain of the company, which was eventually assigned to the 5th Virginia Battalion of Infantry as Company A. Some of its muster rolls are signed by Poyner as inspector and mustering officer. Also known as Wilson’s or Archer’s Battalion of Virginia Volunteers, the battalion of six companies served as heavy artillery along the James River, protecting Richmond, before being transferred to Armistead’s brigade, which must have happened around April 1862, when Armistead was promoted, one year terms were running out and regiments were being reorganized for the war. Poyner was present on the rolls through April, but declined re-election and was mustered out on May 4, 1862. He is picked up in the 1880 census still in Brunswick County and listed as a farmer. He died at Lawrenceville, Brunswick County, in 1889. his wonderful image was published on the back cover of Military Images in 2007. A copy of that issue is included with this image. Poyner is shown seated, cradling his 1850 pattern foot officer’s sword and wearing a single-breasted dark blue officer’s frock coat with full dress epaulets. Poyner wears his epaulets secured by shoulder straps bearing first lieutenant rank bars- the shoulder straps for undress uniform, in fact, developing from original narrow strap used to secure the epaulets. The U.S. uniform was codified by Virginia for its militia in 1858 and Poyner is following the state regulations, departing from the U.S. regulations only in his use of a two-piece interlocking belt plate. The image shows some of his dark trouser leg with narrow cording in the seam. The photographer has lightly gilded the trouser cord, his buttons, epaulets and straps, sword hilt and buckle and has tinted Poyner’s cheeks, but had done so delicately and not obscured much detail though we cannot make out the center portion of his belt buckle. He is posed bare-headed and wears a full chin beard. There is some spotting in the upper portion of the image, but only one touches the figure, and that only slightly at the top left of his head. The image comes housed in a mint, thermoplastic case.
