Description
Nice little vignette carte view of Captain Henry Newton Comey of the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. A Hopkinton, Massachusetts resident where he plied his trade as a farmer, Henry would muster as a private with Company G in late May, 1861. A very capable soldier, he steadily rose through the ranks. He would be promoted to 2nd lieutenant in November, 1862. The following June, Henry would make 1st lieutenant and by May of 1864 he was serving as captain of Company E. Henry along with the men of the 2nd Massachusetts would see severe fighting during their tenure beginning with the Battle of Winchester. Heavily engaged in their next fight at Cedar Mountain, they would suffer 173 casualties. They would not fare much better at Antietam. The regiment would suffer through the infamous Mud March, Chancellorsville and Brandy Station before finding themselves on the field of Gettysburg. On July 3rd the regiment was ordered to assault Confederate troops located at the base of Culps Hill. A total of 316 men and officers from the regiment would participate in the charge. When the fighting was done, only 179 would remain unscathed. Comey himself would be counted among the wounded after being struck in the arm by a bullet and buckshot. After a short convalescence he would return to the regiment and participate in the Atlanta Campaigns. Beginning in May, 1864 the regiment would fight in a slew of engagements beginning with Resaca and ending with the Siege of Savannah in December of that year. There would be no pause for the men of the 2nd Massachusetts as the Carolina Campaign began in January, 1865. Henry would manage to survive the fighting of 1865 and participate in the Grand Review before being mustered out of service in July, 1865. Following the war he would be active in a number of veteran’s posts and serve as a commissioner of the Petersburg National Battlefield. There is a very good book written on Comey titled “A Legacy of Valor: The Memoirs and Letters of Captain Henry Newton Comey”. A number of various views of Comey do exist including a different view of him listed on the HDS. This one is in fact signed on the reverse in Henry’s hand reading “With regards of H. N. Comey”. Very nice view of this officer from a very hard fought regiment with lots of history.
