Ten Fascinating Civil War Artifacts From Tennessee-- Part 4: A Tintype and Doctor's Kit

7.  PIRKLE FAMILY LIVES ON--  A tintype image of brothers Elijah and Jesse Pirkle in uniform.  They joined the Union Army in July 1863.  Two months later and within 15 days of each other, Elijah was shot and hospitalized and Jesse was captured and imprisoned.

8.  DOCTOR'S KIT--  The doctor's kit was found in Gallatin and was owned by Confederate Dr. Thomas Morris Woodson, who died in 1907.  It contains, among other things, a menacing looking tooth extractor and trepanning drills used to bore into a skull to release pressure.

I feel A Bit Light-Headed.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Indentity Puzzle Solved-- Part 3

The copy in New York had a 1910 note made by Lt. John Hays (in the picture) and identified many of the soldiers. (A huge help and something people should always do on the backs of any old photographs for future historians.) Hays was in his 20s when the phto was taken and in his 70s in 1910.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the picture.

On the right of the group is Captain David Crist, then about 47, who was killed on May 30, 1864, at Totopotomy Creek outside of Richmond. Also in the photo is British-born Sgt. Thomas Bradley who was awarded the Medal of Honor many years after the war for action at the Battle of Chancellorsville.

James Crist, about 28, was wounded and captured near Totopotomy Creek and later died at the Andersonville prison camp. (It is not clear whether Captain Crist and James Crist were related.) Chester Judson, about 18, was killed by a sniper September 14, 1864, in trenches near Petersburg, Virginia.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Identity Puzzle Solved-- Part 2: Finding It

The tintype of Co. H, 124th New York Infantry was donated to the Smithsonian by Tom Liljenquist of McLean, Virginia, who bought it four years ago for $3,500 at a collectors' show at Gettysburg.

There was no identification on it. Last month, Garry Adelman, vice president of the Center for Civil War Photography posted it on his Civil War Facebook Page.

That is when Ryan McIntyre, a high school social studies teacher in Ellenville, New York, saw the picture and recalled seeing it at the Historical Society of Walden and the Wallkill Valley in Orange County, New York, in what was a real "A-ha!" moment.

A-Ha.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Identity Puzzle Solved-- Part 1

From the March 8, 2014, Washington Post by Michael E. Ruane.

For years, the Library of Congress' tintype of 26 Union soldiers taken in late 1863 or early 1864 was captioned only as "unidentified company of soldiers."

But last month, a New York high school teacher spotted it on a Civil War Facebook page and recognized them. They were Co. H of the 124th New York Infantry, a unit called the Orange Blossoms because they were from Orange County, New York.

Two years later, at the end of the war, two had been killed in combat, one had been captured and died at the infamous Andersonville and another had been awarded the Medal of Honor.

More to Come. --Old Secesh