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Civil War wounded soldiers CDV photos


Bob Hudson
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Picked up some interesting old photos and albums today including this one with about a dozen or so Civil War CDV's. Most have the soldier's name on the back plus unit info. Most served in the 14th Regiment, Veterans Reserve Corps, as well as other units before the 14th. I was able to find info on ancestry.com about some of them including this officer whose CDV is not the typical photo printed on paper but rather is a metal tin type:

 

2.jpg

 

Here's his listing from ancestry.com (I'll post ones for other soldiers after I post all the CDVs):

 

cw-rwtyler.jpg

 

Here's the cover of the album:

 

1.jpg

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I had wondered about the Veteran Reserve Corps. Based on what I have learned it sounds like many, if not most of these men in the 14th Reg VRC would have been wounded before being assigned to the VRC. Here's what one website says:

 

"The Veteran Reserve Corps was originally called the Invalid Corps from April 1863 until March 1864 and lasted until the end of the Civil War in 1865. The Corps was a military organization within the Union Army that gave light duty to partially disabled or otherwise infirm soldiers (or former soldiers). This allowed more able-bodied soldiers to serve in combat. About 60,000 men served in the Reserves. They performed guard duty, did patrol duty at Washington D.C., and enforced the draft."

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These album belonged to a Sergeant in Company A, 20th Regiment, Maine Infantry in the Civil War. The family held onto a named photo of him in uniform. Besides this photo of men in uniform - probably post war - photo, there is also one done post-war of the 20th Maine memorial at Gettysburg. The 20th Maine is most famous for its defense of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1863.

 

The images are each about 8x5 inches

 

1.jpg

 

2.jpg

 

Here are some closeups and the info from the back of the photos (which are mounted on cards).

 

3.jpg

 

4.jpg

 

5.jpg

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After some more research, i find that the 20th Maine soldier who owned third album and photos transferred to the VRC in June 1864:

 

reynoldscw14th.jpg

 

reynoldsVRC.jpg

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The family kept the CDV of Sgt Reynolds, but I did find online an old newspaper article that explains why he went from the 20th Maine to the 14th VRC: he got three bullet wounds at Gettysburg and spent seven months in the hospital.

 

reynoldsbday.jpg

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Great detective work FS.

 

Very interesting story as well.

 

Spent many an hour on Little Round Top.

 

Most likely place he could have gotten that badly wounded.

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I had thought that the photos of the guys in uniform might be Reynolds platoon, but another member pointed out some oddities in the uniforms that seem to make that unlikely. Here's some closeups from that photo:

 

cu1.jpg

 

cu2.jpg

 

cu3.jpg

 

cu4.jpg

 

cu5.jpg

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the man with the 2 stripes on the pants might be a Musician

 

I also have a CDV (5th Mich Vet Vols.) that has a man in a Musician's frock with two stripes on it,,got to see if I have it online or only at home.

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As I do more research, these VRC images become more interesting. The first thing of course is that these are soldiers wounded in the war. The light colored uniforms in the photos seem to be the sky blue VRC uniforms, which unit members hated because when the VRC was known as the Invalid Corps, the sick and injured soldiers assigned to it were often looked down upon as slackers by members of regular units.

 

But, of course, later on the in the war these guys had nothing to be ashamed of. As noted above, this album was kept by a VRC member wounded most likely at Little Round Top.

 

And that Lt. whose CDV I posted first. Before he became Lt RW Tyler of the 14th VRC, he was Sgt Richard W Tyler of the 1st Regiment United States Sharpshooter, wounded in combat, probably at the Siege of Petersburg.

 

cdv-tylersharpsshooterwound.jpg

 

cdv-tylersharpsshooter.jpg

 

cdv-tylerpromoted.jpg

 

cdv-tylerpromoted2.jpg

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Here's another one of the VRC vets whose story comes to life. Lewis M. Nebinger was a member of Co. F 56th Pennsylvania Infantry. He was mustered out of the unit on July 28, 1863. His wounds mostly likely happened at Culp's Hill, Gettysburg.

 

nebingerback.jpg

 

NebingerPension.jpg

 

cdv-nebingergrave.jpg

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This is Cpl Robert Waters. He was in Co. E 145th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers until transferred to the VRC in July 1, 1863.

 

watersback.jpg

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