"Rare photo of the Iron Brigade of the AoP" Topic

This fantastic photo of Company K of the 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment, part of the famous and feared Iron Brigade, was supposedely taken two or three weeks after the Battle of Antietam (or even just a few days after the battle). After the battles of 2nd Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam, this was what was left of Company K.

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It is not an unknown image. I am afraid I don't understand the excitement. It is a good photograph of early war leggings being worn in the field.

OK, 12 men out of 80-100 at muster in. Yes, but how big was the company before those battles? And how many missing men wandered back in during the next few days? And how many were in hospital with smallpox, dysentery, measles, mumps, VD, etc.?

Sorry, 79th. I thought it was a rare image. I can only hope other members will be excited to see this photo.

I don't know when this picture was made, but it almost looks very early war. The sergeant standing on the far right is wearing a NCO sword, which is useless as a weapon and only adds to the weight carried. The fellow standing holding a bottle is wearing his cartridge box on the left hip rather than the right, and seems to be carrying a white cotton or canvas haversack. The knapsacks are well packed and the blankets (or greatcoats per regulation) tightly rolled. The humor displayed in the photograph – with one soldier holding up hardtack for the camera, seems to center on the novelties of soldier life rather than the look of 12 survivors of a badly shot up company.

But it's a great photo, and I've never seen it before. How lean they look, unlike the Hobbit figures we use in today's wargames!

GdeP

Not necessarily early War. Many soldiers wore leggings at Gettysburg; they had been issued recently by the army. The famous "black hats" were worn at Gettysburg and later.

A wonderful photo which I never saw before. Outdoor scenes are rare.

I looked through my books, the Library of Congress collection and the National Archives collection. It is not in any of them.

You might try Lance Herdegen's 2012 book, "The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory."

Deviations from regulation requirements are quite common among military personnel. Three months into the first of my two tours in Southeast Asia, began wearing a Marine campaign cap instead of the regulation "baseball" cap, or the "Aussie" hat. It was far more convenient and practical. I was never taken to task for my non-reg apparel. There was also a wide choice of acceptable footwear, which allowed me to wear Wellington Boots for most of the time. So this photo is very interesting

I like the photo. Of course I like all ACW photographs.

@Cuirassier: Sorry if I came off as rude; that was not my intention.

They will need to put on a few pounds if they want to become re-enactors.

LOL AussieAndy.

I think there is a picture of the 118th Pennsylvania just before Gettysburg in newly issued leggings.

I was struck by the lack of beards. In old movies, no one had a beard, and in newer movies, it seems that everyone does. Here is looks like 6 clean-shaven, 4 with beards, and a couple I can't tell. Obviously, this was in camp, but it was interesting to me.

Deviations from regulation requirements are quite common among military personnel. Three months into the first of my two tours in Southeast Asia, began wearing a Marine campaign cap instead of the regulation "baseball" cap, or the "Aussie" hat. It was far more convenient and practical. I was never taken to task for my non-reg apparel

My Dad used to get a big kick out of folks talking about proper place for equipment and proper uniforms in combat. He fought in NW Europe in WW2 and he said that the last time that they were fully regulation was when they dropped their gas masks crossing the beach (they weren't part of the assault).

They don't seem to be wearing frock coats.

I see a few frock coats there. Thanks for posting the images. I have literally hundreds of ACW photos, perhaps thousands, and I cannot recall seeing them.

It's hard to be sure, but it looks like the Hardee hats have the regulation black feathers on the left side. That might argue for early war. Most photos I've seen of Iron Brigade troops don't have the feathers.

Don't worry, 79th. ;-)

Glad you guys liked the photo.

very nice.

If you look closely the feathers are wing feathers and not the regulation saddle hackle feathers