June 12-13, 2019 Edged Weapon, Armor, & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/13/2019
Silver gelatin cabinet card of Capt. Thomas M. McDougall, 7th U.S. Cavalry, wearing full dress uniform with sword. Silver inked studio ID to bottom margin: 'BARRY, WEST SUPERIOR, WIS.' Thomas Mower McDougall (1845-1909) served 40 years as an officer in the U.S. Army, beginning with a volunteer enlistment in the Civil War and retiring as a major in 1904. His father, Charles McDougall (1804-1885) was a U.S. Army surgeon with service in the Blackhawk War, Seminole War, and Civil War, which likely helped his son gain a commission as a second lieutenant upon enlistment in the Union Army in 1864. Thomas was assigned to Co. B, 48th U.S. Colored Infantry, and served across the Department of the Gulf, most notably participating in the capture of Fort Blakely on April 9, 1865. He was promoted to captain in the 5th U.S. Volunteer Infantry in the immediate aftermath of the war, and upon the expiration of that regiment was offered a second lieutenant's commission in the regular army. Originally assigned to the 14th U.S. Infantry at Fort Laramie, McDougall was transferred to the 32nd Infantry, 21st Infantry, and ultimately the 7th Cavalry in 1870, and after helping suppress Klan activity in South Carolina, began an 18 year stint in the Dakotas, engaged in many of the notable Indian campaigns. He was in command of Co. B at Little Bighorn, leading the pack train escort, and was engaged in the hilltop fight alongside Major Reno's battalion. This photo was taken by famed western photographer D.F. Barry, known by the native tribes as "The Little Shadow Catcher." He was widely known as one of the pre-eminent photographers of his time and has also been referred to as "The Matthew Brady of the West." He captured images of many famous western personalities, Indians, and landscapes that were soon to vanish from the American Frontier. Photo is archival framed and mounted with brass description plaque. CONDITION: Excellent overall. PROVENANCE: Dr. Frank Wagner cavalry museum collection.
Condition: (Excellent).
Item Dimensions: (6.5" H x 4.25" W).