LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June Civil War Grand Format Auction #663  / 

72047

Cased 1/6th Plate Ambrotype of John S. Mosby

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:20,000.00 USD Estimated At:40,000.00 - 45,000.00 USD
Cased 1/6th Plate Ambrotype of John S. Mosby
<B>Cased 1/6th Plate Ambrotype of John Singleton Mosby.</B></I> This remarkable image was taken by a Winchester photographer in early 1865 while the Confederacy's celebrated “Gray Ghost” was recovering from a nearly fatal abdominal wound sustained shortly before Christmas, 1864. Mosby, looking decidedly ill, wears a coat and vest of military cut. His clothing, however, lacks any insignia and is dotted with civilian buttons. This outfit is typical of what he would wear when operating incognito in the field. The ambrotype is housed in the original gutta-percha Union case embossed on both sides with a fanciful agrarian scene. Minor emulsion loss does not detract in the least from the visual appeal of this unique historically important portrait of the Confederacy's "Grey Ghost."<BR><BR>On the evening of December 21, 1864 Lt. Colonel Mosby and partisan ranger Tom Love stopped for supper at the home of Ludwell Lake in Loudon County, Virginia. What should have been a pleasant repast among friends turned ugly with the unexpected arrival of a Federal force. A wild shot from the yard came through a window and struck Mosby just below his navel. Thinking quickly before the onset of debilitating pain, Mosby hid his fancy imported officer's coat and thus prevented an inquest that would have surely led to his capture. He also had the presence of mind to feign imminent death. The Federals took Love prisoner, but left the seemingly unimportant Mosby, who had given a false name, to die. Later, after the bullet was extracted, Mosby was sent to his father's home near Lynchburg to recover. He was promoted to full colonel during convalescence and returned to the field with the onset of the Confederacy's final spring. The rarest photograph of Mosby in existence.<BR><BR><B>Provenance:</B></I> <I>J. Blackwell of Fauquier County, Virginia; Wess Blackwell; The Tharpe Collection of American Military History</B></I><BR><BR><B>Exhibited:</B></I> <I>The Liberty Heritage Society Museum</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Smal (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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