No Photograph This Time

A photograph was taken of the 1871 reunion of War of 1812 / River Raisin veterans, but none in 1872.  Too bad.

Here's what the source I have been using most of the month had to say about it:

"Preparations had been made for taking in groups the veterans and prisoners, and they were assembled on the porticoes  of the seminary for that purpose.  But the daguerrean artist failed to meet his appointment promptly, and their patience being exhausted they dispersed; hence the failure to secure pictures."

Bet the Photographer Wasn't Hired in the Future.  --Brock-Perry

Lt.Col. Custer and War of 1812 Veterans-- Part 5: The Front Tow

Age is shown after the name.  The photograph is dated July 4, 1871.

Peter Navarre, 82
James B. Nadeau, 77
Emmanual Custer,

Robert F. Navarre, 80
Joseph Foulke, 80
Bronson French, 82

I wonder if Emmanuel Custer was a relation of George A. Custer?

--Brock-Perrt

Lt.Col. Custer and War of 1812 Veterans-- Part 4: The Men In the Photo

CENTER ROW (from left with ages):

John B. Beaseau, 80
George Younglove, 77
Fred Boroff, 100, 7 months

David Van Pelt, 89
Louis Jacobs, 96
Charles Hixon, 76

Henry Mason, 79
Thomas Whelpley, 73
Joseph Guyor, 88

--Brock-Perry

Lt. Colonel Custer and the War of 1812-- Part 3: War of 1812 Veterans

K-106 --  Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer and veterans of the War of 1812, July 4, 1871, by Simon Wing, Monroe, Michigan.  Copied from the unique, original, direct-contact albumen print, courtesy of the Monroe County Historical Commission.

Taken at the residence of Joseph Guyor, Guyonr's Island, two miles east of Monroe, Michigan.

TOP ROW:  John Beshear, John Clapper, age 76; Lieutenant Colonel George A, Custer; Francis Lazarre, age 82;  Jean DeChovin, age 72.

--Btock-Perry

For Some More On Custer

I have also been writing about George Armstrong Custer in my Saw the Elephant Civil War blog.

He went to the USMA at West Point with James Barroll Washington from Baltimore and the two became great friends.  But, Washington (a distant relative of George Washington, joined the Confederacy in the Civil War.  he was captured at the Battle of Seven Pines and encountered Custer while a prisoner.

The two relived old days and sat for photographs.

--Brock-Perry

Lt.Col. George Armstrong Custer and War of 1812 Veterans

From the book "Custer in Photographs" by D. Mark Katz.

Yesterday I bought this book at the Friends of the Woodstock (Illinois) Library book sale room.  It contains every known photograph of the man, at least up until the publish date in 1985.

Quite an accomplishment, but you can only look at so many pictures of Custer and it gets boring.

However, on page 90, I found a picture of him posing with War of 1812 veterans on July 4, 1871.  These were quite some elderly gentlemen back then.

Custer stands in the back row in one of his classic, but not in a military uniform, poses looking to his right whereas all the rest are looking forwards.

Could this be one of the largest gatherings of War of 1812 veterans ever photographed?    There are 19 of them in the picture.

--Brock-Perry