This sharp quarterplate ambrotype is from the collection of Ray Richey of the Texas Civil War Museum in Fort Worth. The subject is a young infantry captain, seated and shown from the knees up, in a regulation officer’s frock coat and forage cap, wearing a sash and officer’s sword belt, showing off to the camera his unsheathed M1850 foot officer sword on the viewer’s left. The photographer lightly gilt his shoulder straps, buttons, belt plate, and sword hilt (and what was likely the upper mount of his scabbard,) but only lightly tinted his cheeks. The resolution excellent. The officer has a thin mustache and chin beard, in his mid or upper twenties by appearances.

The camera has also caught what was likely a nicely etched sword blade, the reason, we suppose, he was showing it off. The etched portion, toward the point, shows darker than the upper area near the guard, perhaps indicating it was blued, but more likely that the frosted and etched sections reflected light differently. In any case, this is a nicely posed image in a scarce size for an ambrotype and really shows off the youth of most soldiers, even officers, in the Civil War. There is a dark spot at upper left, not touching the figure and two more at lower right, one of which affects his lower sleeve and two knuckle of his hand, but is not terribly obtrusive. The image is glassed and housed in a patriotic mat showing US shields at the corners, the frame is in place. The whole is cased in a thermoplastic Union case decorated with raised geometric and floral motifs in excellent condition.

This image was found with a folded discharge in the back of the case. The discharge is dated Aug. 15, 1865, and made out to William Davis of Company B, 44^th Missouri. Davis was never commissioned himself, but it seems very likely he retained this as a keepsake of one his officers. Suspicion settled on Capt. B.D. Wilkinson, who signed the discharge, but Wilkinson was simply the mustering officer for the occasion and had served in the 4^th Kentucky and as an ADC on staff duty. More likely the officer is Capt. William Drumhiller, Willian Davis’s company commander, who is mentioned in the discharge and whose signature also appears at its bottom, and who had a very interesting service record.

Drumhiller was born in Pennsylvania 7/26/1837, making him about 28 when the photo was taken, which seems to fit the image. We also show in the listing a photo of Drumhiller later in life and think, at least, that it does not discount the identification.

Sometimes listed as Druhiller or Drumheller, he was with his family in Ohio in the 1850 census and by 1860 was on his own in St. Joseph, Missouri. There he joined the 5^th Missouri State Militia Cavalry in March 1862 as Captain of Co. A and by October was a Major. This was one of several Missouri units that were very active against Confederate guerrillas in Kansas and Missouri. We find him taking part in the march from Lexington to Independence, etc., and in command of posts at Platte City, Kansas City, and in May 1863 at Blue Springs. The regiment was disbanded there in June 1863 and reformed for further service, but he seems not to have been in that incarnation of the unit. He signed up again, however, taking a commission in September 1864 as 1^st Lt and Adjutant of the 44^th Missouri and then as Captain of Company B, Nov. 11, 1864. The regiment was organized at St. Joseph for one year and immediately was ordered to Rolla, seeing its first service against Sterling Price. In November, it was ordered to Paducah, KY, and then on to Nashville where it was ordered by Thomas to join Schofield at Columbia as part of Ruger’s Division, 23^rd Corps. With them it fought at Spring Hill and Franklin (Nov. 30, 1864,) losing 157 in killed and wounded in the latter engagement.

Drumhiller and Company B were later remembered by another member of the regiment: “Captain John Michel, one of the old Forty-fourthers, said last night that Major Drumhiller was one of the bravest men he ever knew. He was an ideal soldier. At the battle of Franklin, Drumhiller was captain of Company B, and was stationed on one side of the old Carter House. The company of Captain Michel was on the other side. The house was in line with the soldiers, who faced the Confederates in front of the building. The soldiers poured the burning shot and shell into each other with awful results.”

The regiment was at Nashville in early December, transferred to Moore’s Division and took part in the pursuit of Hood. It was subsequently assigned to the Army and Department of the Gulf, with postings to Eastport, Miss., New Orleans, Dauphin Island, Cedar Point, Fish River, and Mobile. After the surrender of that city, it served at Montgomery and Tuskegee, AL., and at Vicksburg. In late July 1865 it was ordered to St. Louis, and mustered out August 15, 1865, the date on the discharge. Drumhiller later worked as a lawyer, in the drug business, and as a postmaster, moving from Missouri to Kansas by 1880. He was killed in falling from a train while returning from McKinley’s inauguration in 1901.

If we have the identification of the image right, a reason for Davis preserving it may have been mutual respect and gratitude. Born in Tennessee, Davis was 18 and a farmer, when he signed up and was present in the company until December 17, 1864, after the fighting at Nashville. He is reported as sick in in Nashville from January 6, 1865, and absent sick through February at least, but still under charges for absence without leave. The March-April roll, however, reports him “restored to duty without loss of pay or allowance,” and present again by May. It looks certainly looks like Drumhiller went to bat for him and we find some confirmation of that in the following notation in the company descriptive book, certainly made at the end of his service and most likely by his company commander, who notes that Davis has enlisted at Richmond, MO, Aug. 25, 1864, and, “Mustered into service Sept 2/64 at St. Joseph MO by Capt. Ben Sharp. Is a good and brave soldier. Was engaged with the enemy at Columbia, Tenn Nov 28/64 at Spring hills Tenn Nov 29/64 at Franklin Tenn Nov 30/64 at Nashville Tenn Dec 16 & 17/64.”  [SR] [ph:L]

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