Image is a full standing view of Lieutenant Washington L. Watkins of the 8^th Missouri Cavalry.  The contrast on the image is light but details are still clear. Watkins is posed standing by a cloth covered table on which his slouch hat, with upturned brim, rests. He wears a light colored shell jacket, dark trousers, sash, sword belt, knee-high boots and gauntlets on his hands. The jacket appears to have a 9-button front and is close fitting around the waist. The belt has a rectangular plate but of what design it is impossible to tell. Attached to his belt is a sword. The shape of the hilt is blocked by Watkins hand.

There is a good bit of period writing on the face of this image. None of it touches the subject. Across the top in ink is “JULIE RUDOLPH” while along the side of the subject in pencil is “WASH L. WATKINS C. S. A. FORT DELAWARE 1864.” The writing along the bottom of the mount is a little harder to make out. It reads “WASH L. WATKINS LT. + A.D.C. TO COL. GREENE …”The rest is unreadable.

As stated above the contrast is light but the details are discernible. Edges are dirty and reverse is blank except for some collector information in pencil.

Washington L. Watkins is believed to have been born in 1840 at Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. When the Civil War started Watkins was a member of the Missouri State Guard. In May of 1862 he was captured but through the efforts of a family friend he was released. He then joined the 8^th Missouri Cavalry where he served as Aide-de camp for Colonel, later General, and Colton Greene of the Trans-Mississippi Department. On November 22, 1863 Watkins was captured again. This time he was confined at Camp Chase, Ohio. In March 1864 he was moved to Fort Delaware where this photo was taken. The image is believed to have been made by John L. Gihon who was a photographer from Philadelphia. It is known that Gihon took images of Fort Delaware prisoners. Other surviving examples of this image have the same writing along the side of the subject. It is possible that this is Lt. Watkins own hand. After his release in May of 1865 Watkins returned home to Missouri. He died in 1879.

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