Image is a full standing view of 2nd Lieutenant Hillary Beyer of Company H, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Beyer is posed cradling a non-regulation foot officer’s sword in his left arm. The sword has a basket hilt displaying a spread-winged eagle over a panoply of arms on the guard. He wears a dark frock coat with 2nd lieutenant’s shoulder straps, sash and waist belt with rectangular eagle plate and light trousers.

Contrast and clarity are very good. Mount has trimmed upper corners and the paper has some dark lines of dirt just above the subject’s head, but these are minor.

The reverse of the image has a photographer’s imprint is for B. W. ADDIS… WASHINGTON, D.C. The ID is confirmed by an online database and a similar picture in the unit history.

Hillary Beyer was born September 28, 1837 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was 23 years old when he enlisted as a private in Company H, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry on September 17, 1861. Beyer accompanied his regiment to Washington in March of 1862 where it was assigned to McDowell’s 3rd Corps and sent to the Shenandoah Valley and then joined Pope’s army for the 2nd Bull Run battle where the regiment saw its first real action. During the Antietam Campaign the regiment was in Hooker’s 1st Corps and fought at South Mountain and Antietam.

By the time of the battle of Antietam Beyer was a 2nd Lieutenant having been promoted on the 1st of September. It was Beyer’s actions at Antietam that earned him the Medal of Honor. A statement written by Beyer’s Company Commander describes the action:

“I was in command of Company A, 90th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry…. In the early morning of the 17th our regiment advanced to the front. We moved out of the east woods into the open field, under heavy artillery fire from the enemy’s guns posted in the vicinity of the Dunkard Church. In our advance we soon met the enemy’s infantry and became hotly engaged… Being outnumbered by the enemy and no troops on our immediate right or left, the regiment could not hold the ground. It fell back to the east woods and through it to the open field in rear. Here I witnessed the acts of personal bravery and self-sacrifice to which I call your attention. The soldier to whom I refer was my first sergeant, Hillary Beyer, who did not fall back with his company. The act was in remaining alone out on the open field on the line we had fought on caring for the wounded and actually carrying one of my wounded men…some distance to the rear of the line of battle and placing him behind a rock that projected from the ground, giving the wounded man protection from the enemy’s bullets…. At the time Sergeant Beyer performed this noble work he was subjected to a very heavy artillery and infantry fire from the enemy, who continued to fire on our regiment as it fell back…”

Beyer went on to serve in the other battles of the 90th and actually commanded his Company during the fighting at Gettysburg due to the early wounding of his Company Commander. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on November 24, 1863 and was eventually mustered out on the expiration of his term on November 26, 1864. After his war service he lived in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He died in Norristown on September 24, 1907 and is buried in Lower Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Eagleville, Pennsylvania .  [ad] [ph:L]

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