TINTYPE TRIPLE ARMED BOWIE PISTOL ENFIELD

[Shotgun Steve]

6TH PLATE TINTYPE IN A FULL CASE OF A TRIPLE ARMED UNION CORPORAL.IMAGE IS LIGHTER THAN THE SCAN SHOWS.A NICE ADDITION TO ANY COLLECTION.

[Stillwater]

A good and interesting picture.

I am a little suspicious of armament, when it is not in a holster, or the knife in a permanently affixed sheath.

The picture is obviously an original, the hardware is probably photographic props...

Bill

[River City John]

I've tried to look at the belt plate under enlargement and it does not look like the standard "USA" buckle. Too fuzzy, but it looks more like one of the State militia plates, maybe New York? For that matter it could easily be of an early war Reb, too, but likely not with that nine button jacket.

Many very early war images exist of these young men dressed out in all their finery for their "official war portrait", from both the North and the South.
I feel that all the extra armament was a way to show their rough 'n' readiness and that they were serious about being a terror to the enemy and thus ready to make a good fight for the cause, but were most likely added as props.
Certainly it did not take a veteran long to rid themselves of anything unnecessary once actual campaigning began.

RCJ