American Historical Ephemera & Photography

2 1/8 x 3 1/4 in. CDV on cardstock mount (trimmed at bottom). Mount verso signed ("Q.A. Gillmore, Maj. Genl."), and dated 11 December 1863 (inkblot near "3" in "1863"). Brady/Anthony imprint on verso. 

Quincy Adams Gillmore (1825-1888) graduated at the top of his class at the US Military Academy in 1849 and then received a commission in the Corps of Engineers. By the start of the Civil War, Gillmore was a 1st lieutenant. He was appointed Chief Engineer of the Port Royal Expedition, receiving praise for his bombardment and capture of Fort Pulaski. In April, 1862, Gillmore was appointed brigadier general, and in July, 1863, he was given command of the Department of the South and the X Corps. He subsequently helped with the capture of Morris Island and Fort Wagner, along with the destruction of Fort Sumter. On 18 July 1863, during the siege of Charleston, Gillmore launched a major assault on Fort Wagner. The troops who assaulted Ft. Wagner were primarily from the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which included only African-Americans in its complement. Gillmore had ordered that his forces be integrated and that African-Americans were not to be assigned menial tasks only, such as KP or latrine duty, but instead they were to carry arms into battle. However, his troops were unable to seize Charleston. 

In 1864, Gillmore was transferred to the command of Benjamin F. Butler at Fortress Monroe, VA, but they had a falling out and Grant had to intervene, transferring Gillmore to Washington, DC. He played a vital role in Washington, stopping Confederate General Jubal Early's advance on the city. Gillmore finished the war overseeing Northern troops in Georgia and South Carolina.