American Historical Ephemera and Photography

LASSELLE, G.P., photographer. Ninth plate tintype portrait identified as James B. Wheeler, 11th Massachusetts Infantry, WIA at Fredericksburg.

Bust portrait of a young soldier wearing what appears to be a IX Corps badge or shield shaped identification pin. (Loss to upper left corner, some surface crazing/crackling; taped to cover glass with black tape on verso.) Housed in what is likely not the image's original case having a velvet pad stamped for Pine & Bells of Troy, NY (spine crudely repaired with black tape). Photographer's advertising card on image verso promotes G.P. Lasselle of Boston (formerly Wing & Lasselle) and bears ink inscription identifying the subject as "J Wheeler 11 Mass Regt." 

An HDS search returns one individual with the first initial "J" and last name "Wheeler" serving in the 11th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. James B. Wheeler is recorded as an 18-year-old confectioner from Boston, who enlisted in August of 1861 as a private. He served for nearly 3 years in Company I of the 16th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment with which he fought and was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December of 1862. He was transferred to Company F, 11th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment on 11 July 1864, a little over a month before being discharged on 30 August.