American Historical Ephemera & Photography

2 1/4 x 3 1/2 in. CDV on cardstock mount (small losses to corners, small scuff to right edge). Photographer's gilt imprint to verso. 

Signed and inscribed: "John L. Burns / Gettysburg / Pa / Age 70." 

Burns, a veteran of the War of 1812, was an enthusiastic supporter of the Federal cause but was denied enlistment due to his advanced age at the outbreak of war. He resisted the Confederates while serving as a constable of the town of Gettysburg. On the first day of fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg, Burns entered the battlefield with his outdated flintlock musket. He encountered a wounded Union soldier who gave Burns his more modern rifle and cartridges. He found the 150th Pennsylvania, approached Major Thomas Chamberlin, and obtained permission to fall in with the regiment. He would also fight with the 7th Wisconsin and the 24th Michigan, serving effectively as a sharpshooter. He was wounded several times but managed to convince the Confederates that he was a non-combatant. He then escaped and made it back home achieving national recognition as a hero for the Union cause.