While reading through letters written to Dr. Thomas M. Owen as he organized the Alabama Department of Archives and History a century ago, we often see references to photographs of Alabama officers. I had assumed that most (if not all) had been lost or misplaced over the years.
During my visit to the ADAH Saturday, I came across a widow's letter to Dr. Owen in which she mentioned sending him an 1864 picture of her husband as he appeared in uniform then. The image was of Col. George E. Taylor of the 11th Alabama Infantry, who surrendered at Appomattox in command of Sorrell's Georgia Brigade.
Bob Bradley happened to be working Saturday and came by to say hello. In the course of conversation I mentioned the widow's letter and her reference to Tayloe's photograph. I also ventured to add that it was probably long gone. Bob agreed that many had been lost in one of two fires that destroyed parts of Dr. Owen's collection. However, he smiled, the one I mentioned was familiar to him and he was willing to offer a copy if it was of interest to me.
Within five minutes Bob returned with the image we had discussed. This was a real answer to prayer. In fact, the ADAH now has listings of Confederate officers and enlisted men who have been identified. In the course of time, letters which came with many other photographs have been detached, so there are many more that are unidentified. Bob provided me with a preliminary list, which includes celebrities such as Adolph Proskauer of the 12th Alabama Infantry, the cigar-smoking Jewish major of that regiment.
Ken Tilley, a senior archivist who has been writing a book on the 34th Alabama, will be working with Bob Bradley on this project. We are all familiar with Bob's enthusiasm and expertise for Alabama battleflags, and he continues to work in that area. I'll be interested to see what he does with the ADAH collection of Alabama Civil War images.
By the way, Bob mentioned that he enjoys our discussions on the message board but the press of work doesn't usually allow him to participate.