Actually quite a number of Confederate images were made. Authentic wartime images probably number in the tens of thousands. Unfortunately for us, when a Confederate soldier went into town and paid for an image, no record was made of his name. When he sent it to family members or a loved one, the soldier's image was recognized without need of an inscription.

Group military images didn't really come into vogue until much later. During the war quite a number were made of companies in Federal service. However, considering that over 40,000 companies entered U.S. service from 1861 to 1865, the number of company images known to exist today is a small fraction of the total.

Another note - officers didn't allow their men to take their arms on leave. What responsible authority would allow soldiers to go on leave loaded down with muskets, revolvers and Bowie knives? Arms seen in studio images are props made available by the photographer.