Today's portrait features not only an image, but also a keepsake left for the family which the soldier pictured left behind.


The portrait shown above shows a young 1st lieutenant in the Confederate artillery.  We can tell this by the two gold bars on his collar and the red coloring applied to his uniform coat.  On the opposite side of the frame is a lock of hair, presumably belonging to the soldier.  We have no way of knowing whether the officer pictured survived the war because he is unidentified, but sometimes locks of hair were sent to families as mementos to have if a slain father, son or brother's body could not be sent home.