Description

Marylander Arnold Elzey was an 1837 graduate of West Point.  He resigned his commission as a Captain in the 2nd US Artillery on April 25, 1861, to join the Confederacy as Colonel of the 1st Maryland Infantry.  Promoted to Brigadier General for his actions at First Manassas, Elzey was slightly wounded during the Valley Campaign.  He was severely wounded in the face at Gaines Mill, which kept him from field command.  Promoted to Major General on December 4, 1862, Elzey was put in command of the Department of  Richmond.  He held various posts until the end of the war, and was paroled on May 9, 1865, in Georgia.  Returning to Maryland after the war, he died in Baltimore on February 21, 1871, and is buried in Green Mount Cemetery.

In this exceptional sixth plate ruby ambrotype, Elzey is posed in his Confederate uniform with the three stars of a colonel on his collar.  The buttons, stars and shoulder tabs have been gilded.  The image was likely taken soon after he entered Confederate service.  Images of Confederate major generals are exceedingly rare, particularly in a Confederate uniform.  Maryland images are also quite uncommon.  This image is for the advanced collector looking for a centerpiece to their collection.  The image is housed in a thermoplastic case with an edge chip.