This well-known and often-published image of Company B, 9th Mississippi Volunteer Infantry, is of particular interest to me. It is one of approximately 40 images made in May 1861, by photographer Jay Dearborn Edwards at Camp Magnolia near Pensacola, Fla.
Edwards (1831-1900), a native of New Hampshire who operated a studio in New Orleans, traveled to Florida to document Southern troops. In doing so, he photographed the 9th a month after it mustered into Confederate service—the first infantry regiment from Mississippi to do so. Under its commander, Col. James R. Chalmers, the 9th joined military forces gathering in Pensacola under the command of Brig. Gen. Braxton Bragg,
Edwards provided an excellent glimpse of the arms and accoutrements of Confederate soldiers, their camps, and other landmarks.
About the Image…