Union army leader and Judge Advocate in the famed 1864 trial of Colonel Samuel North. Scarce war-dated original 2.25 x 4 carte-de-visite portrait of Colonel Foster by Brady of New York, affixed to a slightly larger mount to an overall size of 2.5 x 4, signed and inscribed on the reverse in ink, “Mrs. Let. Col. (indecipherable) Stone, With the compliments of John A. Foster, Col. & Judge Advocate, Washington, Oct. 20/64.” Silvering to the darker areas of the image, a small spot to the background, a few stray ink marks and smudges on the reverse, along with a 3-cent Internal Revenue stamp and a cancellation stamp, otherwise fine condition.
Foster signed this photo just one month before he would serve as Judge Advocate in the US Military Commission trial of Colonel Samuel North, Major Levi Cohn, and Lt. Morven M. Jones in November of 1864. Grappling with habeus corpus and the human rights and privileges of the American citizen during the Lincoln administration, this trial is still considered one of the most pivotal and controversial in history. A staunch Lincoln loyalist, Foster also played a significant role in rallying charges against Union Colonel Frank Wolford, an individual whose efforts served as a constant source of frustration for Lincoln, in September of 1864 for “aiding the enemies of the Country by the public expression of disloyal sentiments and of discouraging, denouncing, and opposing the enlistment of colored troops.” A leader in the military and in the courtroom, Foster was a truly intriguing figure, and this crisp image represents the only item from the Union leader that we’ve ever offered. RRAuction COA.
