Extremely rare 2.5 x 4 carte-de-visite photo of Rutherford B. Hayes in uniform during the Civil War, nicely signed in ink, “R. B. Hayes, Brt. Maj. Gen'l Vols.” The reverse, which bears an affixed two-cent revenue stamp, features a backmark that reads, “Photographed by Ewing & Co., Cumberland, MD." In very good to fine condition, with some light soiling, and the lower corner of the image missing. The stamp allows us to date the CDV to circa 1864–1866, when the 'Sun Picture Tax' was in effect—passed by Congress as a means to finance the ongoing war between the states. At the outset of the Civil War, Hayes enlisted in the Union Army as an officer. Frequently seeing combat, Hayes was wounded five times, most seriously at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862. He earned a reputation for bravery in combat and was promoted to the rank of brevet major general. A hugely desirable, Civil War–era signed portrait of the future commander-in-chief.
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