Identity Regained
When this ambrotype was acquired by a private collector, the identity of this tough-looking C.S.A. cavalry trooper had been lost over time, as is the case with thousands of keepsake photographic images of common soldiers on both sides of the conflict. In March 2012, the portrait appeared in a special Civil War supplement in the Washington Post. Karen Thatcher, from West Virginia, opened the paper and immediately identified “Uncle Dave.” Family photographs of Private Thatcher were used to confirm his identity.
When this ambrotype was acquired by a private collector, the identity of this tough-looking C.S.A. cavalry trooper had been lost over time, as is the case with thousands of keepsake photographic images of common soldiers on both sides of the conflict. In March 2012, the portrait appeared in a special Civil War supplement in the <em>Washington Post</em>. Karen Thatcher, from West Virginia, opened the paper and immediately identified “Uncle Dave.” Family photographs of Private Thatcher were used to confirm his identity.