Authentic Civil War 1860s Portrait Capt Russell A Belden 59th Indiana Infantry C For Sale

Wow what a piece of cool historical significance.

This is a painted photograph variation, likely a hand-colored or oil-painted albumen photograph or salted paper print on a rigid board backing. This technique was highly popular during the 1860s to turn standard monochrome photographs into lifelike, colored portraits

About Captain Belden & The 59th Indiana

• Company Commander:

Russell A. Belden helped organize and was commissioned as the Captain of Company D. His unit was primarily composed of men from Greene County, Indiana.

• Service Timeline: The 59th Indiana Infantry was mustered into service in February 1862 at Gosport, Indiana.

• Major Campaigns: As part of the Army of the Mississippi and later the Army of the Tennessee, Captain Belden\'s 59th Indiana fought in massive Western Theater campaigns, including:

• The Siege of Vicksburg (where they suffered significant casualties)

• The Battle of Corinth

• The Battle of Chattanooga

• Sherman\'s March to the Sea

This clarifies his history—he was a leading officer of the 59th Indiana, Company D!

Here is the historical breakdown of Captain Russell A. Belden, the officers who served alongside him, and the combat record of Company D, 59th Indiana Infantry Regiment.

Roster of Officers: Company D, 59th Indiana Infantry

During the Civil War, a company\'s leadership evolved as men were promoted, resigned, or became casualties. Captain Belden helped raise this company mostly out of Greene County, Indiana. The primary officers who commanded and served alongside him in Company D included:

• Captain Russell A. Belden – Original Captain and organizer of Company D.

• Captain Andrew J. Mason – Promoted to Captain of Company D later in the war.

• 1st Lieutenant John M. Harrah – Served directly under Captain Belden as his second-in-command during their heaviest early western campaigns.

• 1st Lieutenant William P. Starnes – Later promoted to fill leadership vacancies.

• 2nd Lieutenant Hubert L. Sowers – The original third-ranking officer of the company at muster-in.

Battles & Campaigns

Company D fought exclusively in the Western Theater, which was known for brutal, grinding campaigns. Under Captain Belden\'s leadership, they marched thousands of miles through the heart of the Confederacy:

1. The Siege of New Madrid & Island No. 10 (March–April 1862): Their very first taste of combat, helping clear the Mississippi River.

2. The Siege & Battle of Corinth (May & October 1862): A chaotic, bloody defensive battle where the regiment successfully repulsed fierce Confederate assaults.

3. The Vicksburg Campaign (May–July 1863): This was the regiment\'s most devastating campaign. They fought at the Battle of Raymond, the Battle of Jackson, and took heavy casualties during the direct assaults on the fortification walls of Vicksburg.

4. The Chattanooga Campaign (November 1863): They fought at Missionary Ridge to help break the Confederate siege of Chattanooga.

5. Sherman’s March to the Sea & The Carolinas Campaign (1864–1865): Later in the war, the regiment cut off from supply lines, destroyed infrastructure across Georgia, and fought their final major combat at the Battle of Bentonville.

• Regimental Accolades: The highest group honor Captain Belden’s company received was being chosen to have their unit permanent name cast into bronze on the 48th and 59th Indiana Infantry Monument located inside the Vicksburg National Military Park.

• Casualties & Wounds: The 59th Indiana suffered a staggering toll. While 37 men were killed or mortally wounded in action, 229 men in the regiment died from disease (such as dysentery and typhoid fever) due to the harsh camp conditions along the Mississippi River swamps.