CDV of 2nd Lt Alfred Ballinger, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry – Gettysburg

Identified CDV of 2nd Lieutenant Alfred Ballinger, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry – Gutekunst, Philadelphia – Present at Gettysburg
 
This identified CDV of 2nd Lieutenant Alfred Ballinger of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. The image shows a sharp 3/4 standing view of Ballinger. The photograph was taken by the well-known F. Gutekunst studio in Philadelphia and features their backmark. This exact image is confirmed by an identical view held in the prestigious Massachusetts MOLLUS Collection.
 
Ballinger enlisted in Philadelphia as a 1st Sergeant on September 18, 1861, and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on January 4, 1863. He served with the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry, a hard-fighting regiment that participated in numerous major battles including Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg. His presence at the Battle of Gettysburg is confirmed on the Pennsylvania Monument at the battlefield.
The CDV has been lightly trimmed. It remains a strong, clear, and historically significant identified portrait of a Philadelphia officer who served throughout the war.
 
Key Actions at Gettysburg:
July 1, 1863 (First Day): The 90th Pennsylvania fought on the extreme right of the First Corps on Oak Ridge (also called Seminary Ridge), near the Mummasburg Road. They were positioned to support the Iron Brigade and faced heavy pressure from O’Neal’s Alabama Brigade (Rodes’ Division) and Confederate artillery. The fighting was intense and at close range. The regiment suffered significant losses: out of approximately 208 men engaged, they lost 94 casualties — 11 killed or mortally wounded, 44 wounded, and 39 captured or missing (roughly 45% casualty rate). Major Alfred J. Sellers earned the Medal of Honor for gallantry that day by voluntarily leading the regiment under heavy fire to a critical position, helping repel a Confederate attack.
July 2 & 3, 1863: After retreating with the rest of the First Corps through Gettysburg, the regiment took up defensive positions on Cemetery Hill. They spent much of the second and third days in reserve or supporting artillery, enduring some artillery shelling but seeing no major infantry combat.
Monuments at Gettysburg
The 90th Pennsylvania has two notable monuments:
The famous “Shattered Oak Tree” monument on Doubleday Avenue (Oak Ridge), marking their July 1 position.
An Eagle monument near Ziegler’s Grove on Cemetery Ridge.
The regiment’s service at Gettysburg is remembered as one of its hardest fights. Like many Philadelphia regiments, the 90th was composed of tough, experienced volunteers who performed well under pressure on the first day’s chaotic fighting.