"Gettysburg" 147th New York Infantry CDV of Union Soldier John Q. Adams

Gettysburg CDV of Union Officer John Q. Adams – 147th New York Infantry & 30th United States Colored Troops (USCT)
 
John Q. Adams began his Civil War service in September 1862 when he mustered into the 147th New York Volunteer Infantry, known as the “Oswego Regiment” or “Ploughboys.” Organized in Oswego, New York, the regiment served with the 1st Corps, Army of the Potomac, and endured some of the war’s most intense fighting. Adams participated in the Chancellorsville Campaign (April–May 1863), the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863), and the subsequent Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns in the fall of 1863. The 147th New York suffered particularly heavy casualties at Gettysburg.
In February 1864, Adams was honorably discharged from the 147th New York to accept a commission as a lieutenant in Company B, 30th Regiment, United States Colored Troops (USCT). He mustered into the 30th USCT on March 3, 1864. While serving with this regiment during the Siege of Petersburg, Lieutenant Adams was wounded in action at the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864. He continued his service and was mustered out on December 10, 1865.
 
This carte-de-visite (CDV) portrait of Lieutenant John Q. Adams was taken by Marken’s Gallery in Frederick, Maryland. The identification is considered absolutely solid and has been confirmed through multiple sources. A nearly identical image, bearing a period ink inscription on the front reading “Very Respectfully, Lieut. J. Q. Adams,” was previously in this collection approximately twenty years ago. Additionally, noted Maryland Civil War authority Gil Barrett confirmed the identification at that time, noting that the same photograph exists in the collections of the U.S. Army Military History Institute in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
The backmark reads: “FROM MARKEN’S GALLEY, Frederick, Md.”
 
This CDV represents a rare and well-documented view of a Union officer who served in both a prominent New York infantry regiment and one of the early African American regiments of the United States Colored Troops. It offers a direct connection to two historically significant units and to an officer who saw action in some of the war’s most pivotal battles, including Gettysburg and the Battle of the Crater.