Rare Unpublished CDV of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith with Tanner & Van

Rare Unpublished CDV of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith with Tanner & Van Ness Lynchburg, Virginia backmark. This rare piece of Civil War photography shows a sharp and clear bust view of the distinctive Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith. Two images came from this session and both are slightly different taken by Tanner & Vanness.
 
Edmund Kirby Smith was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, best known for commanding the Trans-Mississippi Department, which encompassed much of the western Confederate territory. Born on May 16, 1824, in St. Augustine, Florida, Smith graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1845. He served in the Mexican-American War and later worked as an instructor at West Point. When the Civil War broke out, Smith resigned his commission in the U.S. Army and joined the Confederacy, quickly rising through the ranks. He played a key role at the Battle of Richmond in 1862 and was later promoted to full general.
In 1863, Smith was given command of the Trans-Mississippi Department, where he oversaw Confederate operations west of the Mississippi River. Due to the Union's control of the river, his command became increasingly isolated from the rest of the Confederacy. Despite limited resources, he managed to maintain Confederate control in parts of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana until the war's end. On May 26, 1865, Smith surrendered his forces, making him one of the last Confederate generals to do so. After the war, he worked in education and business, eventually becoming a university professor. He died on March 28, 1893, in Sewanee, Tennessee.