LOT #40079 |
Sold on Dec 8, 2025 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
[Confederate States of America]. Sixth Plate Ambrotype of James Elbert Henley of the 15th Georgia Infantry.. ...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Sold on Dec 8, 2025 for:
$6,250.00
Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder
Get one of these:
Explore Available Items
Description
[Confederate States of America]. Sixth Plate Ambrotype of James Elbert Henley of the 15th Georgia Infantry.1/6 plate ambrotype, housed in an embossed paper case measuring 3 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches. Depicts James Elbert Henley of the Georgia 15th Infantry in uniform, seated with a percussion rifle, with his buttons and belt buckle highlighted in gold. A typed label on the back of the case identifies him as "James Edward Henley," but his correct name was James Elbert Henley. This identification is supported by Henley's Find A Grave memorial, maintained by a descendant, which includes a later portrait of him with a full beard.
Together with three additional cartes de visite of Henley, each with period annotations on the verso identifying Henley.
Henley enlisted in the Confederate Army on July 15, 1861, at just seventeen, joining Company H of the 15th Georgia Infantry. The regiment fought in many of the war's most brutal battles under Toombs's and later Benning's Brigade, including the Seven Days Battles, Thoroughfare Gap, Second Manassas, Antietam, and Gettysburg. From 441 men in April 1862, their numbers fell sharply after each engagement, with heavy losses at Second Manassas and the Maryland Campaign. At Gettysburg, a mistaken order by Colonel Dudley DuBose sent the 15th into a superior Union force with no support, costing them nearly 40 percent of their men. When the regiment surrendered at Appomattox, only 226 soldiers remained-barely half the unit's original strength.
Records show that Henley was held as a prisoner of war in 1864, though the exact details of his capture are unknown. On February 28, 1865, he was listed as absent without leave, and no additional records of his military service have survived.
The accompanying CDVs offer insight into Henley's life after the war. The first (2 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches) shows him standing in a suit, with a note on the verso reading, in pencil: "Dr. J. E. Henley...Began practicing at Campbellton Ga just after Civil War...made when in medical college at Augusta Ga." The phrase "just after Civil War" has been traced over in blue ink. The second (2 1/2 x 4 inches) portrays Henley seated, holding his diploma, with the curtain behind him hand-colored in violet and yellow; the verso inscription reads, in pencil: "Dr. J. E. Henley, my Daddy." The third (2 1/4 x 4 inches) depicts Henley seated with two friends, labeled on the verso in pencil as "J. E. & 2 Friends / Gorman & Cantrell at Old Campbellton," with "Dr. Henley" added at the top edge in blue ink.
After receiving his medical degree, Henley practiced as a physician in Campbellton, Atlanta, and Douglasville. He married Tallulah Bullard in 1869, and the couple had two children: James and Margaret. He died in Douglasville on May 3, 1890, at 45 years old.
Condition: Ambrotype with a touch of soiling to the image; wear to the case, including a few chips at the edges and delamination to the back, decorations on back rubbed. CDVs each somewhat toned with minor edgewear and scattered soiling. Second CDV with moderate foxing to each side and evidence of singe at the top right corner, resulting in a bit of loss.
Reference: "James Elbert Henley," Find A Grave, memorial no. 53667350.
Auction Info
2025 December 8 Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction #6325 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2025
8th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 12
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,123
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% of the successful bid per lot.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms