[Civil War veteran Samuel Cole Wright]

Archive record

1 photograph : print ; sheet 14 x 10 cm, mount 17 x 11 cm. | Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran Sergeant Samuel Cole Wright of Co. E, 29th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, who was wounded at White Oak Swamp, Virginia; Antietam, Maryland, Bethesda Church, Virginia, and Petersburg, Virginia; wearing eye patch and Medal of Honor.

About this photograph

Samuel Cole Wright served as a sergeant in Company E of the 29th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The archive record states he was wounded at four separate engagements: White Oak Swamp, Virginia; Antietam, Maryland; Bethesda Church, Virginia; and Petersburg, Virginia. The photograph, taken by C. F. Conly, shows him wearing an eye patch and his Medal of Honor.

The photograph dates from 1890, a quarter-century after the war's end. By that time, Union veterans commonly gathered for reunions and memorial observances, often appearing in formal portraits wearing their decorations. Exposure times during and after the war made action photography impossible, so the visual record consists almost entirely of portraits, camp scenes, and battlefield aftermath.

Wright's multiple wounds and Medal of Honor mark him as having seen particularly heavy combat. The eye patch visible in the portrait likely resulted from one of those four engagements, though the record does not specify which. The formality of the sitting, decades removed from the conflict, reflects how veterans documented their service long after returning to civilian life.

Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.

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