The reverse of a carte-de-visite, 'From life, taken at Baton Rouge, La, April 2nd, 1863' [Manuscript reference: Adv.Ms.50.4.1, f.6].
Travelling through Boston during the 1864 presidential election, Scottish scholar John Francis Campbell bought a 'pro-Lincoln political photograph'.
Used as abolitionist propaganda, it showed a famous image of an enslaved man named Gordon, his back heavily scarred. The photograph was mass-produced, occasionally with a note from military doctor J W Mercer on the reverse.
Gordon was one of 400 'contrabands' — people who escaped slavery — inspected by Mercer, and one of 200,000 who later served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
On the reverse of the photograph there is the following text:
Camp Parapet, La
Augst 4th 1893
Colonel
I have found a large number of the four hundred contrabands examined by me to be as badly lacerated as the specimen represented in the enclosed photograph.
Very respectfully yours
J W Mercer
Asst Surgeon 47th MV
Facsimile of original report to Col L B Marsh.
This item featured in our American Civil War display, 'Yankee cries and Rebel yells' at the Library from 21 January to 29 March 2015.