Private Horace H. Smith, Company G, 16th Wisconsin, is the subject of this tintype held in the Library of Congress. When it was first donated to the LoC, he was unidentified, but his initials were later discovered on his cartridge box sling under extreme magnification.
Smith fought in the Battle of Shiloh, April 6–7, 1862, and survived unhurt. But soon came down with a case of the mumps. Unfortunately, the disease “descended,” as it states in his records at the National Archives, into his testicles and caused him abject misery for the rest of his life. As you well know, it wasn’t only bullets and shells that caused suffering for Civil War soldiers.
historynet magazines
Our 9 best-selling history titles feature in-depth storytelling and iconic imagery to engage and inform on the people, the wars, and the events that shaped America and the world.
