VERY RARE – Remains of Ambrotype found in the same hole as the famous image of two Louisiana soldiers

This may appear as an insignificant relic, but there is quite a bit of history behind it. It is the remaining glass from a 1/6^th plate ambrotype image. It was dug years ago by Kenny Copeland at Shelbyville, Tennessee in an 1863 Louisiana Confederate winter camp.

Shelbyville was strategically important during the Civil War, known as "the only Union town in Tennessee," for its pro-Union sentiment. It was a key point in the 1863 Tullahoma Campaign where Union cavalry decisively defeated Confederate horsemen under General Joseph Wheeler in a significant cavalry clash on June 27, forcing a Confederate retreat through town and across the Duck River. The area saw frequent troop movements, fortifications, and skirmishes as both armies vied for control, with Union forces eventually occupying it after the battle.

This item was dug with the very famous ambrotype of two Louisiana soldiers. The notable ambrotype is pictured in Steve Mullinax's Confederate Buckle Book and Charles Harris Civil War Relics of the Western Campaigns books (see pictures) . When Ken dug it, it still had a very clear image, so clear that you could see the Pelican Buckles and buttons on their uniforms.

This one came out of that same pit and unfortunately didn't fare as well as the other one. There is no telling what this one could have had on it, maybe a single image of one of those same soldiers.

I acquired this ambrotype from the guy who had it in his collection along with  the image of the two Louisiana soldiers. He said it was too bad that this image didn’t retain the image as the other one, if so, it would be worth thousands.

Like I said, it appears insignificant, but actually it is a great piece of Civil War history. It comes in the glass top display case pictured.