Sep 26, 2019 - Sale 2517

Sale 2517 - Lot 82

Unsold
Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900
(CIVIL WAR--PHOTOGRAPHY.) [Knox, David; photographer.] Cock Fight about to Commence at Union Headquarters of General Willcox. Albumen photograph, 7 x 9 inches to sight, captioned on mat; 2 short tears, minor wear, laid down on board; not examined out of modern mat. Petersburg, VA, [August 1864]
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Additional Details

At the Siege of Petersburg, a small group of Union soldiers and civilians are gathered in camp to watch a cock fight. Two kneeling African-American attendants are prepared to release the angry fowls. Brigadier General Orlando Bolivar Willcox is the bearded man seated at center; months later he would lead the first Union troops to enter Petersburg at the conclusion of the siege. The Library of Congress holds another very similar image titled "Petersburg, Virginia. Cock fighting at Gen. Orlando B. Willcox's headquarters," which provides the date and photographer's name.