WASHINGTON (AP) — An enigmatic Civil War photo of a white man and a black slave, both in Confederate uniforms, has been donated to the Library of Congress.
The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/XLSvQW ) reports that the tintype image made in 1861 was donated by collector Tom Liljenquist of McLean, Virginia, who bought it from descendants of the white soldier.
The image has been much debated since it appeared on “Antiques Roadshow” five years ago.
It shows Sgt. Andrew Chandler of the 44th Mississippi Regiment seated beside Silas Chandler, a slave owned by Andrew Chandler’s mother.
The slave holds a shotgun and a knife, but historian Ronald Coddington says there’s no evidence he fought for the South.
Silas Chandler called himself a soldier’s servant on his successful application for a Mississippi state pension in 1916.
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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com
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