I Need Help in Identifying a Soldier

I recently obtained this CDV because on the back it has "Newport, Kentucky" written on it and since I live near that city, it quickly got my attention and interest. (The fact that the photographer was located just across the Ohio River in Cincinnati also adds to my intrigue.)

I need help in two areas (but I realize that my scanning and image manipulation skills are not perfect. If a better or more detailed scan will help, please let me know)

1. What type of information does the uniform coat give? I am not a re-enactor nor an expert in period uniforms or equipment. It appears to be a frock coat perhaps, and there seems to be some striping on the sleeve. Does this indicate a rank or is it likely to have been for his branch of service (yellow for cavalry, blue for infantry, red for artillery from what I understand.)

2. Can anyone read the name on the back and find anything for him in the Soldiers and Sailors System or any other records? I thought it might be something like "G.W. Fly or Ply" but could not find any soldiers from Kentucky to match that.

I did find a "Gilbert Ely" in the Soldiers and Sailors System and he was in the 1st Kentucky Infantry. This seems to make sense because the first few Kentucky regiments were mustered in in Ohio as Kentucky attempted to be neutral, and Newport is located along the Ohio River, so the commute to enlist would be quick and easy for a soldier from that town. (Of course, I am not 100% sure the first letter is a "G." Most of the time I look and think it may be "F" or "T" or anything but a "G.")

That index shows that Mr. Ely enlisted as a sergeant and mustered out as a lieutenant. That is why I am hoping that the uniform picture may somehow provide some sort of clue.

Of course, he may not have been in Newport or even Kentucky when he enlisted. Maybe he moved and lived there only when the picture was taken. Maybe there is another explanation for that writing that does not help answer my questions, but, at the very least, this is a fascinating clue and one that I hope can help lead me to figuring out who this man was and more information about his life.

Thanks in advance for any help, either on my questions above or suggestions on where else to look.

Book Review: Faces of the Confederacy

Faces of the Confederacy: An Album of Southern Soldiers and Their Stories

by Ronald S. Coddington, forward by Michael Fellman

copyright 2008, The Johns Hopkins University Press

The carte-de-visite was a popular form of photography during the Civil War era and Ronald Coddington takes advantage of it in this volume, the follow up to his Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories (which I have not yet read.)

He searched various collections, of private individuals and public institutions to find these CDVs. His criteria included the condition of the card as well as it having the identification of the soldier pictured on it. He then researched the lives of these dozens of men and put together brief biographies of their lives, in and out of the war. 

This is a very fine and enjoyable compilation. Putting names to these old pictures gives them extra meaning and the information he uncovered about each was a great addition, almost bringing these men back to life again.

Mr. Coddington, who also publishes the blog Faces of War, did not simply find pictures of the most famous Confederate soldiers he could find and repeat information familiar to many Civil War enthusiasts; he specifically chose to focus on soldiers below the rank of colonel, i.e. the rank and file of the army, most of whose names are unknown to all but a select few. This makes the book even more valuable, providing insights into the typical soldiers who did not benefit from the privileges of holding a high rank - these were the men who carried out orders, who marched from battlefield to battlefield and who slept in tents and on the ground, whether wet or dry, hot or cold. 

I really enjoyed this book. It is well-written and moves quickly from one portrait to the next. It is a very fine volume and I do now want to get its precursor and read about the "common" Union soldiers Mr. Coddington profiled.

It is organized chronologically, based on the event that he describes for each soldier, from the start of the war to the end, and the preface, endnotes and references all are beneficial to this book, especially the endnotes, many of which include interesting further tidbits about these men.

Faces of the Confederacy  is an informative, enjoyable look at some of the "common soldiers" of the Confederacy, putting names with faces, and faces with their lives. It not only preserves the memory of these specific individuals, but also shows the human side of the war and the impact it had on these men and their families. It is a fine book and I do recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil War.