Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Dave Taylor · (This post was last modified: 03-28-2025 08:26 PM by Dave Taylor.)

Gene,

I actually don’t know who the man standing at the top left is actually supposed to be. My best guess is that it is the court reporter/stenographer Benn Pitman. The guy has a piece of paper under his arm which is why I’m guessing that. However, Pitman wore a beard and his man is clean shaven. There were court reporters other than Pitman, so it could one of them. The guy could also represent a person taking the stand to testify. The back of the CDV identifies the conspirators but only mentions that Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, General David Hunter, and General John Hartranft are also pictured. It also claims that Judge “Bigelow” is shown. I have no idea who “Bigelow” is supposed to be as no one by that name was involved in the trial. Most, but not all, of the commissioners are present and can be identified by their likenesses. I put together a little graphic identifying who everyone is. You can check it out here.

Also, it looks like the Rath archive only got one bid. The final sale was $62,500, which is just the 25% buyer’s premium added to opening bid of $50,000.