Port Hudson Relics

Exquisite charcoal portrait of W.A.
Montgomery, Montgomery's personal war
history is intertwined with Vicksburg's
history. He was raised on Fourteen Mile
Creek, between Edwards Station and
Raymond, Miss. At age 16 he enlisted in
the 12th Miss. Intry, and marched off to
the war in Virginia. While recuperating
from an illness at home in Mississippi, he
was recruited to act as a scout for
Confederate forces. This action involved
him in the Battle of Raymond, part of
Grant's Vicksburg campaign. After Raymond,
Montgomery became chief scout under the
command of Wirt Adams. He fought at
Champion's Hill and later at Big Black
River. Montgomery and adams' cavalry did
not follow Pemberton into Vicksburg, but
instead harassed federals from outside of
the lines. He was such a thorn in the side
of the federal army that he had been
outlawed and orders issued for him to be
shot whenever captured. Eventually, he
was captured only to escape by jumping
over board from a federal prisoner ship
heading north on the Mississippi River. He
later form his own company of scouts and
operated around Natchez, collecting up
deserters and harassing yankees. He
surrendered in Gainesville, FL on May 12,
1865. He became a lawyer in 1868; a
Major in the State militia in 1875 and
served in the US House of Rep. in 1898.
He died in 1925. The frame is a patriotic
red, white and blue painted wood frame.
The frame itself has some damage on the
bottom. The portrait is missing the upper
most left 1/2 inch by 2 inch section.
There is a water stain across the bottom
of the picture, but it does not take away
from the portrait. It is missing the paint
along the bottom edge and about 1/5 the
way up each side.

Also there is a newspaper placed in the back of
the frame, it is dated 1897. The identification on
the face ranks him as a Colonel, This rank was due
to Montgomery being commissioned 1898 into the US
Army for the Spanish American War. The the frame
has a slight seperation where the two sides meet
the base. measurement are 21inch by 27 inches.
This historical item comes with plenty of
provinance. (kb) $215