The Unsuccessful Apple
Oil on Paper 8 x 10"
$200
Oil on Paper 8 x 10"
$200
Private John Egler Jr., Company A, 26th Michigan Infantry
A 42-year-old émigré from Wertenberg, Germany, John Egler Jr. was a Michigan farmer when he enlisted in Company A, 26th Michigan Infantry, in August 1862. Sometime thereafter, he posed for a tintype with his name and unit affiliation stenciled on his knapsack, a bayonet in one hand and an apple in the other, the latter possibly meant to be a hopeful symbol of continued good health. If such were the case, this particular talisman was not successful. During the regiment’s bloody bayonet charge at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864, Egler was severely wounded, and died May 31st. He left behind a wife and four children.
- D. Finney Collection