Circa 1860, oil on canvas (with wax lining), unsigned, housed in the original oval gilt wood frame with gallery plaque reading "Henry Augustus Middleton, Jr. / 1829 - 1861." Secondary typewritten paper label on back of frame reads "H. Middleton / g.g. grandmothers uncle /on mothers side of family / descendant of signer of declaration of Independence John Rutledge." (please note it was John Rutledge's brother, Edward, who was the actual signer of the Declaration of Independence.) Henry Augustus Middleton, Jr. graduated from Harvard in 1849, worked as an engineer in Memphis and later ran the family plantation in Weehaw, SC. When the Civil War erupted, Middleton enlisted in the Confederate army as a private despite his superior education, professional experience, and social status. Serving with Wade Hampton's famed South Carolina "Legion," Middleton was mortally wounded at First Manassas on July 17, 1861. He is buried in Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery. Additional research information is included with this lot.

SS 32.25 x 26.5 in; DOA 41 x 35 in.

$1,000 - 2,000