Item No. 1605087

A signed vignette CDV view of U.S. Navy Surgeon Ninian Pinkney, who served throughout the Civil War as the fleet surgeon of the Mississippi River Squadron. Pinkney signed on the reverse, “With the regards of N. Pinkney / Surgeon of the Fleet / Miss. Rvr. Squadron.” He is also identified in period ink at the base of the mount, below the portrait. Pinkney (also spelled Pinckney) had served as an assistant surgeon in the Navy beginning in 1834. Promoted to surgeon in 1841, he served on multiple stations prior to the Civil War, including the Mediterranean, Pacific, and Home Squadrons. During the Civil War, he was ordered to duty as surgeon of the fleet of the Mississippi River Squadron at the end of 1861, which later included service aboard the hospital ship Red Rover and administration of Navy hospitals at Memphis. He retired from the Navy in 1873. This CDV image originates from an album assembled by Medal of Honor recipient Bernard J. D. Irwin, a U.S. Army surgeon, who was Pinkney’s Army counterpart at Memphis later in the war. No photographer’s imprint is present, though there is residue on the reverse from a removed revenue stamp, suggesting the image was made in 1864 or 1865. Slightly trimmed corners. Measures about 2 3/8” x 4”.