Maryland Historians Sought Help Identifying Civil War Photos

The Maryland Center for Military History is asking for public help to name soldiers in 160-year-old tintypes.

Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Collecting

Screen-print poster illustration of an antique brass-framed tintype photograph resting on a wooden table, evoking a historical research environment. — The Maryland Center for Military History is requesting public assistance to identify unnamed soldiers featured in a collection of 160-year-old tintype photographs. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Would you help local historians identify individuals in historic photographs from your community?

Curators at the Maryland Center for Military History have launched an effort to identify Civil War soldiers featured in a collection of tintype photographs. The images remain unnamed more than 160 years after they were captured.

Why it matters

Researchers currently struggle to link individual faces in the archives to historical military service records. By involving the public, the center hopes to finally connect the soldiers to their family histories and service legacy.

The collection features tintype photographs that have remained unidentified for 160 years. These soldiers were associated with Company B, which served across Maryland's Eastern Shore and Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The players

Maryland Center for Military History

This institution is a repository for military artifacts and historical records based in Baltimore, Maryland.

The details

Curators are now calling on descendants and local historians with knowledge of Eastern Shore families to assist in the identification process. The project involves cross-referencing soldiers from Company B, which received orders to report to Baltimore in June 1863, with the physical collection.

160 years ago: Original tintype photographs were captured.
June 1863: Company B received orders to report to Baltimore.

Roadmap

This effort mirrors public-led research initiatives that rely on community crowdsourcing to annotate national military archives. It demonstrates how modern institutions utilize collaborative digital outreach to bridge gaps in historical documentation.

Residents of the Eastern Shore with ancestors who served in the Civil War may hold the missing information needed to identify these soldiers. Participating involves reviewing historical records or family archives to help curators finalize the provenance of these tintype images.

The takeaway

Tracing ancestral history through visual archives requires a blend of professional research and community knowledge. Families interested in genealogy may find significant records by engaging with local archives that maintain specialized regional collections.