The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation

by Maureen Taylor, Joan Severa (Foreword), David Allen Lambert (Contributor)

An amazing photographic addition to the history of the early Republic “I wondered if it was possible to use photographic and documentary evidence to re-create the first generation of Americans―those men, women, and children bound together by having lived during the Revolutionary War. . . .While there were many images in public collections or owned by collectors, I knew through my work as a curator and as a collector that there were likely even more in private family collections.” ―from the Introduction A remarkable work of documentary history, The Last Muster is a collection of rare nineteenth-century photographic images―primarily daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and carte des visite paper photographs―of the Revolutionary War generation. This extraordinary collection of images assigns faces to an un-illustrated war and tells the stories of our nation’s founding fathers and mothers, updating and supplementing research last collected and published over a century ago. In her comprehensive introduction, author Maureen Taylor explains how she came to this project and collected the images. She also describes her exhaustive primary source research involved in dating and identifying each image and investigating the story and genealogy of each subject. The array of seventy images is expansive and includes veterans, loyalists, Native Americans, African Americans, children who witnessed battles and aided soldiers, and women who nursed the wounded and even took up arms themselves. Although the faces that gaze at the reader are old and wizened, the stories they tell are of youthful bravery in the young days of the republic. The Last Muster is a much-needed contribution to the history of the American Revolution, the early Republic, and the history of photography. Through these portraits and the accompanying narrative, readers will have the opportunity to relive the Revolutionary War.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American Revolutionary War, Photography, American History, Biography

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Katharine Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Last Muster" - written by Maureen Taylor with an assist by David Allen Lambert, and published in 2010 by The Kent State University Press. "It's estimated that close to 300,000 men served during the Revolution." Taylor set herself the daunting task to locate and document images of these men (and women) and she met with great success. Early forms of photography emerged in the 1840s, when most of these patriots would have been at least in their eighties. And do you think all of these images were labelled? She spread the word of her search far and wide and spent the next ten years doing research. Each image is accompanied by whatever details she could reliably ascribe to the patriot and these show a glimpse of the tumult of the times. We have Revolutionary participants on both sides of our family, but no photos that I'm aware of. A well-done project that is ongoing.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pictures were great to look at. Stories weren't bad. Odd fact incorrect but a easy read

[Jason Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maureen Taylor, the author, has many obvious talents; however, telling a great story isn't one of those. This book left me underwhelmed mostly because I had such great expectations. The book really is just a series of photographs from the mid 1800's of people who had some connection to the Revolution, or the War of Rebellion - as you like. As a historical record - to record the evidence she has collected - the book is indispensable, but as a sit down and read book - this one is not your friend. I love many of the stories captured here and if you have any interest in 18th or19th century America there is good stuff in here, but you wouldn't want to pull this book up to the fireside for a long winter's night.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title fits the book to such an extent that you almost don't need a review to know what is in it EXCEPT the title does not tell you how it will make you feel. This is an incredible collection of images of elderly gentlemen who fought to preserve a nation and if for no other reason should be preserved. Looking into the faces of these almost entirely, ordinary men touched my heart. A fabulous book that really shows the "end" of the Revolutionary War as the last of the generation who fought are fading away.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

By coincidence, I found this book at the library about a week before I met with someone afor a site that involves a mural of the Battle of Bunker Hill so this was a great way to connect over the project. The photos of the various individuals that make up the generation that had seen the birth of America with their own eyes are all unique views into a past that most have only experienced though textbooks.

[Kate Zdenek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. That fact that the author was able to find photographs of people who lived during the Revolutionary War is fascinating.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at the Revolutionary War. I hope book 2 expands to include pictures of Revolutionary heroes from Pennsylvania

[Michele Kinsey Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is surreal looking at the faces of these individuals that lived/participated in the American Revolution. But the true joy of the book is looking past the weathered and aged faces and imagining what these people looked like as young, heroic rebels.