Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
On Veterans Day we usually honor those who fought in modern times, in places like Germany, Vietnam and Iraq. But a Utah man has a unique collection of photos of veterans who fought in America long before photography was invented.
These are men who fought for our country before it was even a country. They fought in the Revolutionary War more than 225 years ago. A Utah man has spent 30 years tracking down their stories and some of the earliest photos ever made.
The heroes of 1776; only a few lived long enough to become heroes again as old men, just after photography was invented in 1839.
Bauman has just eight photos of Revolutionary War veterans, but it's the largest collection in the world. "These are the men who actually made America a free country," he said.
It's an early photo process called daguerreotyping. The images are fixed on polished silver.
"You had to be at least in your 80s, maybe your late 80s and your 90s, to have survived from that time," Bauman said.
Last week, Bauman gave a presentation on the images at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
He purchased them in various ways, including eBay. He authenticated them by researching government records, old history books and writings of the veterans themselves.
When they were young, they served in places like Valley Forge and Yorktown, witnessed events like the Boston Tea Party and the British surrender.
Aeneas Munson served with Washington, Hamilton, and Lafayette. "He saw these people, and he reported what they said. So when you look at this person's eyes, you're looking at the eyes of someone who actually saw the greatest figures of the Revolution," Bauman explained.
Besides Bauman's eight, only a handful of other photos of Revolutionary veterans have ever been authenticated.
Bauman has already written a book on the eight men, and he's looking for a publisher.
The daguerreotype plates he owns were placed right inside the camera when the pictures were taken. It gives him a special thrill to realize they were probably handled and admired by the aging veterans themselves.
E-mail: jhollenhorst@ksl.com
