John B. Krepps, a soldier of the 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, stands in full-length pose for this albumen CDV produced by R. W. Addis, photographer, during the Civil War era. Krepps enlisted on February 11, 1862, and served through January 29, 1866, seeing action at Spotsylvania, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg before being wounded in action on February 29, 1864, at Chaffin's Farm, Virginia. His name is inscribed twice in period script, once on the mount face below the image and again on a separate paper slip affixed above it.

He wears a Union frock coat with shoulder straps, a leather cross-body sling supporting a rifle, a sword belt with visible tassel, and a broad-brimmed hat bearing a crossed-cannon artillery badge at the crown. His right hand rests on his hip near the sword hilt while his left arm leans against a studio prop balustrade with fluted column and stepped base.

The 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery garrisoned the Washington defenses from enlistment through March 1864 before joining field operations in the Army of the Potomac for the Overland and Petersburg campaigns. The reverse bears the printed imprint of R. W. Addis, Photographer.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer