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    Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was born May 28, 1818 at his family’s plantation “Contreras” located near New Orleans, Louisiana.  At an early age young Beauregard was fascinated by the art of war.  He attended an elite finishing school in New York where he was educated by two exiled officers of Napoleon Bonaparte’s Army.  This tended to increase his interest in all things military and he studied military history with a passion. 

     His dedication and connections got him appointed to the West Point Military Academy in 1834 at only sixteen years old.  He displayed a great military aptitude and when he graduated in 1838, he was the number two cadet in his class.  He would go on to fight alongside many of his classmates during the War Between the States, including Confederate Generals Dick Ewell, William Hardee and Jubal Early.  He would also fight against many of his classmates and acquaintances, most notably: Union Generals Irvin McDowell, Joe Hooker, Tecumseh Sherman and Henry Halleck. Ironically, he fought alongside many of these same men during the War with Mexico, where he served in the distinguished Engineer Corps along with Robert E. Lee.  Beauregard was twice wounded during the assault on the City of Mexico, where he was brevetted for bravery.  Following the Mexican War, Beauregard remained in the Army and continued to serve as an engineer on Federal projects.  In January, 1861 Beauregard was named as Superintendent of the West Point Military Academy.  The Academy’s curriculum had always taught that every soldier’s duty was to his state, but Beauregard was removed from his position five days after his appointment, for telling a Louisiana student that if Louisiana left the Union, he, Beauregard would do likewise.

     In the spring of 1861, the crises between the sections rose to a fever pitch.  Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy’s new President, no doubt remembering Beauregard’s gallant service in the Mexican War, placed him in command of all of the Confederate forces marshalling in Charleston, South Carolina.  This appointment would place P. G. T. Beauregard squarely in the middle of the most important crossroad in American history with trains running at full speed from both directions.

     At this same time, Federal forces under Major Robert Anderson were violating South Carolina’s sovereignty by holding Fort Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor.  Anderson had taken the fort on Christmas night, 1860.  The next several months were punctuated by lie after lie by Lincoln and his administration with the intent of forcing the South to fire the first shots of War.  Lincoln had judged rightly in that the honourable people of the South would fight rather than subject themselves to a duplicitous despot.  Eventually, the South’s patience had worn thin; they had taken all of the Lincoln administration’s deceit that they could stand.  On the afternoon of April 11, General Beauregard sent ex-U.S. Senator, Colonel James Chestnut, Captain Stephen Lee and Colonel A. R. Chisholm to Sumter with a message for Major Anderson: the Confederate States “can no longer delay assuming actual possession of a fortification commanding the entrance to one of their harbors, and necessary to its defense and security.”  Beauregard demanded the evacuation of Fort Sumter.  Anderson declined, but assured Beauregard’s representatives that, without re-supply he would be starved out in a few days if Beauregard would hold his fire.  In a last ditch effort to avoid war, the Southerners allowed themselves to be deceived again.  Beauregard informed the Confederate Secretary of War of Major Anderson’s reply and was directed to hold his fire “to prevent the effusion of blood” if Major Anderson would specifically state when he would relinquish the Fort to Confederate authorities.  General Beauregard’s emissaries returned to Sumter, arriving at 12:45 A.M., April 12, and presented the Confederacy’s terms.  In order to buy time, Anderson promised to evacuate at noon on the 15^th if he did not receive re-supply.  This answer was unacceptable because it was now well known that Lincoln, contrary to his assurances, was sending supplies and likely reinforcements.  This was a direct contradiction to Lincoln’s promises to the Confederate government.  The Lincoln administration is believed to have intentionally leaked the information to Confederate authorities in a direct attempt to goad the South into firing the first shot of the War.  Not even comprehending such deceit, the Southerners fell for his trap and General Beauregard gave the order to open fire at 4:30 A.M., April 12, 1861.  This heralded in a great celebration in Charleston, the people not recognizing they had doomed their own civilization.

     The Fort surrendered the next day, following thirty-four hours of incessant bombardment.  General Beauregard instantly became, and remained a Southern icon.  The demand for his carte de visite photograph was great; everyone wanted an image of the “Hero of Sumter.”  Sometime in the first week of April, 1861, Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard posed for Charleston, South Carolina photographer Charles Quinby in Quinby’s studio on King Street.  Charles Quinby was an ex-New Yorker and an astute businessman.  By the day of Sumter’s fall, Quinby was already selling carte de visite images of the now famous General.  Quinby took several different poses of General Beauregard at the early April session, and hundreds of the carte de visites made from the ambrotypes taken that day survive.  I made an extensive search over several months, searching both public and private collections as well as published sources, including searches of past auctions.  I have been unable to locate a single record of sale, or even the existence of another surviving Quinby & Company ambrotype of General Beauregard.

     The sixth plate ambrotype of General Beauregard, shown here was taken by Charles Quinby during the April, 1861 session and was only discovered in December of 2004.  It was discovered in Stokes County, North Carolina at the Jessup estate. 

     The image had been passed down from Jessup's father and grandfather.  According to the Jessup family the other man shown in the double image case was named Jackson, but Jessup sold some books along with the images and there was an old black and white photograph of the man Jessup had identified as Jackson laying inside of Vol. II of Lee's Lieutenants, that had the name “Campbell, Peter, Private C.S.A.” typed onto the back.  Jessup had no interest in Confederate things, but his father had, so I expect the Campbell identification is more likely correct.  The family said that the Confederate soldier in the image, be it Jackson or Campbell, served under Beauregard and that it was Campbell's last request that Beauregard sit with him for a photograph.  Beauregard was unable to do so.  Instead he sent this sixth plate ambrotype to Campbell.  The Jessup family lore was that this double image was placed on Campbell's coffin during his funeral service.  The Campbell image is in poor condition, but the General’s ambrotype remains remarkably clear.     

     This is the only known ambrotype of Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard still in private hands and it is inexorably linked to the most pivotal time and place in America’s history.