A recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery shows that military folk go in for portraits of themselves rather more frequently than the rest of the population. This is neither good nor bad. I found fourteen of them (one is a twofer). The majority are bas reliefs with two busts in the round mixed in. I’ll surely have missed some—Arlington National Cemetery is a vast place.
As usual, I omit as a category those little ceramic photo badges that folks glue on their tombstone and, if I had seen any, I would have omitted photographs etched on granite. I saw only two private mausolea in the whole place, and neither had a portrait within.
Major General Henry Tureman Allen, USA.
On Allen, see here. He had an interesting life, exploring Alaska in the mid-1880s, Serving in Berlin as an attaché, fighting in the Spanish-American War in Cuba and the Philippines, governed Leyte there, went after Pancho Villa with Pershing, and commanded the American occupation zone in Germany after World War I. On his tombstone you see him commemorated for his leadership of the American Committee for German Children in 1923-24, which , says the Pedia of Wiki, distributed meals to one million German children.
Brevet Major General William Worth Belknap, USA
On Belknap, see here. This Princetonian was Secretary of War under Grant.
Lieutenant Cushman Kellogg Davis, USA
On Davis, who governed Minnesota and was later US Senator, see here.
Talks at the Treaty of Paris to end the Spanish-American War?
Major General John Gibbon, USA
On Gibbon, see here.
Gibbon was intimately involved in the final actions of the war at Appomattox and was present at the great surrender scene. See his photo at the Wikipedia page linked above: he was quite striking with a bow tie on his buttoned-up military tunic. Here he appears rather older, as a major general.
Captain Sanders Walker Johnston, USA
Sanders Johnston left no trace on the web.
But ancestry dot com has a passport application from 1887, when he was 66 years old:
Stature: 5′ 9.25″
Forehead: medium
Eyes: blue
Nose: medium
Mouth: small
Chin: beard
Hair: light gray
Complexion: fair
Face: oval
Yep, that’s the spittin’ image of him in bronze!
Brevet Major General Benjamin Franklin Kelley, USA
On Kelley, see here. I’m sorry the monument is at a crazy angle. It was blocked by another directly in front of it.
Figure 6a. Benjamin Franklin Kelley portrait, optimal view. 
Figure 6b. Benjamin Franklin Kelley portrait, frontal view.
I wouldn’t want this guy angry at me, that’s for sure.
Rear Admiral Richard Worsam Meade, III, USN
On Richard Worsam Meade III, a nephew of George Gordon Meade, see here.
Despite his pavilion, the birds have gotten him pretty well. See how the finish of the bust is decaying.
Second Lieutenant John Jay Moller, USA
Moller, who died at 27, is unknown to the interwebs except for this monument. One wonders why he died in 1909. Natural causes?
Captain and Mrs. Otto Andreae Nesmith, USA
The Nesmiths also lack a web presence. However, his mother’s maiden name was Maria Antoinette Gaal, which should count for something.
Figure 9a. Otto Andreae Nesmith portrait relief. 
Figure 9b. Blanche Vaughan Nesmith portrait relief.
She was from Providence, he from California. With his mustache he looks like he should have flown a Sopwith Camel.
Brevet Lieutenant Colonel John Wesley Powell, USA
On Powell, who needs no introduction, see here. The monument type is seen in a couple of places around Arlington and in Rock Creek Cemetery.
The patina here has decayed and the bronze looks a bit eaten away. It was probably once quite a pretty relief.
Brevet Major General Green Clay Smith, USA
More about Green Clay Smith can be found here.
After serving as territorial governor of Montana after the Civil War, he returned to private life, became a baptist minister, and even ran for president of the US on the temperance ticket. Not much fun at parties, I ween.
Brevet Brigadier General Ellis Spear, USA
On Spear, see here.
A nice portrait from the age of reconciliation. He was photographed by Brady and Handy with a Rutherford B. Hayes beard in the 1870s. Here he’s gone clean shaven.
Brigadier General Theodore J. Wint, USA
On Wint, see here.
Nice treatment of the hair.
Συγγράμματα 