Unidentified soldier sitting astride punishment device at Point Lookout, Maryland

Description

Image depicts an unidentified African American soldier sitting with his legs straddling a rough rail suspended in the air at the Union military base in Point Lookout, Maryland. This was a device for punishing soldiers during the Civil War and was called "the mule," "the wooden horse," or "riding the rail." The print includes a handwritten caption, "Nigro prisoner," on its lower border. The soldier guarding the prisoner appears to also be African American.