Bidspirit auction | D'UTASSY, FREDERICK GEORGE.  CARTE-DE-VISITE PHOTOGRAPH.

D'UTASSY, FREDERICK GEORGE.  CARTE-DE-VISITE PHOTOGRAPH. Seated knees-up view in uniform, holding hat and sword. Printed identification. Photog: (Matthew) Brady, Washington. Born in Hungary, Colonel D’Utassy (1827-92) had a clouded past, declaring himself a Baron upon his emigration to America, although more likely he had been a Jewish second-hand clothes dealer with the born name of Strasser. During the war D’Utassy rose to become became commander of the 39th New York Infantry - the famous Garibaldi Guard (Lincoln’s Foreign Legion). In March 1863 D'Utassy was arrested by order of the War Department accused of charges relating to fraud and mismanagement. On May 27 the verdict was sentenced and directly approved by President Abraham Lincoln. D'Utassy was found guilty of conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline by selling the position of Major in his regiment to a fellow officer, forging muster rolls, unlawfully disposing of Government horses for his own benefit, forging accounts to fraudulently receive several thousand dollars and related acts of corruption. He was sentenced to Sing-Sing prison for one year. D’Utassy’s bizarre story is best told by the Shapell Manuscript Foundation in its Roster Project. See also https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9912540/frederick-george-d'utassy .