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Drummer Philo H. Ravlin of Co. I, 47th Illinois Infantry Regiment in Uniform with Drum
Two images of Philo H. Ravlin, a drummer with the 47th Illinois Infantry, taken more than fifty years apart. The first, from 1861, shows him as a young Civil War soldier, standing with his drum at the start of the conflict. The second, dated 1914, shows Ravlin again with the same instrument, now an older man and a veteran. Seen together, the photos trace one life across war and peace, and reflect how Civil War service remained a defining part of identity long after the guns fell silent.