General O.O. Howard Signed CDV Boldly signed on the front with rank as major general. The back bears this period ink message to the general, "Please write your name under your picture Truly Yours Miss J.E. Smith”. The inscription could from the wife of General John E. Smith but I am not sure. After surviving many setbacks, he became an army commander and later head of the Freedman's Bureau. He was a champion of the ex-slaves. Howard University, a black school was named after Gen. Howard. After his retirement he was active in education and historical writing. Back marked Brady’s National Portrait Gallery.