This unnamed officer is wearing a Spanish American War period uniform and campaign hat. The uniform insignia shows he was an infantry officer from Michigan.
One of the more common 19th century American military swords is the 1860 pattern Staff and Field officer's sword. Used through the Civil War into the Spanish American War. A strange variation of this very model came into my shop with a whistle built into the crossguard. Included was a period cabinet card photograph of the original owner holding this very same sword.
The photographer (E.N. Noble) is from Traverse City, Michigan.
This sword was made by the M.C. Lilley Company of Columbus, Ohio. You can see the same sword 115 years later, and in color.
A picture taken from underneath the crossguard clearly shows the whistle.
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