Muster in: September 27, 1864
Muster out: June 17, 1865
In June 1864 Christian was drafted to serve in the Civil War but paid a commutation fee of $300 so he could continue to help his parents with the farm. During a second draft call in September 1864 he volunteered and served in the First Regiment of Minnesota Heavy Artillery, Company B.
Christian chose to be inducted under the alias of Henry Christian Smith, the Anglican equivalent of his real name. After leaving Fort Snelling for his tour of duty, a daguerreotype* was taken, most likely in Missouri. He applied gilt to the daguerreotype to highlight the buttons on his uniform.
His company was sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee but was not involved in any major battle. Christian, however, was left with permanent damage to his hearing as a result of the heavy artillery fire and he returned to Minnesota in June 1865.
*A daguerreotype was made by polishing a sheet of silver-plated copper to a mirror finish, treating it with
fumes that made its surface light sensitive, exposing it in a camera from a few seconds for brightly sunlit subjects or much longer with less intense lighting, making the resulting latent image on it visible by fuming it with mercury vapor, removing its sensitivity to light by liquid chemical treatment, rinsing and drying it, and then sealing the easily marred result behind glass in a protective enclosure. Viewing a daguerreotype is unlike looking at any other type of photograph. The image does not sit on the surface of the metal, but appears to be floating in space, and the illusion of reality, especially with examples that are sharp and well exposed, is unique to the process.