Month: April 2022

Visiting the Civil War Monument in La Grange, Ohio

Just this last weekend, as my wife and I visited my son and his fiance in their new house, we passed through a small town name La Grange, where there stands a large Civil War monument dedicated to soldiers of the nearby area who served in wars before 1903. On the way back home, we stopped so I could have my picture taken, and view the monument more closely.

The monument is about 25 ft tall with a large square base at the bottom. On each side of the bottom has a Union General’s name and the name of the battle at the base (Except for Thomas, which has a dedication plaque instead of battle below it). In between are inscribed the names of the men who served in the armed forces, with one side dedicated to the ones who gave their lives. The pedestal at top is of a sculpture of a Union soldier with a sword in one hand and the flag in the other.

On closer look, it seems that with the exception of the names of the soldiers that served, the monument is pretty generic. You would think that the Generals honored would have some sort of connection other than that they served for the Union. I thought that maybe there was an Ohio connection, which would have made sense. Both Ulysses Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman were born in Ohio, but George Thomas was born in Virginia and Philip Sheridan in New York. My guess is that they were chosen because they were the most successful of the Union commanders. Upon further research, my observation of the monument being somewhat generic may not be far off.

Monuments were sometimes mass produced

In an online article called “The Surprising Reason Why So Many Civil War Memorials Look Almost Exactly the Same”, many monuments were mass-produced and could be ordered from a catalog! As Kirk Savage, author of Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves: Race, War and Monument in Nineteenth-Century America, explains: “With dealers and catalogs of readymade soldier figures, the industry could supply soldier monuments cheaply and quickly to local communities without them even having to approach a sculptor.” You can read more and view a video about this by clicking here.

The Attack upon the Chew House by Howard Pyle

The Attack upon the Chew House is a painting by Howard Pyle, a noted American illustrator known mostly for his depictions of pirates, medieval characters, and Revolutionary War themes. He also founded the Brandywine School in Wilmington, Delaware. The painting was done for Henry Cabot Lodge’s “The Story of the Revolution”, that appeared in Scribner’s Magazine for June 1898. You can see the painting here: https://www.americanrevolutioninstitute.org/asset/the-attack-upon-the-chew-house-by-howard-pyle/

I can’t remember the first time I saw this painting. It was most likely when I was in elementary school, in some history book that I checked out from the Library, or maybe the school textbook. Regardless, I had mostly forgotten about this work until I purchased a book of Howard Pyle’s work from a discount book store.

I love the way the dark uniforms contrast greatly with the rest of the painting, drawing the eye towards the soldiers as they advance towards the house. The position and posture of the running soldiers really gives a sense of movement from right to left as they attempt to storm the house, with bodies in a half-run and faces showing the determination of battle, all facing the objective. The only exception is the wounded and dead, and the one man with the sword raised on the steps facing the total opposite of everyone else. Really cool! I also like that the background is really abstract and gray, in contrast to the detail of the soldiers in the foreground.

When I look at this painting, I have mind to paint a similar work but depicting an event in the American Civil War. I don’t know in what exact scenario this would have happened where soldiers stormed a house in the same manner, although I would bet this occurred many times. The one situation I can think of offhand is during the final assault by the Confederates at the battle of Gaines Mill, where the Watt House was part of the Union defensive line that was overrun by the massive Southern charge near the end of the battle. I will have to research more to find out if this would work.

The Attack upon the Chew House is housed at the Delaware Art Museum. Maybe one of these days I can go there myself.
https://delart.org/

Medal of Honor for capturing the enemy flag

As I was doing my research on the Civil War Medal of Honor recipients from Ohio, I can’t help but notice that many of the citations read “Capture of Flag”. I wanted to look into this a little deeper as it seemed such a small action as capturing the flag didn’t seem worthy of such an honor.

In the American Civil War, flags were used as a guide or rallying point for soldiers in battle. A battlefield can a very loud place, making it extremely difficult or even impossible to hear bugle calls or vocal commands. A visual rallying point was essential, and soldiers were trained to follow the flag. So it would be natural to assume that there would always be a good amount of men near the flag, and thus harder to capture. Also, only the most courageous of men carried the colors, as he would have to be prominently in view of not only his comrades, but also the enemy. Therefore, the carrier of the flag presents an ideal target in full view of the opposing army. More importantly, color bearers had to face the enemy and never break and run in retreat, or the entire regiment might follow. So capturing the flag meant confronting a very determined, brave soldier who is determined to protect the colors at all costs.

From an artist’s perspective, the attempted capture of the enemies colors then becomes a great subject for a painting. I am always interested in the moment when the bodies are in full motion, when the tension is at it’s highest. Trying to seize the colors of the enemy then becomes the epic battle within a battle. A savage combat between a courageous flag bearer valiantly trying to hold on to an object of great reverence, and a equally brave and daring opponent who is trying to add to his own regiment’s glory.

For further reading, I found the following:

Why Were Flags So Important in the Civil War?

The 104th Ohio at the Battle of Franklin (1864)

While I was trying to come up with new ideas for my paintings, I thought it might be a good idea to create oil paintings of Medal of Honor recipients from Ohio during the American Civil War. As I was doing my research, I found out that 6 members of the 104th Ohio received this honor during the Battle of Franklin. I did not know much at all about the battle, so I dug a little deeper.

To quickly summarize, at 4:00 p.m. on November 30th, 1864, Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood’s Army of Tennessee launched numerous assaults against fortified Union positions under Maj. Gen. John Schofield in a desperate attempt seize the important manufacturing and supply center of Nashville, currently occupied by Union forces under the command General George H. Thomas, commander of the Army of the Cumberland. Hood almost succeeded at Franklin, launching a frontal assault consisting of 20,000 men against the firmly entrenched Union forces. But around 9:00 p.m., and after many failed attempts to dislodge the Union defenders, the battle is over. The Confederates fall back, the army of Tennessee decimated by huge losses.

It was during a critical time during the battle that the 104th Ohio was able to distinguish itself. Positioned just south of a large cotton gin near the Union Center along with other units, the 104th was able to repulse multiple confederate charges, with the fighting sometimes hand-to-hand. It was at this time that the actions of Joseph Davis, John C. Gaunt, Abraham Greenawalt, Newton H. Hall, George V. Kelleyand and John H. Ricksecker, all of the 104th, would result in them receiving the Medal of Honor.

I am really excited about painting a scene of the 104th Ohio at Franklin. Lots of material and potential scenarios. I will keep updating the progress whenever I can.

Here are some links to Youtube videos produced by the American Battlefield Trust that I found about the Battle of Franklin. Great in giving you an understanding of the battle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNB6bONePaY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19z6ku_C0vA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsiVBN9gbho