Ohioans in the American Civil War
I have the good fortune of having a chance to display some of my art in a local gallery early next year. I thought it might be nice to have some sort of motif to tie the pieces together. Therefore, I am concentrating on producing paintings that depict Ohioans in the American Civil War.
I have already completed one oil civil war painting with a subject that is Ohio related. Colonel Hayes at the Third Battle of Winchester depicts the future president of the United States on horseback plunging into a swamp. He did this on impulse under fire to spur his men on to show the miry creek was navigable.
So having one painting ready to go, I will need to produce a few more that embody the Ohio theme. Fortunately, Ohio was well represented during the conflict. Nearly 320,000 Union soldiers came from Ohio. The state also provided 230 regiments of infantry and cavalry, 26 light artillery batteries, 2 heavy artillery regiments, and 5 independent sharpshooter companies. So I knew I would have no shortage of material to build upon. I also looked up Ohioans who were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Civil war. 207 recipients of the award were either born are served in an Ohio regiment.
I am excited about both the show next year and about the paintings of to come. I already have visions of what I would to depict on canvas, and I can’t wait to get started. (Actually, I already have begun a painting concerning Ohioans in the American Civil War during the Battle of Franklin. But more about that later in another post.)
To read more about Ohio and its role in the American Civil War, click on the following links:
https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Category:Civil_War
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Ohio_in_the_Civil_War
http://touringohio.com/civil-war-ohio.html