Spotsylvania Sentinel 5 x 7 pastel on Uart 400 grit 8 ply board

On May 10, 1864, at approximately 6:30 PM, Union troops under the command of Colonel Emory Upton would burst through the woods in the distance in an attempt to breach the Confederate earthworks approximately 200 yards away. Unlike most assaults of the time, instead of forming his troops in a line, and formed them in a tightly compacted column, all with fixed bayonets and only the first three ranks loaded to fire their muskets. The idea was to act like a battering ram and to overwhelm the soldiers in gray.

Upton’s troops covered the 200 yards in a matter of seconds. The initial line of soldiers were cut down by the Georgians defending the Confederate trenches, but they were soon overwhelmed by the mass of blue who cut through their line like a hot knife through butter. Onward came the blue wave toward the CSA second line. Here they met resistance from the reinforcements deployed by Lee to break the Union assault. The Union troops held, but Upton, realizing no reinforcements were coming to his aid, slowly pulled back to his own lines.

Upton’s plan was only to penetrate the Confederate entrenchments and to that end, it would be considered a success. General Grant, would take that success two days later and send the entire second Corps under Winfield Hancock to assault the same general area in a similar fashion. The Muleshoe would become synonymous with the term the horrors of war, as American fathers, sons, brothers and young men would commit untold amounts of carnage upon each other not before seen in this already far too bloody conflict.

The Vision Place of Souls 18 x 24 on Wallis pastel paper

Along this wall to the trees in the distance would crash what would become known as the “High Tide” of the Confederacy. Never again would the Army of Northern Virginia make a serious foray onto Northern soil as they did in July 1863.

In 1889, young men, aged by time, would return to this field and many like it, to remember their lost youth. They would come here and elsewhere to remember their family and friends, neighbors, who would never leave these fields. But they would come here, not just for the past but also for the future. For people of today, so they too might think of those young men, and just what they sacrificed, because what they sacrificed are the footprints of our nation today.

This is no more evident than these words, uttered by Joshua L. Chamberlain in October 1889, when he would say: “In great deeds, something abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls…generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field, to ponder and dream; and lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.”

What Carnage 5 x 7 pastel on Uart 8 ply board

Today, a quiet pall embraces each individual who walks the small lane that in December, 1862 would serve to be one of the bloodiest events of the American Civil War, later described with two simple words by a member of the 19^th Massachusetts: “What Carnage!”

Fredericksburg, Virginia is situated on the Rappahannock River roughly mid way between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia.  Between the dates of December 11-15, 1862, two American armies, the Northern or Union commanded by General Ambrose Burnsides (his famous whiskers would provide us with the now known sideburns) and the Southern or Confederates commanded by Robert E. Lee (often considered one of the greatest officer’s produced by West Point Military Academy).

Heading southbound on US Route 1 in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, you would in today’s world find yourself driving over a portion of what was in the 1860’s a training ground for soldiers in the volunteer regiments of the State of Massachusetts. Men who would find themselves involved in one of the most defining periods of US history: The American Civil War.

One of the first units that would train in this location was the 19^th Massachusetts.  The19th was comprised of men from many of the surrounding towns. They would fight extensively in the Eastern Theater of the war as part of the Army of the Potomac. On December 13, 1862, the soldiers, of this unit would find themselves involved in the Battle of Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg would be one of the more lopsided battles of the war, as wave upon wave of Union soldiers would approach this wall, only to be cut down by the Southern soldiers defending the position.

Of the position, and prior to the Union assaults, Lt Colonel Edward Porter Alexander an artillery officer in the Army of Northern Virginia would tell James Longstreet, “A chicken could not live on that field when we open on it.” 

Today because of urban sprawl and development it is difficult to get a full appreciation of Alexander’s quote and of the daunting task the Union soldiers faced attempting to assault and take that wall, something they would never accomplish. At this wall, the Union Army would suffer eight casualties for every one sustained by the Confederates. For the Battle, which included assaults on Stonewall Jackson’s position south of this location, the loss would be almost 13,000 for the north and approximately 5,000 for the South.

Captain Henry Abbott of the 20^th Massachusetts would exclaim that this was “nothing but murder”. While a soldier in the 19^th Massachusetts would refer to the events before the wall with just two words: “What Carnage!”

Below is a recent oil (10x14) of the Snyder Farm at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This piece is expected to be included in an upcoming exhibit (Fall 2016) of my work at the Lynn Museum in conjunction with a program on the American Civil War.

The following article appeared in the local newspaper after my being named to the Master Circle by the International Association of Pastel Societies and my inclusion in National Geographic's The Civil War: A Traveler's Guide.

http://www.itemlive.com/lifestyle/national-geographic-to-feature-lynn-artist/

Dropped off four prints to River Tree Arts in Kennebunk, Maine earlier today. Hope you get a chance to stop by and take a look at these and the originals I currently have on display. As always, thanks for your support.

After work today, I headed north to Kennebunk, Maine to meet with Julia Einstein, gallery directory at River Tree Arts, 35 Western Ave, Kennebunk, Maine. Approximately two weeks prior to today I had had a phone conversation with Ms Einstein regarding my artwork and perhaps my showing in her gallery. After that phone conversation, we had left it that we would meet in person on one of the upcoming Monday afternoons she would be in the gallery. Today was the day. I brought with me six originals and some samples of my prints. We discussed my work, the pieces I had brought and after a little over an hour, I left with four pieces, as she decided she would like to keep the two below to include in her current exhibition Summer Fresh Air, which will be on display until September 26, 2015. These pieces both just recently returned from national exhibits and the piece "Buoys Night Out (Little Lake St. George, Liberty, ME)" received the Dick Neuville Memorial Award the recent Pastel Painters of Maine national Juried Exhibition at the Lewis Gallery at the Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine. River Tree Arts is open M-Fri 10 AM - 6:00 PM and Saturday 10 AM - 4 PM. There are also extended hours each month when they open additional exhibitions, including an upcoming opening July 31, 2015, with hours from 4-7 PM. I hope you will get up to Kennebunk, Maine and check out the exhibit and of course my artwork. In closing, thanks to longtime friend John Spinney for putting me in touch River Tree Arts and specifically Julia Einstein. Also to Caren-Marie Michel a fine artist, friend and instructor at River Tree Arts. Additional information about River Tree Arts can be found on their web site www.rivertreearts.org and on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/River-Tree-Arts/158980844434