Description: Condition: One Paper tear at top does not affect image water staining down Bottom margin does not affect image ,both easy repairs and stain reduction. DESCRIPTION A fine example of John Badger Bachelder and James Walker's 1876 steel-engraved view of the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, here in the rare 1905 edition issued by Bachelder's widow, Lizzie B. Bachelder. The view is derived from James Walker's incredible 20-foot-wide painting of Pickett's Charge, identified here as Longstreet's Assault, considered the 'high water mark' of the Confederacy and the turning point not only of the battle, but of the American Civil War (1861 - 1865). Bachelder and Gettysburg John Badger Bachelder was determined to chronicle the most important battle of the American Civil War, hoping to capture an historic moment like Emanuel Leutze's 'Washington Crossing the Delaware'. He arrived on the front lines in 1862 and began meticulously detailing battles, not knowing which would be the defining engagement. When news arrived, he rushed to Gettysburg, arriving one day after the battle. In the words of Confederate General Wade Hampton of South Carolina, …he reached the battlefield of Gettysburg before the dead were buried, remaining for eighty-four days, making plans of the field, visiting the wounded in hospital, and by permission taking the convalescent officers over the field, by whom their positions and movements were pointed out and established. He subsequently issued a detailed report of the battle, three maps, and a dramatic view. Based upon his meticulous research, Bachelder was able to reconstruct the battle. He commissioned the artist James Walker to paint a grand mural illustrating Longstreet's disastrous charge (Pickett's Charge) on fortified Union Lines at what was called the 'Bloody Angle,' evident here at center. Praise for Walker's Mural James Walker's great painting was subsequently completed under Bachelder's guidance between 1864 and 1870. The final work, a masterpiece of military imagery measuring 7 x 20 feet, was an immediate sensation, heralded by critics and veterans alike, At once a fine work of art and a wonderful illustration of the battle's history. - Boston Herald This is a noble picture, a grand trial of strength of and comprehensiveness, and evidently of great fidelity. - The Daily Journal My Command of the Battle of Gettysburg on the 3rd day of July, occupied the greater portion of the front of the painting. In my opinion it not only represented the positions of the troops, but indicated their relative movements with a foresight that must make it invaluable as a historic representation of that scene. - Winfield Scott Hancock (depicted on horseback near the Round Tops) I am glad to be able to express in the form of a testimonial that this picture is one of the most faithful and conscientious representation of the Battle of Gettysburg that will or can be produced. - Alexander S. Webb Understanding the Image The view is laid out in a modified triptych form. It presents Pickett's Charge from a position behind Union lines. The Round Tops high ground appears at left, and the town of Gettysburg in the distance at right. An earthen barricade, breached by Confederate forces, runs across the center of the map. Wounded men lie in the foreground. At right, Confederate prisoners of war are being escorted off the battlefield - but in a touching moment, a Union soldier shares his water canteen. At left, below the Round Tops, Major General Winfield Scott Hancock (quoted above) is depicted directing the battle from horseback. On the third day of the battle, July 3, the fight remained undecided, with both sides committed to victory. Confederate General Robert E. Lee, reasoned that the center of the Union Line was a weak point and commanded Lt. Gen. James Longstreet to organize a charge (Maj. Gen. George Pickett, for whom the charge is named, was one of three Confederate generals under Longstreet.) of 12,000 men in hope of seizing Cemetery Ridge - a critical high point well positioned to control the road network. The Confederates did briefly break through Union fortifications but suffered enormous losses and were unable to maintain their position. The charge proved disastrous and, from that point, the battle, and the war, went poorly for the Confederacy. It is thus that Bachelder considers the moment illustrated here, just as the Confederate charge is being broken, the 'high water mark' of the Confederacy and the turning point of the American Civil War. In Bachelder's own words, From the grand assault of Longstreet's command, on the third day of the battle, the Confederate army retired bloodily repulsed and forever broken; Lee's army never again recovered from the blow which it here received. The repulse of Longstreet's charge was consequently not only the decisive episode of this decisive battle, but of the war; for this reason, the designer of this painting has chosen it as the subject… (Bachelder, Descriptive Key, pages 9 - 10) Publication History and Census Bachelder was always keen to profit on his detailed recording of the Battle of Gettysburg. He hired the engraver Henry Bryan Hall (fl. 1850 - 1900) to make a reduced steel-plate version of the painting in 1876. He sold the print by subscription, receiving nearly 1000 individual orders. The present example is a 1905 reissue by Bachelder's widow, Elizabeth Barber Bachelder (here spelled Lizzie B. Batchelder).
Price: 400 USD
Location: Ashby, Massachusetts
End Time: 2024-12-14T20:34:41.000Z
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All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Theme: Militaria
