Aaron Vinson
Private
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2025
- Location
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
Posted this to see if anyone has any funny stories about journalists and artists during the war. I know sometimes they were true but most times there were certainly liberties taken when drawing and reporting. I was reading G. Moxley Sorrel's book Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer and came across an account of one of the famous artists of the war, Frank Vizitelly. I'm sure its been posted somewhere but here is the story behind the drawing of General Hood being wounded.
"Vizitelly, the English artist, had started from Richmond with us, to sketch and draw for the campaign; something stopped him on the way, drink, probably. At all events, he arrived very sheep-faced, long after the battle. He took me aside with : " Colonel, I am in an awful mess. I must send drawings and a picture of this great battle to my paper somehow. Cannot you help me?" We were at the time not very far from a little field that had a scene during the fighting which struck me, even then, as somewhat picturesque. The open field crowned with thick woods at one side, through which frowned half a dozen Federal guns and a brigade of ours moving up in beautiful order to capture it. I said as much as this to Vizitelly, and sent him to look at the spot. He returned, on fire with his artist's fancies, and shut himself up for several days. Then he emerged with drawings, and much letter-press of what he had actually seen; and principally a very large drawing beautifully finished of the so-called " Little scene." But heavens ! all resemblance had ceased. Instead of the slight affair, three solid lines of infantry were moving across a great stretch of ground against hundreds of guns that were devastating our troops in fire and smoke. In the central portion there was the wounding and fall of a great officer and the closing in of the soldiers to protect him. "What think you?" said the proud Vizitelly. " Splendid, but nothing like it took place." " No matter, it might have happened, and besides all battle-pictures are drawn with such freedom." " Who is the general just falling?" "That, sir, is General Hood, drawn the instant of being shot." " But, my good Vizitelly, Hood was not within a mile of that little field I gave you." " No matter, he was shot, no one will deny that; and I must have a great interesting center for my picture. You fellows are altogether too particular. This goes by first underground chance, and you will see it in the London Illustrated
News." And so I did in the quiet sitting-room of a Northern friend later on.
He is not the only one of artistic imagination for battle-pictures."
"Vizitelly, the English artist, had started from Richmond with us, to sketch and draw for the campaign; something stopped him on the way, drink, probably. At all events, he arrived very sheep-faced, long after the battle. He took me aside with : " Colonel, I am in an awful mess. I must send drawings and a picture of this great battle to my paper somehow. Cannot you help me?" We were at the time not very far from a little field that had a scene during the fighting which struck me, even then, as somewhat picturesque. The open field crowned with thick woods at one side, through which frowned half a dozen Federal guns and a brigade of ours moving up in beautiful order to capture it. I said as much as this to Vizitelly, and sent him to look at the spot. He returned, on fire with his artist's fancies, and shut himself up for several days. Then he emerged with drawings, and much letter-press of what he had actually seen; and principally a very large drawing beautifully finished of the so-called " Little scene." But heavens ! all resemblance had ceased. Instead of the slight affair, three solid lines of infantry were moving across a great stretch of ground against hundreds of guns that were devastating our troops in fire and smoke. In the central portion there was the wounding and fall of a great officer and the closing in of the soldiers to protect him. "What think you?" said the proud Vizitelly. " Splendid, but nothing like it took place." " No matter, it might have happened, and besides all battle-pictures are drawn with such freedom." " Who is the general just falling?" "That, sir, is General Hood, drawn the instant of being shot." " But, my good Vizitelly, Hood was not within a mile of that little field I gave you." " No matter, he was shot, no one will deny that; and I must have a great interesting center for my picture. You fellows are altogether too particular. This goes by first underground chance, and you will see it in the London Illustrated
News." And so I did in the quiet sitting-room of a Northern friend later on.
He is not the only one of artistic imagination for battle-pictures."
Bringing the