Capt. Bayard Wilkeson’s Battery G scenes by Allred R. Waud, and others (corrected)

[farrargirl]

The content quality of the Louisiana Digital Collections website is vast. It can be accessed https://louisianadigitallibrary.org.

One of the collections feature Alfred Waud’s watercolors and other mediums which I have not seen. Take a look at a few:

7th Regiment working on entrenchments

Stevens Battery at Cold Harbor:

 

[Belfoured]

The content quality of the Louisiana Digital Collections website is vast. It can be accessed https://louisianadigitallibrary.org.
View attachment 384229

One of the collections feature Alfred Waud’s watercolors and other mediums which I have not seen. Take a look at a few:
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Lastly, a beautiful watercolor of Capt. G.F. Stevens battery at the Battle of Cold Harbor:









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That's a nice reproduction of the famous Waud drawing of Battery G, 4th US at Gettysburg on July 1 (although the battery had 6 M!857 12 lb Napoleons and not "Howitzers", which refers to M1841 12 lb field howitzers - the Napoleon was labeled a "gun-howitzer" but in reality was a gun and not a true howitzer). I assume most folks know about the young mortally-wounded Lt. Wilkeson amputating his own leg and that his father was present at the battle as a newspaper reporter. What happened to Battery G was an object lesson in why Henry Hunt directed battery officers to tell their infantry superiors whether an assigned location was proper and, if not and their advice was rejected, to note their objection. Battery G should never have been positioned where it was.

 

[Gettysburg Guide #154]

First and foremost, these sketches/watercolors are excellent pieces of art work, and do convey the feeling of the battle. However, Belfoured's observations are absolutely correct. In the interest of accuracy, the sketches seemed to indicate 6 guns in action. Although the battery was armed with 6 guns, only 4 were placed on Blocher's Knoll (later named Barlow's Knoll) because that was about all the room that was available. The other two gun section was positioned further back near to the Almshouse on the edge of the town.

The second frame does not seem to relate to the fight on Blocher's Knoll, because no one did any sort of entrenching or digging at that time.

The report on the battle by Samuel Wilkeson (Bayard Wilkeson's Father) was published on the front page of the New York Times on July 6. It begins: “Who can write the history of a battle whose eyes are immovably fastened upon a central figure of transcendently absorbing interest — the dead body of an oldest born, crushed by a shell in a position where a battery should never have been sent, and abandoned to death in a building where surgeons dared not to stay?” He then proceeded to provide his readers with one of the more accurate newspaper accounts of the battle. As bitter as his beginning was, his ending was a very different tone. He wrote: “My pen is heavy. Oh, you dead, who at Gettysburg have baptized with your blood the second birth of Freedom in America, how you are to be envied! I rise from a grave whose wet clay I have passionately kissed, and I look up and see Christ spanning this battlefield with his feet and reaching fraternally and lovingly up to heaven. His right hand opens the gates of Paradise — with his left he beckons to these mutilated, bloody, swollen forms to ascend.” Take note of the concept of "second birth of freedom in America". Surely President Lincoln would have read the report in the New York Times. Some historians have suggested that this may have been the inspiration for the idea of a "new birth of freedom" in the Gettysburg Address.

 

[farrargirl]

First and foremost, these sketches/watercolors are excellent pieces of art work, and do convey the feeling of the battle. However, Belfoured's observations are absolutely correct. In the interest of accuracy, the sketches seemed to indicate 6 guns in action. Although the battery was armed with 6 guns, only 4 were placed on Blocher's Knoll (later named Barlow's Knoll) because that was about all the room that was available. The other two gun section was positioned further back near to the Almshouse on the edge of the town.

The second frame does not seem to relate to the fight on Blocher's Knoll, because no one did any sort of entrenching or digging at that time.

The report on the battle by Samuel Wilkeson (Bayard Wilkeson's Father) was published on the front page of the New York Times on July 6. It begins: “Who can write the history of a battle whose eyes are immovably fastened upon a central figure of transcendently absorbing interest — the dead body of an oldest born, crushed by a shell in a position where a battery should never have been sent, and abandoned to death in a building where surgeons dared not to stay?” He then proceeded to provide his readers with one of the more accurate newspaper accounts of the battle. As bitter as his beginning was, his ending was a very different tone. He wrote: “My pen is heavy. Oh, you dead, who at Gettysburg have baptized with your blood the second birth of Freedom in America, how you are to be envied! I rise from a grave whose wet clay I have passionately kissed, and I look up and see Christ spanning this battlefield with his feet and reaching fraternally and lovingly up to heaven. His right hand opens the gates of Paradise — with his left he beckons to these mutilated, bloody, swollen forms to ascend.” Take note of the concept of "second birth of freedom in America". Surely President Lincoln would have read the report in the New York Times. Some historians have suggested that this may have been the inspiration for the idea of a "new birth of freedom" in the Gettysburg Address.

You are correct on the description of the second frame. It is summarized in exactly the same wording as the
3rd frame. I will go back to the site, and double check my image descriptions. I edited in the descriptions vertically, so very possible I incorrectly inserted the one in 2nd frame.
Thank you, and if so, will correct :+))..

 

[farrargirl]

Done...

 

[farrargirl]

That's a nice reproduction of the famous Waud drawing of Battery G, 4th US at Gettysburg on July 1 (although the battery had 6 M!857 12 lb Napoleons and not "Howitzers", which refers to M1841 12 lb field howitzers - the Napoleon was labeled a "gun-howitzer" but in reality was a gun and not a true howitzer). I assume most folks know about the young mortally-wounded Lt. Wilkeson amputating his own leg and that his father was present at the battle as a newspaper reporter. What happened to Battery G was an object lesson in why Henry Hunt directed battery officers to tell their infantry superiors whether an assigned location was proper and, if not and their advice was rejected, to note their objection. Battery G should never have been positioned where it was.

Thanks...yes, I read about Lieutenant Wilkeson’s heroic efforts to save himself. Cannot imagine the state of mind of his father on-site.

 

[ucvrelics]

Ive spent a LOT of time in the LA digital library and it has great content.

 

[farrargirl]

Agreed. It is the gift that keeps on giving :+))...

 

[Belfoured]

First and foremost, these sketches/watercolors are excellent pieces of art work, and do convey the feeling of the battle. However, Belfoured's observations are absolutely correct. In the interest of accuracy, the sketches seemed to indicate 6 guns in action. Although the battery was armed with 6 guns, only 4 were placed on Blocher's Knoll (later named Barlow's Knoll) because that was about all the room that was available. The other two gun section was positioned further back near to the Almshouse on the edge of the town.

The second frame does not seem to relate to the fight on Blocher's Knoll, because no one did any sort of entrenching or digging at that time.

The report on the battle by Samuel Wilkeson (Bayard Wilkeson's Father) was published on the front page of the New York Times on July 6. It begins: “Who can write the history of a battle whose eyes are immovably fastened upon a central figure of transcendently absorbing interest — the dead body of an oldest born, crushed by a shell in a position where a battery should never have been sent, and abandoned to death in a building where surgeons dared not to stay?” He then proceeded to provide his readers with one of the more accurate newspaper accounts of the battle. As bitter as his beginning was, his ending was a very different tone. He wrote: “My pen is heavy. Oh, you dead, who at Gettysburg have baptized with your blood the second birth of Freedom in America, how you are to be envied! I rise from a grave whose wet clay I have passionately kissed, and I look up and see Christ spanning this battlefield with his feet and reaching fraternally and lovingly up to heaven. His right hand opens the gates of Paradise — with his left he beckons to these mutilated, bloody, swollen forms to ascend.” Take note of the concept of "second birth of freedom in America". Surely President Lincoln would have read the report in the New York Times. Some historians have suggested that this may have been the inspiration for the idea of a "new birth of freedom" in the Gettysburg Address.

Thanks for the clarification. I should have been more careful to point out that only 4 of the 6 were actually in the advanced position shown.