Don Troiani Artwork

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Lone Star
The 1st Texas Infantry of Hood's Texas Brigade charges into Miller's Cornfield at Antietam, mad as hell, having been interrupted while eating their first breakfast in days to be sent into battle. They first slammed into the Iron Brigade, driving them through the cornfield. They kept going until they reached the northern edge of the field, where Anderson's brigade of Meade's division was posted. There the 1st Texas was caught in a cross fire from several Pennsylvania regiments to their front and Campbell's Battery to their left. Though they fought like hell, 186 of their 226 men engaged were killed or wounded; the entire color guard was also shot down and both of their colors lost in the cornfield. The 1st Texas's loss of 82.3% was reportedly the highest casualty rate suffered by any Confederate regiment in the war.

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Rock of Erin
The Irish 69th Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Philadelphia Brigade, holding Cemetery Ridge on July 3rd.

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Patrick Cleburne
At the Battle of Franklin, Nov. 30, 1864, Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne leads his Division in the assault upon the earthworks built around Franklin, TN, by the Army of the Ohio. Cleburne, in his last moments before the attack, would tell Brig. Gen. Daniel C. Govan, "Well, Govan, if we are to die, let us die like men." Cleburne would be killed in the attack, shot through the chest while cheering his men forward on foot, after having two horses shot out from under him during the charge.

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The First Minnesota
On July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg, Brig. Gen. Camdus Wilcox's Brigade had broken through Sickles’ position on Cemetery Ridge. With a failed attempt at rallying Sickles’ men, Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock had ordered the 1st Minnesota, held in reserve nearby, to counterattack and fill the gap in the Union line until reinforcements could arrive. They attacked a force three times their own strength and successfully drove them from their position. Out of the 262 men that took part in the attack, 215 were killed, wounded, or missing.

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Major John Pelham, with his light horse artillery consisting of two guns - a 12-pounder Napoleon and a Blakely - holds up the left flank of Brig. Gen. Abner Doubleday's 1st Division, I Corps at Fredericksburg.
 
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Never Give Up The Field

Colonel Francis Bartow was not one to lead from behind or to send a regiment, where he would not himself go. Both were traits that would endear him to his men, and also would result in his mortal wounding at the First Battle of Bull Run July 21, 1861. Although he had little if any formal military training, Francis Bartow threw himself into the roll first as captain of the Oglethorpe Light Infantry, then as Colonel of the 8th GA and by late June 1861 commander of a Brigade in General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah.
On July 18th 1861, Bartow’s Brigade, comprised of the 7th, 8th, and 9th Georgia Regiments, the 1st Kentucky regiment and the Wise Artillery left their encampment north of Winchester. Their destination, along with the rest of Johnston’s Army was Manassas Junction. Here they were to combine forces with Brigadier General P.G.T Beauregard’s Army of the Potomac, where they would meet the advancing Union forces under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell. Bartow, along with the 7th and 8th GA arrived in Manassas Junction in the early morning hours of Saturday July 20th. The morning of Sunday July 21st found the 7th and 8th GA positioned along the banks of Bull Run Creek when they were ordered to support the Confederate left flank near the Stone Bridge; this flank now being threatened by the advance of McDowell forces.
Having visited Manassas Junction that morning to determine the whereabouts of the remainder of his Brigade (the 9th Georgia and 1st KY which would arrive after the battle), Colonel Bartow rejoined the 7th and 8th Georgia now in position on Henry Hill. Here he found a situation that was far from ideal. Union Colonel David Hunter’s Division was on the brink of overwhelming the vastly outnumbered Confederate forces under Colonel Nathan G. Evans on Matthews Hill. Responding to requests for assistance, Bartow ordered and accompanied the 8th GA to an exposed position on the Confederate right, facing the Union soldiers then occupying the house, fences and outbuildings of the Edgar Matthews farm. Although it was their first engagement, the next 15 minutes would be some of the most difficult fighting the 8th GA would endure during the war. With Union forces closing in on them from the front right and rear, Lt. Colonel Gardner (commanding the 8th GA) went down with a wound to the leg and Bartow’s horse was shot from beneath him. Colonel Bartow had little choice but order a retreat. The 8th GA fell back to Henry Hill, leaving scores of wounded and dead behind them.
Having pulled the 8th GA out of line of battle and the regiment beginning to reform, Bartow set off in search of the 7th GA which he had last left on Henry Hill. Upon finding them, Bartow, was ordered once again to shore up a weak Confederate flank. This time it was the left flank on Henry Hill that was being pressed by Union regiments that in part included Lincoln’s pet lambs, the famed 11th NY Fire Zouaves ,the 14th Brooklyn and the not yet famous 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. All of which were fighting desperately to maintain their foothold on Henry Hill and maintain possession of the two union batteries stationed there.
For Colonel Bartow the moment of truth had arrived, he knew that action was required and upon seeing General Beauregard riding towards him, he asked “What shall be done? Tell me, and if human effort can avail and I will do it!” Beauregard’s reply was “That battery should be silenced”. Needing no further encouragement, Bartow seized the standard of the 7th GA and “gave the command to rally and follow him”. Much like the events surrounding the 8th GA on Matthews Hill, Bartow once again found himself leading his men into battle. This time he would not come out unscathed. Charging forward toward a fence that separated the participants, Bartow was thrown to the ground by a bullet that shattered his right foot. Staggering on, Bartow reached the fence waving his sword and encouraging his men onward only to be struck a second time in the chest. Colonel Bartow knew his wound was mortal and with what little strength remained, gave his men one more encouragement, yelling “They have killed me, but never give up the field!” The men of the 7th Georgia pushed forward over the fence capturing the guns fulfilling the promise of their brigade commander.
http://www.gettysburgframe.com/limi...n-troiani-prints/never-give-up-the-field.html
 
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The Red Devils

ON JUNE 27, 1862, as the Fifth Corps attempted to cover McClellan's change of base to the James River, Warren's troops launched a furious counterattack against the oncoming ranks of Gregg's South Carolina brigade. Riding up to Lt. Col. Duryea, Warren shouted, "Advance the colors! Advance the colors! Charge!" and with their flags in the vanguard, the cheering Zouaves swept over the field with leveled bayonets. One Carolinian called the Zouave onslaught "the most desperate charge I ever witnessed," and the Rebel attack recoiled. But more Southern troops joined the fray, and the fighting ebbed and flowed across the corpse-strewn plateau. "The noise was terrific," Sgt. Thomas Southwick recalled, "but loud above all was the exultant, fiendlike yell of the Confederate soldiers." Soaked with sweat and stained with gunpowder, the Zouaves maintained their formation amidst the collapsing Union line. At one point Lt. Col. Duryea had his men halt under fire and count off, so that every soldier was in his proper place. The battle of Gaines' Mill made it clear to friend and foe alike that the Duryee Zouaves were more than a colorful ornament on the parade ground. Of 450 men who entered the fight, 162 had fallen. "I consider it an honor to belong to this regiment," Lt. Charles Montgomery wrote; "The Regular officers cannot speak too highly of us." One Southern soldier told a captive Zouave, "they never had seen the superiors of the red legs for unflinching courage and coolness." It was a reputation proudly maintained through the following days of hardship that brought McClellan's Army to its new base of operations at Harrison's Landing.
http://www.zouave.org/index.html
 
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At the Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864, after Confederate troops breakthrough the main Federal line of earthworks surrounding the town, Col. Emerson Opdycke leads his brigade in a ferocious counter-attack to seal the the breech in the line. Both sides clash in a short but chaotic hand-to-hand fight around the Carter House before the Rebels are driven back behind the main line and the breech sealed.
 
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The Diehards
Running low on ammunition, the 2nd Louisiana Brigade holds the Railroad Cut at Second Manassas by throwing rocks.

"After successfully breaking up three Union assaults, the Tigers found themselves dangerously short of ammunition. Two men of the 9th Louisiana were dispatched to the rear for more, but a fourth Union attack was mounted before they returned. The ensuing clash was 'the ugliest fight of any,' claimed Sergeant Stephens. Groping frantically for ammunition among the dead and wounded, the Louisianans were barely able to beat off the determined Yankees, who threw themselves up to the very muzzles of the Tigers' muskets. When the Tigers fired their last round, 'the flags of the opposing regiments were almost flapping together,' remembered one Alabaman. In desperation Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Nolan shouted for the men to make use of the numerous rocks that lay scattered around the embankment. Sensing that the rebels were at the end of their rope, the Yankees were charging up to the base of the embankment when suddenly fist and melon size stones arched out of the smoke that hung over the grade and rained down upon them. 'Such a flying of rocks never was seen,' claimed one witness, as the Tigers and other nearby Confederates heaved the heavy stones at the surprised federals. Numerous Yankees on the front line were killed by the flying rocks, and many others were badly bruised." -- Terry L. Jones, Lee's Tigers: The Louisiana Infantry in the Army of Northern Virginia, pp. 123-24.

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At the Battle of Gettysburg, Barksdale's Brigade arrived with McLaws's Division after the first day of battle, July 1, 1863. The plan from General Robert E. Lee was for Longstreet's Corps to maneuver into position and attack northeast, up the Emmitsburg Road, to roll up the Union left flank. Barksdale's sector of the attack placed him directly at the tip of the salient in the Union line anchored at the Peach Orchard, defended by the Union III Corps. At about 5:30 p.m., Barksdale's Brigade burst from the woods and started an irresistible assault, which has been described as one of the most breathtaking spectacles of the Civil War. A Union colonel was quoted as saying, "It was the grandest charge that was ever made by mortal man." Although he ordered his subordinate commanders to walk during the charge, Barksdale himself rode on horseback "in front, leading the way, hat off, his wispy hair shining so that it reminded a Confederate Staff Officer of 'the white plume of Navarre'." The Confederates smashed the brigade manning the Peach Orchard line, wounding and capturing the Union brigade commander himself. Some of Barksdale's regiments turned to the north and shattered Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys' division. Others of his regiments went straight ahead. By the time his men had gone as far as Plum Run, a mile into the assault, they were counterattacked by a brigade under Colonel George L. Willard. Barksdale was wounded in his left knee, followed by a cannonball to his left foot, and finally was hit by another bullet to his chest, knocking him off his horse. He told his aide, W.R. Boyd, "I am killed! Tell my wife and children that I died fighting at my post." His troops were forced to leave him for dead on the field and he died the next morning in a Union field hospital.
 
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My personal favorite is" Clear The Way." This is the charge of the Irish Brigade against the stonewall at Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg in Dec. 1862. Of the 4 regiments: 63rd, 69th, & 88th NY, and 28th Mass, the only unit to carry the green Irish flag that day was the 28th. The other regiments green flags were in the process of being replaced because they had all been shot up so badly prior to this. In lieu of their banners, the men cut green sprigs of boxwood and stuck them to the visors of their caps. This was the first battle of the 28th with the Irish Brigade. Prior to this they had been assigned to the 9th corps, but after Antietam they were switched with the 29th Mass, which was a regiment of good ole puritan stock. The 28th's green flag was therefore brand new at this battle. It was recorded that the Irish were the ones to get the closest to the stone wall before being shot to ribbons. BTW, I think it would make a good Phd. thesis to research how the original 29th Mass got along with the rest of the Brigade while they were assigned to it.
 
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Cleburne at Chickamauga Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne and his staff help distribute ammunition to the men of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry during the Battle of Chickamauga.

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The 33rd Alabama Infantry, in Wood's/Lowery's Brigade, Cleburne's Division.

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This is a depiction of each regiment of the Texas Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign. From left to right: 1st Texas Infantry, 5th Texas Infantry, 4th Texas Infantry, and 3rd Arkansas Infantry band member. The soldier of the 1st Texas, due to the summer heat, has removed his frock coat. He holds an M1842 Springfield smoothbore musket, which were issued to the regiment earlier in the war, some being carried up until 1864. The 5th Texas soldier is armed with a two-band Enfield and a saber bayonet, and the 4th Texas a P53 Enfield. The latter three appear to be wearing Richmond Depot uniforms, the 5th Texas soldier in blue-gray cloth imported from England.

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The Gray Comaches Col. Elija "Lige" White's 35th Virginia Cavalry Battalion charges up Fleetwood Hill at the Battle of Brandy Station. They smashed right into the 1st New Jersey Cavalry, fighting with pistol and sabers at close range, and also overrunning and capturing three guns from Captain Joseph W. Martin's 6th Battery New York Light Artillery. Col. White is depicted on gray horse at center.

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The Forlorn Hope 1st Maine Heavy Artillery at the Second Battle of Petersburg, June 18, 1864.

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Men of Arkansas Albert Sidney Johnston rallies an Arkansas regiment at Shiloh. He hold a cup he had taken from the looted Federal camps. Proclaiming that cup was his "spoils of war," he used it to lead men into battle.

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Band of Brothers The 2nd Maryland Infantry's charge at Spangler's Spring, east of Culp's Hill at Gettysburg.

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Retreat By Recoil The last stand of the 9th Massachusetts Battery at the Trostle Barn, Gettysburg, July 2, 1863.
 
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John B. Gordon at Gettysburg, July 1st, 1863
I like this one as several relatives were involved.
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As the Union Eleventh Corps crumbled under Confederate attacks West of the town of Gettysburg, a new danger presented itself from the North. Jubal A. Early's division was pressing forward towards willow tree lined Rock Creek and their dangerously exposed flank. Among Early's Division was the Georgia Brigade commanded by fiery General John B. Gordon. Riding among the slanted bayonets of his division an artilleryman described the general on his black horse, "He must have been a direct descendant of ...Bucephalus... I never saw a horse's neck so arched, his eye so fierce, his nostril so dilated". The general's demeanor impressed the same observer: "Gordon was the most glorious and inspiring thing I ever looked upon ...bareheaded, hat in hand, arms extended, and in a voice like a trumpet, exhorting his men. It was superb; absolutely thrilling". In one of the most brilliant charges of the war, the Georgians hurled the Union forces back into the town insuring an overwhelming Confederate victory for the day's battle.
 
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Ahh,the pioneer of modern CW art!Not many since,have produced as well.I could list them,but with Troiani,mostly I have nothing but praise.He has influenced any number of my own pieces.Of all of the published artists out there in this genre,his colors are the most spectacularly vibrant.Forgive me,but I thought that Bronze Guns& Iron Men was Fredericksburg,not Nicodemus Heights.Anyway,I give you one of my almost finished works."On the Left".Not Troinani,but enjoy
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Ahh,the pioneer of modern CW art!Not many since,have produced as well.I could list them,but with Troiani,mostly I have nothing but praise.He has influenced any number of my own pieces.Of all of the published artists out there in this genre,his colors are the most spectacularly vibrant.Forgive me,but I thought that Bronze Guns& Iron Men was Fredericksburg,not Nicodemus Heights.Anyway,I give you one of my almost finished works."On the Left".Not Troinani,but enjoy
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Very nice work Kealbo. Oil or Acrylic?
 
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