Joe Becker--Real time Drawings...

The sketch of the fighting at Spotsylvania includes what appears to be a large group of unarmed soldiers, sitting on fences rails and otherwise lounging around while acting as spectators. This casual attitude surprised me. I assume the spectators were some sort of reserve and might be called forward at any moment.

Also, the long Petersburg "bombproof" looked as if it could accommodate over 100 men. The bombproof shelters at Petersburg and other battlefields both in visits and looking at period photos gave me the idea that such shelters were much smaller with a capacity of around 10 - 20.

Such "on the spot" drawings by soldiers often reveal aspects of daily life that somehow escapes the history books.
 
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