Civil War Art-- Part 8: Censoring

As mentioned in the previous post where an Arthur Lumley illustration of Union troops pillaging at the Battle of Freedricksburg, both Harper and Leslie did their part to shape public opinion, sometimes censoring images they considered to be too negative or graphic.

For instance, Harper editors made Alfred Waud's drawing of a leg amputation at an Antietam field hospital to look less gory.

Another Waud sketch of exhausted horses dragging artillery carts were given lifted heads and kicking up clods of mud.

Even so, the general public was becoming aware of the horrors of war as the war progressed as a result of the illustrations.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Art-- Part 5: Alfred Waud and Edwin Forbes

Alfred Waud was the most prolific special and created some of the most memorable sketches of Gettsburg and Antietam. On July 21, 1861, he traveled to the Bull Run battlefield on the wagon of his good friend, photograoher Matthew Brady. At one point he took up arms against the Confederates that day and used a pistol to deter a Union soldier trying to commandeer his horse on his return.

He had good friendships with officers which allowed him great access to battlefields, but also was prone to showing the regular soldier.

Edwin Forbes of Leslie's Illustrated was very focused on human-interest and figure study of the regular soldiers and made sketches of soldiers relaxing, cooking, cleaning, reading, shaving and doing other daily activities.

Just Regular Folk. --Old Secesh

Civil War Battlefield Art-- Part 2: Hardships Abound

Famed illustrator Alfred Waud wrote in 1862: "No amout of money can pay a man for going through what we have had to suffer lately."

English-born Waud and Theodore Davis were the only two specials to remain on the job throughout the entire war. Davis later recalled what it took to do the job: "Total disregard for personal safety and comfort; an owl-like propensity to sit up all night and a hawky style of vigilence during the day; capacity for going without food; willingness to ride any number of miles horseback for just one sketch which might have to be finished by night by no better light than that of a fire."

--Old Secesh