Release date 2008
Limited Edition Prints
Image size: 18″ x 26″
Overall size: 23″ x 30″

350 Limited Edition Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Prints, Issue Price $225
50 Limited Edition Artist’s Proofs, Issue Price $350

100 Fredericksburg Edition Prints, Issue Price $225
10 Fredericksburg Edition Artist’s Proofs, Issue Price $350

Giclée Print on Canvas
Image Size: 17″ x 24″
50 Signature Edition Giclee print on Canvas, Issue Price $295
10 Signature Edition Artist Proofs Giclee print on Canvas, Issue Price $400

Image Size: 22″ x 32″
50 Classic Edition Giclee print on Canvas, Issue Price $575
10 Classic Edition Artist Proofs Giclee print on Canvas, Issue Price $650

“We talked the matter over and could have settled the war in thirty minutes had it been left to us.” So said a Southern solider after he and a Northern counterpart sat on a log between the lines and enjoyed an unauthorized but friendly chat. As Americans, Johnny Reb and Billy Yank had far more in common than typical combatants. That familiarity was frequently revealed in friendly contact between the lines. Countless episodes of enemy soldiers helping each other occurred during the war. During the battle of Kennesaw Mountain in 1864, a ground fire threatened wounded Northern soldiers lying between the lines – until a Confederate officer stood up, exposing himself to enemy fire, and shouted, “We won’t fire a gun until you get them away.” An impromptu cease-fire followed immediately while Federal troops removed their wounded – then the battle resumed.

Following the battle of Second Manassas, two Confederate soldiers were carrying a wounded friend through the darkness when they were challenged by a sentry who demanded identification. “We are two men of the Twelfth Georgia, carrying a wounded comrade to the hospital,” they shouted back, only to learn they had accidentally crossed into Federal lines. “Go to your right,” the Northern sentry called out, directing the men back toward the Southern lines. “Man, you’ve got a heart in you,” hollered one of the retreating Southerners.

When the opposing lines were close enough, and the shooting had temporarily stopped, army musicians sometimes engaged in battles of the bands. On the banks of the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia, Southern soldiers listened admiringly to a Northern band performance during the winter of 1862. When it concluded, a Johnny Reb called out, “Now give us some of ours” – and the Yankee band obliged with a rendition of “Dixie.” When the band concluded, soldiers from both sides broke into a melancholy chorus of “Home, Sweet Home.”

The lines were so close on the Rappahannock during the winter of 1862-3, that contact between Northern and Southern soldiers became commonplace. They often met on an island in the river, where Confederate troops exchanged Southern tobacco for the coffee ration issued to Northern soldiers. When officers discouraged contact, they would make their exchanges by small, hand-made boats that the soldiers called “fairy fleets.” Sometimes they met to play cards; other times they just exchanged stories. The war was the real enemy, they concluded, and not each other – and if they had to go back to shooting at each other the next day, it wasn’t personal for many of them. For most, the camaraderie became genuine reconciliation at war’s end, and when Johnny Reb and Billy Yank chanced to meet after the war, it was often with obvious friendship and mutual respect. “My friend, the enemy,” veterans of the war came to call each other – with the understanding that, Northern or Southern, they were Americans all.

Mort Künstler’s Comments

I always look for subjects to paint that have never been done. With snow scenes, I always try to develop a different color scheme. Both goals are difficult to achieve, but I believe it has happened with “My Friend, the Enemy.” The location and the time of day enabled me to paint a different color scheme – and no modern artist of note has painted a scene quite like this one.

“My Friend, the Enemy” is set on Virginia’s Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg following the terribly bloody battle that occurred there a few weeks earlier. As if they were weary of the war’s inhumanity, Southern and Northern soldiers began meeting with each other between the lines. Such fraternization was forbidden on both sides, but the soldiers did so anyway that winter. They met to play cards, exchange gossip and barter Northern coffee for Southern tobacco. The painting is set on the side of the river occupied by General Ambrose Burnside’s Army of the Potomac. A handful of Confederate soldiers from General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia have made their way across the river to trade with the Northern troops. The soldiers are cautious, but trusting – and in the background other soldiers are making exchanges with a rigged-up, hollow log that serves as a ferry for their bartered items.

It’s the unique, peaceful and colorful kind of subject that I enjoy painting. It’s based on careful research, of course, but to me its appeal is the historical fact that makes the Civil War so fascinating and compelling – the human element. This terrible conflict was really a grand-sized family feud. Like these soldiers, most Americans North and South held nothing personal against each other – they were all Americans caught up in an awful war. That’s how the nation was restored when the fighting ended: Despite the horrendous losses, the best people on both sides had always viewed their counterpart in blue or gray as “My friend, the enemy.” That reconciliation, hinted at in this painting, is the great and wonderful story of the American Civil War.

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Rush To The Summit

Limited Edition Print
350 Limited Edition Prints, Issue Price $225
50 Artist’s Proofs, Issue Price $350

Signature Giclee Print
50 Signature Edition Giclees, Issue Price $295
10 Signature Edition Artist’s Proof Giclees, Issue Price $400

Classic Giclee Print
50 Classic Edition Giclees, Issue Price $495
10 Classic Edition Artist’s Proof Giclees, Issue Price $650

Premier Giclee Print
Image Size: 25″ x 38″
15 Premier Edition Giclees, Issue Price $995
5 Premier Edition Artist’s Proof Giclees, Issue Price $1,250 Sold Out

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Old Mill, Strasburg, Va., June 1, 1862

Release Date 2009

Limited Edition Print
Image Size: 18″ x 27″
Overall Size: 23″ x 31″
350 Limited Edition Prints, Issue Price $225
50 Artist’s Proofs, Issue Price $350

Signature Giclee Print
Image Size: 16″ x 24″
50 Signature Edition Giclees, Issue Price $295
10 Signature Edition Artist’s Proof Giclees, Issue Price $400

Classic Giclee Print
Image Size: 20″ x 30″
50 Classic Edition Giclees, Issue Price $575
10 Classic Edition Artist’s Proof Giclees, Issue Price $650

Premier Giclee Print
Image Size: 25″ x 38″
15 Premier Edition Giclees, Issue Price $995
5 Premier Edition Artist’s Proof Giclees, Issue Price $1,250 SOLD OUT

None could outmarch them. Some believed none could outfight them.

They were known as “Jackson’s Foot Cavalry” — so called for their ability to cover more than 30 miles a day – cavalry distance – on the march. Virginians all, they formed a division of troops under the command of General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1862. In March of 1862, they numbered about 10,000 and had orders to defend the Valley from Northern forces four times their size. General Nathaniel Banks and 40,000 Federal troops had been moved into the Valley to battle Jackson while General George B. McClellan moved his giant Federal army toward the Confederate capital of Richmond. After driving away Jackson’s force, Banks was supposed to withdraw toward Washington, D.C. and support McClellan’s army as needed.

Initially, Banks’ army pursued Jackson southward through the Valley. Believing Jackson had been driven away, Banks left General James Shields and a division of troops near Winchester, Virginia, and began to move the rest of his army toward Richmond as planned. Jackson, however, led his “foot cavalry” army in a rapid forced march back through the Valley, and struck Shields a surprise blow at the battle of Kernstown on March 23. Although Shields’ larger force eventually prevailed, Jackson won a strategic victory by keeping Northern forces tied down in the Valley. Reinforced by 7,000 more troops, he soon attacked again, this time defeating Federal forces under Generals Robert Schenk and Robert Milroy at the battle of McDowell on May 8. At Front Royal on May 23, he attacked Banks, forced him to retreat to Winchester, then decisively defeated him. Banks made a hasty retreat back north and across the Potomac River. In response, Washington authorities moved a large Federal force into the Shenandoah Valley to punish Jackson.

It was not to be. Stonewall had lived in the Valley and he knew the country intimately. His “Foot Cavalry” was already moving by late May, and Jackson escaped a trap set for him near Strasburg. What then unfolded was one of the most brilliant operations of the Civil War: Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign. Although threatened by superior Northern forces on two sides, Jackson defeated General John C. Fremont at Cross Keys on June 7, and General James Shields at Port Republic on June 9. Both Federal armies retreated. Meanwhile, General Robert E. Lee turned back McClellan’s army in the Seven Days Campaign. Lee had saved Richmond, and Jackson was master of the Valley. In 38 days, his “Foot Cavalry” marched approximately 400 miles, engaged in six battles, defeated five Northern generals and prevented thousands of Northern reinforcements from attacking Richmond. Jackson and his “Foot Cavalry” had become the stuff of legend.

Mort Künstler’s Comments

I have never tired of painting General Stonewall Jackson. He was such a remarkable commander, such a fascinating man, and he did so much that I will never run short of extraordinary exploits to paint. Each painting has its own distinctive challenges, and offers its own set of opportunities. I’ve painted scenes from his brilliant Valley Campaign on several occasions, but I really wanted to paint a study of his famous “Foot Cavalry” with Jackson at their center.

Being able to use the scenery of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley as a backdrop is always a bonus – and especially in this picture. There’s a wonderfully picturesque old gristmill near Strasburg, Virginia – now preserved as an inn and restaurant called the Old Mill Tavern. Jackson and his “Foot Calvary” marched by it during Jackson’s Valley Campaign. What better background for Jackson and his soldiers than this wonderful old historical landmark?

To make certain that this painting was distinctive from any other work I’ve done of Jackson, I painted an entirely new angle for Jackson and his mount “Little Sorrel.” Stonewall Jackson, “Little Sorrel” and the old gristmill made a perfect combination. In fact, you can drive by Old Mill Tavern in Strasburg, and you’ll recognize the view from the Old Valley Pike – the same pike used by Jackson and his “Foot Cavalry.”

The date of the painting provided a unique color scheme. For almost a week prior to May 31, 1862, the weather had been rainy. This actually allowed me the opportunity to use a different color scheme than anything I’ve painted with Jackson in the past.

The final piece of the puzzle was how to depict the army. Jackson’s famous “Foot Cavalry” was a colorful mix of young boys in ill-fitting uniforms and savvy veterans – all understandably road-worn from their incredible forced marches. At Strasburg, where they’re here depicted, they escaped a Northern trap – to survive, achieve victory in Jackson’s “Valley Campaign” and earn a level of fame unsurpassed by any troops on either side in the Civil War. They and their commander were quite extraordinary – and they made fascinating subjects for me.

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16 December 1907 – Hampton Roads, Va.

Signed & Numbered Giclee on Canvas
Image Size: 18″ x 21″
100 Signed and numbered, issue price: $795
Painted in 1977, Printed in 2006

Times had changed – peace and celebration were in the air. At 10:00 a.m. on December 16, 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt gave the order. With a tug on the halyard, tightly wrapped cloth bundles at the yardarm broke open into brilliantly colored signal flags with the order “Proceed upon duty as assigned,” and sixteen of America’s proudest battleships painted immaculate white to symbolize peace got under way for what was to be a 46,000 mile voyage around the world. To Roosevelt, the ships and their mission were symbol and substance of America’s proclamation to the whole world that she was assuming a broader obligation toward maintaining world peace than ever before.

The voyage of the Great White Fleet, as it came to be known, was an example of unabashed “Big Stick Diplomacy,” and for Roosevelt the fulfillment of a dream he had first had as Assistant Secretary of the Navy; to rebuild America’s neglected Navy into one second only to that of Great Britain. On February 22, 1909, Roosevelt welcomed his Fleet home to Hampton Roads, his point made to the world, his support earned among the American people.

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Signed and Numbered Giclée Print on Canvas (no paper edition)
Image Size: 12” x 17”
100 Limited Edition Giclee Print on Canvas, Issue Price $695.00

On May 21, 1804, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark left St. Charles, Missouri on an expedition of the American west. Its purpose was to find “the most direct and practical water communications to the Pacific”, to explore the mineral and other resources of the vast territory and report on its flora and fauna; to make precise records of temperature and other such scientific data as would be useful; and to gather material on Indian languages and customs. In November 1805, after an eighteen month journey, Lewis and Clark finally reached the Pacific Ocean

Released 2002

Giclée Print on Canvas
Image Size: 15″ x 30″
100 Signed and Numbered Giclee print on Canvas, Issue Price $525
10 Signed and Numbered Artist Proofs Giclee print on Canvas, Sold Out

The Mort Kunstler print that inspired thousands is now available as a collector’s giclée on canvas. Old Glory, the Kunstler painting of the Stars and Stripes with flowing folds of character and honor, moved thousands of Americans when first issued last year in the wake of September 11 as a fund-raiser for the American Red Cross.

Now this endearing symbol of our nation is available in a collectible giclée limited edition. Giclée prints are a blend of art and science employing a new technology that sprays microscopic droplets of ink directly on the canvas. The result is a highly saturated and dynamic color range that is greater than serigraphy, allowing for a reproduction equal to the original piece.

Only one hundred signed and numbered canvases and ten artist’s proofs have been produced, each one personally signed by Mort Kunstler. Celebrate the blessings of liberty and your American heritage with a special edition giclée of Old Glory.

Giclée Print on Canvas (no paper edition)
Image Size: 17” x 36”
250 Limited Edition Signed and Numbered Giclee Print on Canvas, Issue Price $450
25 Artist Proofs Signed and Numbered Giclee Print on Canvas, Issue Price $595

It appeared to be the victory the South was so desperately seeking. General Robert E. Lee and his triumphant Army of Northern Virginia had slipped away from their lines at Fredericksburg, Virginia and had skillfully made a forced march through the Shenandoah Valley, across the Potomac River and into Pennsylvania. There, Lee hoped to fight and win a major battle on Northern soil, ending America’s bloody Civil War and achieving Southern nationhood. He did not have long to wait. The North’s Army of the Potomac, newly commanded by Major General George Gordon Meade, hastily followed Lee’s army northward. Lee had 75,000 troops; Meade had about 105,000. The two collided at the Pennsylvania crossroads community of Gettysburg, where they engaged in a three-day contest that would become the largest battle ever fought in North America.

Two months earlier, Lee’s army had decisively defeated the Army of the Potomac at the battle of Chancellorsville – a victory that had enabled Lee to stage his invasion of the North. Would Lee be able to win again in Pennsylvania? On July 1, 1863, advance elements of both armies stumbled into each other at Gettysburg, and each side rushed troops to the battlefield. Lee’s army managed to get more men there first, and after a day of fierce fighting east and northeast of town, the Federal line finally broke. Northern troops fell back in disorder through Gettysburg, and re-formed on Cemetery Ridge south of town.

Meanwhile, Lee’s triumphant troops advanced into Gettysburg. Still under artillery fire, Confederate Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell led Lee’s Second Corps into the town square, accompanied by one of his brigade commanders, Brigadier General John B. Gordon. Both men had barely survived earlier battles: Gordon had been wounded five times at the battle of Antietam, and General Ewell had lost his left leg at Second Manassas. Courageous and capable in combat, Ewell was reconnoitering the Federal position at Gettysburg with Gordon, when he was shot in the leg by a Northern sharpshooter. “Are you hurt, Sir?” Gordon asked anxiously. Reassuring him, Ewell explained, “It don’t hurt at all to be shot in a wooden leg.” Although later saddled with blame for failing to capture Gettysburg’s vitally important Cemetery Hill, Ewell and his corps were greatly responsible for the Confederate victory on the battle’s first day. It was late afternoon when General Ewell rode victoriously into the town square amid his cheering troops. It would be a fleeting triumph, however: The next two days of battle would go against the South. Gettysburg would prove to be a crucial Northern win and the turning point of the Civil War.

Mort Künstler’s Comments

Gettysburg was such an important battle, and holds such fascination for so many students of the Civil War. That’s why I’ve painted numerous Gettysburg subjects over the years, and continue to do so. One historian has observed that my Gettysburg artworks form a pictorial time-line of the battle. The latest to date – and one of my favorites – is “Are You Hurt, Sir?” It features two battle-scarred Confederate leaders in a triumphant and chaotic scene following the first day’s fighting. Though their southern troops were energized by the initial victory, the critically important battle would end two days later in a decisive Northern victory that would be the turning point of the war.

At the time of this new painting, Northern troops have been driven from their lines outside of town and back through Gettysburg. Fighting is still, however, going on in the town, depicted by the artillery fire seen in the background, and the excited, but guarded, actions of the Southern troops streaming into the town square. Look closely and you can see Northern kepis on the ground, bearing the corps badge of the Union XI Corps, which was forced to retreat on Gettysburg’s first day. Also seen in the background is another historical event: Soldiers from the 1st South Carolina Infantry are taking down the Union flag to replace it with the Confederate banner to celebrate victory. “Are You Hurt, Sir?” is the only painting I’ve done that depicts the fighting that occurred in town – an event that has been rarely recorded in Gettysburg artworks. In the background on the left is the Wills House, where President Abraham Lincoln would later spend the night when he came to town for his Gettysburg Address in November of 1863. Also seen in this painting are four more historic structures still recognizable to anyone who visits Gettysburg today.

At center stage in “Are You Hurt, Sir?” is General Richard Ewell and one of his key commanders, General John Brown Gordon. Ewell is one of my favorite Civil War figures. He was a very gifted commander who distinguished himself in battle and had driven Northern forces from Winchester, Virginia while on the march to Gettysburg. Ewell played a pivotal role in winning Gettysburg’s first day for the South, but he has been unfavorably compared to General Stonewall Jackson, who died shortly before Gettysburg. I’ve always felt that was unfair to Ewell. Who was equal to Stonewall Jackson?

Ewell was a bald-headed, eccentric officer whose appearance caused his soldiers to call him “Old Bald Head,” but they loved him and respected his bravery and skill. And they followed him faithfully: His corps had advanced deep into Pennsylvania – all the way to Carlisle – when Lee called them back to do battle at Gettysburg. I painted General Gordon at the battle of Cedar Creek in Shenandoah Sunrise, but this was my first time painting General Ewell – and it was long overdue. Astute observers will note that I’ve accurately depicted the time of day with later afternoon sunlight, and I’ve also lit the Union flag with it, symbolizing the fact that the Union would prevail at Gettysburg. I think that “Are You Hurt, Sir?” enhances the collection of Gettysburg paintings I’ve been able to produce, and records an important and colorful historic event from the Civil War.

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Kershaw

Kershaw’s Brigade at Fredericksburg December 13, 1862 Limited Edition Print
Image Size: 14 3/4″ x 23″
Overall Size: 20 1/4″ x 28″
950Limited Edition Signed and Numbered. Issue Price $225
95 Artist Proofs Signed and Numbered. Issue Price $400

Giclée Print on Canvas
Size: 18″ x 29”
100 Limited Edition Signed and Numbered, Issue Price $575
10 Artist Proofs Signed and Numbered , Issue Price $725

They faced the most powerful army in America. Advancing in battle lines up the hill toward them was the mighty Army of the Potomac – more than 115,000 strong – composed of courageous, well-trained combat troops under the command of General Ambrose E. Burnside. For half a year, General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had been persistently hammered by this great army, led by one Northern commander after another. Back in autumn at Antietam, the men in gray had escaped destruction by this same blue-uniformed host. Now they faced them again on the field of battle at Fredericksburg.

This time, however, they had a formidable advantage. They held an almost impregnable line of defense, which was anchored in a sunken road behind a stone wall on Marye’s Heights. The Northern troops advancing on them now in a mighty mass had to assault uphill over a long and open plain. Defending the Sunken Road were troops from Georgia, North Carolina, and Kershaw’s Brigade of South Carolinians, commanded by Brigadier General Joseph B. Kershaw. Descended from a prominent Southern family, Kershaw had been orphaned as a boy and had worked his way through life with remarkable success as a self-educated lawyer, a local militia officer, a Mexican War veteran, and a Confederate officer distinguished by a rapid rise in rank to brigadier general. Despite the numerical superiority of the men in blue at Fredericksburg, Kershaw held his brigade steady and poured forth a terrible fire from behind the stone wall.

Kershaw demonstrated “great coolness and skill,” observed a fellow officer, and helped transform the gigantic Federal assault into one of the North’s worst defeats. While Southern forces in the road and along the ridges behind it would lose a thousand men, the assaulting Northern forces would lose almost eight thousand. Finally, after making one courageous charge after another, the men in blue would give up. The Battle of Fredericksburg would be heralded as one of Robert E. Lee’s greatest victories – due in great measure to the valiant defense made by these sons of the South. It would long be celebrated in the Southern homeland as a triumph of valor in gray.

Mort Kunstler’s Comments:

The more I study the American Civil War, the more I am impressed by the courage demonstrated by Americans on both sides. A classic example occurred at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Northern troops in the Army of the Potomac made repeated assaults over the wide-open killing fields below the Confederate line on Marye’s Heights. That’s what I tried to portray in Courage in Blue, which shows the 20th Maine charging up the hill in the thick of fighting – led by Lt. Col. Joshua Chamberlain. But what about the men on the other side? I kept thinking about them as I painted the 20th Maine. They faced a superior force composed of the finest army at the time – and they held their ground and drove back those grand legions in blue. This historical event is re-created in the Ron Maxwell motion picture Gods and Generals in a vivid, moving episode, and I am honored to be the official artist for Maxwell’s latest motion picture masterpiece.

I knew that I could not completely capture the dramatic display of American bravery at the Battle of Fredericksburg if I limited the scope of the painting to the Northern side of battle. At times, the opposing forces were no more than 25 yards apart. What absolute bravery was required for those men – Northerners and Southerners – to stand so close to each other and trade fire. How could an artist depict such an event on canvas? Then I thought to myself: Why not do two paintings? That would allow both images to be mounted side-by-side for a dramatic panoramic display worthy of the subject. Posted in the Sunken Road at Fredericksburg opposite the 20th Maine were the Southern soldiers of Brigadier General Joseph B. Kershaw’s brigade, which included troops from South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. Like the men of the 20th Maine, the soldiers of Kershaw’s Brigade were appropriate examples of American courage in the Civil War.

General Joseph B. Kershaw is seen in the painting, mounted on horseback, between two of his aides. He was a dignified lawyer with military experience in the Mexican War, and during the Civil War he was described as gallant and devout by his division commander. I deliberately show a good deal more gunfire in this painting than its Northern counterpart to demonstrate the overwhelming fire that the 20th Maine endured. I use the gun flashes to dramatically light the Confederate battle flag in the center of the painting. The first national flag, then still in use, can be seen in the background, as well as South Carolina’s Palmetto Flag.

The various interesting types of figures in the extreme left foreground and the ability to see down the Confederate line behind the stone wall to the right background gave me an opportunity to show all of the actions from loading to firing. I was also able to show that the two sides were so close to each other that the officers were firing with pistols. I think the panoramic concept works very well with both pictures, and together the images movingly express the extraordinary bravery that seemed to be evident on both sides during the war. And why not? They were all Americans.

Jackson in Winchester, Va. November 6, 1861

Release Date: 2008

Limited Edition Print
Image Size: 17” x 28”
Overall Size: 22” x 32”
500 Limited Edition Signed and Numbered. Issue Price $225
50 Artist Proofs Signed and Numbered. Issue Price $350
Giclée Print on Canvas
Size: 20” x 33”
100 Limited Edition Signed and Numbered, Issue Price $575
10 Artist Proofs Signed and Numbered , Issue Price $725

No longer was he “Tom Fool” Jackson. That’s what some cadets had called Major Thomas J. Jackson a year earlier at the Virginia Military Institute, where he had lectured on artillery principles, astronomy and physics. He was an expert at artillery, and he memorized his other subjects, but his classroom presentation was anything but inspiring. One student called him “the worst teacher God ever made.” His demanding discipline resulted in the expulsion of six cadets, and prompted one student to challenge him to a duel. He often appeared lost in his thoughts, and sometimes even forgot to eat. He walked with an awkward gait, laughed in a peculiar and soundless manner, and would abruptly raise his arm and make a pumping motion to stimulate blood circulation. Beneath such eccentric behavior, however, lay one of history’s brightest military geniuses.

By the time he established his headquarters in Winchester, Virginia in 1861, Jackson’s odd habits were overshadowed by his celebrated fame. “Tom Fool” Jackson had become “Stonewall” Jackson – the hero of the Confederate victory at First Manassas. A graduate of West Point and a Mexican War veteran, Jackson had left VMI for Confederate service, demonstrating a command ability that quickly spurred him to the rank of brigadier general and command of a brigade of Virginia troops from the Shenandoah Valley. His rock-hard defense of Henry House Hill at the battle of First Manassas earned him the nickname “Stonewall” Jackson, and made his name heroically famous throughout the South. In November of 1861, he was promoted to major general and placed in command of defending the Shenandoah Valley with headquarters at Winchester. When Jackson led his troops into town on November 6, the residents of Winchester realized they had a hero in their midst – but the flame of fame would soon burn with even greater brilliance.

In the spring of 1862, Jackson would unleash his remarkable “Valley Campaign” and demonstrate his exceptional military genius. In an extraordinary display of hard marching, hard fighting and brilliant maneuvering, Jackson and his “foot cavalry” would humiliate the Northern armies that threatened the Shenandoah Valley. His triumph there would make him the lion of the Valley, and produce a year-long partnership with General Robert E. Lee that would make Stonewall Jackson one of history’s leading military legends.

Mort Künstler’s Comments

Winchester is one of my favorite places in Virginia. It was also one of Stonewall Jackson’s favorites, and he spent four of the happiest months of his life there. I’ve painted many pictures of Winchester and the surrounding area, but none that I like more than this one. Lion of the Valley depicts General Jackson and his brigade entering Winchester the day he established his headquarters there in 1862. In it, you’ll see two period structures that were familiar to everyone in Winchester during the Civil War – the 1827 House and the Red Lion Tavern, which was established in 1783. Both still look much the same today, and I believe they have never been depicted with Jackson in a painting. They’re wonderful examples of 19th century southern architecture and I think they add a very compelling element to the painting. I’m so glad I learned about this scene and the appearance of these Civil War structures.

Jackson’s arrival at his new headquarters in early November gave me the opportunity to use the seasonal colors of the leaves which, combined with the clear blue sky and bright sunlight, impart the optimism that was felt by Jackson and the army at this time of the war. I deliberately placed only Stonewall and Little Sorrel in sunlight to make them the center of attention. To reinforce this design element, I painted Jackson as the only figure clearly silhouetted against the sky. I utilized one point perspective to additionally draw the eye to the general by having the lines of the buildings, the curbing, and the wagon tracks lead the viewer to Jackson. The Loudon Street Presbyterian Church is aptly positioned directly behind Jackson. He worshipped there and passed by countless times in the exercise of his duties.

The first national flag catches the sunlight and adds an additional touch of color to the painting. The mounted artilleryman on the extreme left looks at Jackson as he goes by; that and the direction of the infantry soldier’s rifle lead the viewers attention always back to the painting’s centerpiece: Stonewall Jackson. That’s the intent of the painting – the focus on Jackson. He would soon lead his amazing “Valley Campaign,” which would catapult him into even greater fame. I believe this painting clearly suggests the strength of character and command that would make Stonewall Jackson the lion of the Shenandoah Valley.

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The Gettysburg Address
The Presidential Collection

November 19, 1863

Release Date: 2008

Giclée Release to Commemorate the 200th Birthday of Abraham Lincoln in 2009

Giclée on Canvas ( No Paper Edition)
Size: 26″ x 26”
200 Limited Edition Signed and Numbered, Issue Price $595
20 Artist Proofs Signed and Numbered , Issue Price $745 SOLD OUT

When Lincoln was invited to make his speech, Americans were still trying to recover from the shock of 51,000 casualties incurred at the battle of Gettysburg a few months earlier. A battlefield cemetery for the Northern dead was being dedicated, and organizers wanted a prominent keynote speaker. Rather than choosing the President for the keynote address, they selected Edward Everett, who was a famous orator of the day. The President was apparently asked to speak as a last minute courtesy. He chose to accept the invitation anyway because he felt the need to make a public statement on the meaning of the war.

The day he was scheduled to board a train for Gettysburg, Lincoln almost cancelled his appearance. His young son Tad had become seriously ill, and Lincoln’s wife Mary – who had lost another son to illness a year before – became hysterical about Lincoln leaving. He finally decided to go anyway, and was later relieved to learn that his son’s condition had improved. Lincoln did not scribble the speech on the back of an envelope as later mythologized, but had instead written it a week or two earlier on White House stationery, and then polished it at Gettysburg the night before the event.

At 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 19, 1863, 15,000 people listened as Edward Everett delivered a rousing two-hour patriotic speech. In contrast, when Lincoln arose, attired in a new black suit, he delivered a surprisingly brief speech. It consisted of 272 words and required no more than two minutes to deliver. He was interrupted by applause only twice, but his audience knew when he finished that they had witnessed an epic event.

Lincoln’s speech soon appeared in countless newspapers, earning an acclaim that has only increased with the passage of time. Through his Gettysburg Address, he eloquently inspired the North and shaped history – redefining the Northern war effort from preservation of the Union to a crusade for freedom. His elegant phrases would ring through the ages: He spoke of the American heritage – a nation “conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” He honored the “brave men, living and dead, who struggled” for the Northern cause. He saluted their “unfinished work,” and proclaimed “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

His stirring words not only motivated Northerners, they established a vision of mutual respect and tolerance for a reunited America.

For generations to come, all Civil War soldiers – Northern and Southern alike – would be honored by the citizens of a restored American republic as “brave men” and “honored dead” – Americans all.

Mort Kunstler’s Comments:

With my painting emphasis and love of the Civil War, it’s only fitting that I should start my Presidential Collection with Abraham Lincoln. While I have completed nearly twenty paintings depicting our 16th President, The Gettysburg Address seemed like a fitting tribute to celebrate his 200th birthday.

While controversial in his lifetime, history has shown Lincoln to be one of the most outstanding Presidents in leading and shaping the future of our great nation.

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