Potomac Crossing, June 25, 1863

On the morning of Thursday, June 25th, the troops of General James J. Pettigrew’s Brigade – part of the Third Corps of Lee’s army – forded the Potomac near Shepherdstown, Virginia. Here, at Boteler’s Ford, the river was approximately 150 yards wide, marked in spots by scattered boulders, and was armpit-deep in places. Some men kept on their uniforms; while others stripped.

On the Maryland shore they shouted the “Rebel Yell,” and someone in the 26th N.C. began singing the lyrics of ”Maryland, My Maryland” – a poignant musical protest of the Northern occupation of Maryland. Other soldiers joined the chorus, and the poetic lament echoed over the broad river basin. An officer on General Pettigrew’s staff ordered the 26th North Carolina’s regimental band to play an accompaniment to the singing. The band – composed of accomplished musicians from the Moravian community in Salem, North Carolina – was renowned as one of the best bands in Confederate service. The musicians took up the tune and continued to play it until thousands of soldiers were across.

Just miles ahead across the Pennsylvania border lay the quiet crossroads hamlet of Gettysburg. There the great battle that Lee sought would be waged, but it would not end in Southern victory. Instead, it would prove to be the high water mark of the Confederacy and the beginning of the end of the Southern quest for independence. The North’s Army of the Potomac, defeated just weeks earlier, would prevail in defending Northern soil at Gettysburg, and untold thousands of Southern soldiers would not return across the Potomac.Release Date: 2006

The Irish Brigade at Antietam, September 17, 1862

So many times, he was there when decisive leadership was so desperately needed. In the Peninsula Campaign. At Chancellorsville. Antietam. Gettysburg. There, and on other bloody fields of fire and fury, General Winfield Scott Hancock distinguished himself in defense of the Union. Named for General Winfield Scott – hero of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War – he graduated from West Point in the class of ’44 in time to serve under his namesake in Mexico. There he earned honors for valor in action. Further service to his country followed: in the Seminole War, in Kansas and California.

When friends in uniform went South on the eve of the Civil War, he remained fully devoted to the Union. Early in the conflict he distinguished himself in the Army of the Potomac, winning praise at the Battle of Williamsburg during the Peninsula Campaign. His courageous conduct led the army commander, General George B. McClellan, to praise him as “Hancock the Superb.”

At the Battle of Antietam, where he commanded a division, he filled the gap of fallen leadership on the front line. At Gettysburg, he restored order among fleeing Federal troops when the first day’s fighting turned against them, and his selection of defensive positions at that decisive battle was pivotal to the Federal victory at Gettysburg. He was present, too, in the final bloody fighting — at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. Throughout the full fury of the war, he displayed exceptional leadership, and made a mighty contribution to the often-battered, but eventually victorious, Army of the Potomac. At war’s end he would be a hero to his Northern countrymen. But heroics were not his motivation. Foremost always to Winfield Scott Hancock was a higher calling — a determined devotion to duty, honor and country. To the men in blue who served under his command, he would always be “Hancock the Superb.”

Release Date: 2002

Jackson's Headquarters - Winchester, VirginiaWinter 1862

This print has been sold.

The inspiration and idea for this painting came about through a series of circumstances. The Farmers and Merchants Bank of Winchester had purchased my original painting Jackson Enters Winchester. The Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Will Feltner, asked me if I would be interested in doing a companion piece. Naturally, I was delighted.

During a visit to "Stonewall" Jackson’s Headquarters in Winchester, I learned that the historic building had never been depicted in a painting, and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

No fighting had taken place at Jackson’s winter headquarters, so I chose to illustrate a tranquil snow scene similar to my Confederate Winter. In walking around the former Lewis T. Moore house, I found that the most interesting side of the building was the original front. Where the public now enters is actually the side of the structure. Walking around to the original front, one finds that, aside from the entrance, the only major changes made since Jackson’s time are the addition of two dormers on the second floor.

It was here in Winchester that Mary Anna, Jackson’s second wife, joined him for the winter of 1861-62. The Jacksons stayed at the home of Dr. Graham, just a few doors away from Headquarters. I also learned that Mrs. Jackson would often walk over to Headquarters with a basket of food for supper.

The scene shows "Stonewall" Jackson saying goodbye to Mary Anna.

The General’s blue uniform is of note. The coat is the same one Jackson wore at Virginia Military Institute when he was a professor of Artillery Tactics. It conforms to 1850 Uniform Regulations for Virginia Militia and, except for the buttons, is the "Old Army" uniform. Confederate Gary had not yet become universally standard.

As his entourage waits, he and Mrs. Jackson walk a few steps away for some parting words in private. Members of his staff are witness to this tender moment, Major Henry Kyd Douglas, the mounted officer on the extreme left of the painting, would later gain fame as Jackson’s biographer. On foot and immediately to the right of Douglas is Lieutenant Colonel William Allan, Jackson’s Chief of Artillery. Directly behind him, a mounted trooper chats with Captain Jed Hotchkiss, topographical engineer and noted mapmaker for the General.

Further on and just to the left of the stairs is Dr. Hunter McGuire, Jackson’s medical chief, who later was to make his home in Winchester. Alongside Dr. McGuire in the red artillery officer’s kepi is Lieutenant "Sandie" Pendleton. On the right of the stairs, Major Reverend Robert L. Dabney, in winter cape and coat, waits with Captain J.G. Morrison.

To the right of Morrison, a mounted trooper of Jackson’s cavalry escort carries the standard of the first National Flag. Major D.B. Bridgeforth is on the extreme right. The rest of the officers and men wait patiently for this man of steel, some turning away in embarrassment by this unexpected show of tenderness.

The Jacksons’ only child, Julia, was born the following November.

I am privileged to know Julia’s daughter, Mrs. Julia Christian Preston, the granddaughter of "Stonewall" Jackson and Mary Anna Jackson. At the age of 103, she is attractive, bright, alert and well, and living in North Carolina. I hope she enjoys this painting of her grandparents as much as I enjoyed painting it.

Release Date: 1990