N.C. Wyeth and Chris Sanderson were both born in the year
1882. Chester A. Arthur was President of the United States, having been sworn
in after President Garfield succumbed to injuries related to his assassination.
The South was undergoing Reconstruction, yet many people in the South still
resented what they considered the “Battle of Northern Aggression” and the
subsequent laws which changed their way of life. It would take several decades
before the Southern states would regain a sense of normalcy and reach parity
with their pre-Civil War status.
Wyeth was asked to illustrate a book on the great conflict, titled
“Sally Castleton, Southerner” by Crittenden Marriott. The book describes a
Southern girl who comes into contact with a Union spy in Virginia. She’s been
asked to turn him into authorities, but she has misgivings, due to her
interaction with this attractive and interesting stranger. The oil painting
“Troops by the Hundred Were Passing” is one Wyeth did for this book, first
appearing as a serial feature in “Everybody’s Magazine” in 1912. It hangs on
the wall in the Battlefield Room of the Christian Sanderson Museum, near
objects from many other wars this country has suffered through.
Chris Sanderson collected numerous artifacts of the Civil
War and this painting is a fitting tribute from a well known artist who often
illustrated battle scenes, heroic struggles and epic conflicts. Wyeth became
good friends with Sanderson and gave the painting as a gift to Chris’s mother
Hanna. Confederate soldiers are marching behind their commanding officer, who
is on horseback as two young boys in caps run excitedly alongside the phalanx.
The painting is awash in grey-blues and dust browns, the colors of the Confederacy,
ones which clothed the brave young men who fought for a cause which was bound
to fail. “War-hardened, lean, efficient troops, whose road-pace was eagerness
itself” forms the caption of this illustration. Loyal men were following
General Robert E. Lee’s orders to defend Lynchburg- for many, to their death.
Several of N.C. Wyeth’s paintings have an ethereal look to
them, as if the scene is other worldly, part of a dream. In this painting, you
get that same feeling- and the viewer is watching through a misty haze
surrounding these young men, dedicated as they march, rifles on their shoulders
with bayonets fixed, briskly along the dirt road, their eyes unblinking. One
soldier stares straight at the young boys running up to him, knowing the
tragedy of war as they only dream about it, his gaze also nearly capturing the
eyes of the viewer as he marches steadfastly with his determined rebel comrades.
Yet, if you look closely into their faces, you can see that some of them knew…
they wouldn’t be coming back. This would be their last march. It remains an
enigma of war- of all wars- that people in later generations will be completely
horrified and yet, fascinated by them… enraptured with man’s continuous
struggle… in one way or another, to be free. The painting is one of the many
gems that await visitors at theSanderson
Museum - A Man's Life, A Nation's History at 1755
Creek Road (old Route 100) in Chadds Ford, PA just North of Route 1 or on-line
atwww.SandersonMuseum.org.
For information on the author of this article, visit www.GenePisasale.com.
About Gene Pisasale
Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square, Pa. His eight books and historic lecture series focus on the history of the mid-Atlantic region. Gene’s latest book is Alexander Hamilton: Architect of the American Financial System, which delves into the life and many accomplishments of this important Founding Father who almost single-handedly transformed our nation from a bankrupt entity into the most successful country in the history of mankind. Gene’s books are available on www.Amazon.com. His website is www.GenePisasale.com; he can be reached at Gene@GenePisasale.com.
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