Kurz & Allison Part II: First Battles

 Here’s part two of this series where I look at Louiz Kurz’s historical lithographs. For more context check out the opening of part 1. This second part will look at his depictions of Civil War battle from 1861. There are only two.

Battle of Bull Run

The First Battle of Bull Run (or First Manassas) was the first major battle of the Civil War. A Union army under General Irvin McDowell was rushed into the field against an equally green Confederate force under Generals Pierre G.T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston. After a series of blunders, many which ended with friendly fire because of the inconsistent uniforms, the Confederates gained the upper hand at Henry House Hill and the Federals were routed.

As usual Louis Kurz tries to encapsulate the entirety of the battle into one image. He does acknowledge the diversity of uniforms at the battle, though for the most part he sticks to blue & gray. The Federals consist of colorful red-trousered Zouaves and blue-clad men wearing white flaps on their kepis. These were present early in the war as a protection against the hot sun. The Confederate riders are probably the Black Horse cavalry. The Federals are obviously panicking here, fleeing across the bridge and driving their artillery right into Bull Run. I’ve read somewhere that the mounted Confederate officer on the hill is supposed to be Beauregard, though I cannot confirm this (it might be General Thomas Jackson, who got his famous “Stonewall” nickname” at this battle).

Battle of Wilson’s Creek

The Battle of Wilson’s Creek is often called the Bull Run of the West. It was the first major clash in the western theatre and one of the larger battles west of the Mississippi River. It was a fight for possession of Missouri, a border  slave state with divided loyalties. The Missouri State Guard under General Sterling Price allied with Confederates under General Ben McCulloch to take on General Nathaniel Lyon’s Union force. Lyon was severely outnumbered, but still attempted a two-pronged encirclement. This audacious maneuver did not pay off and ended up as an intense, prolonged shootout. Though greatly outnumbered, the Federals held off repeated Rebel assaults until Lyon was killed and they ran dangerously low on ammunition. After this battle it looked like the state might go over to the Confederacy.

Compared to his portrayal of Bull Run, Kurz’s work on Wilson’s Creek is heavily inaccurate. The battle saw a mish-mash of uniforms, but there are neat ranks of blue and gray here. The fighting is also on flat terrain when in reality the Union held the prominent Oak Hill. At least the Confederates are sporting the national instead of battle flag (which was created by the end of 1861 because the national colors looked like the Federals’ under smoke combat conditions). The lithograph centers around Lyon’s death. Lyon is adorned in a full uniform with epaulets, based on widely circulated images of him. Kurz accurately has him leading the 1st Iowa into the fray (read the blue flag), though their uniforms should be gray. For the ability to study the lithograph more closely, click here.