Surprisingly, Louis Kurz skipped battles from the summer of 1862, even though this period included the ascent of Robert E. Lee as head of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Perhaps as a former Union soldier living in a Northern city, Kurz felt no special need or pressure to present such moments as the Second Battle of Bull Run. This part of the series covers the battles of late 1862.
Battle of Antietam
After scoring a series of victories over the summer, Lee attempted an invasion of the North in hopes of riding his momentum to a decisive victory. However his army was severely understrength and once the Union Army under General George McClellan marched in force against him, he found himself desperately holding off waves of Federal attacks near Antietam Creek (outside Sharpsburg, Maryland) on September 17. The battle was tactically indecisive, but saw the end of his first northern invasion. It is bloodiest single day of combat in American history. Many also credit it with strengthening Lincoln’s political hand so that he could deliver the Emancipation Proclamation.
This is actually the first Kurz & Allison lithograph I ever saw. It adorns a large Harper’s Weekly history of the Civil War that still resides at my parents’ house. The battle had several notable terrain features and Kurz chooses Burnside’s Bridge. The image is of course very dramatic with large ranks closing in on each other. In reality, the fight at Burnside’s Bridge saw less than 500 Confederates take cover in the trees and hold off an entire Federal Corps under General Ambrose Burnside. The actual affair was an embarrassment for Union arms.
Battle of Corinth
Off to the west, the Confederates attempted other northward invasions. In Mississippi General Earl Van Dorn attempted to recapture the vital railroad town of Corinth. Van Dorn’s men had been marching for hours through hot weather, with one wing under General Sterling Price having just fought and lost a battle at Iuka. The following series of assaults against Corinth’s fortifications on October 3-4 saw some breakthroughs, but the men were exhausted and there were no reinforcements to exploit any momentary success. It was another disaster for the Confederacy in the West.
As with his Williamsburg lithograph, Kurz turns breastworks into epic forts. Note the one in the background watching over a river. The terrain is a bit odd as well, with Federals firing from a short rocky bluff while others stand in front of it. The trees belong in a swamp and if there were any on the field they would have been cut down to provide a clear field of fire. Kurz clearly identifies the units here. The 63rd Ohio clashes with the 2nd Texas. Both regiments were indeed involved in the battle’s climatic moment. Presumably the dying Confederate officer holding the flag is Colonel William Rogers, who was killed at this moment.
Battle of Fredericksburg
Following McClellan’s dismissal after Antietam, Burnside took over as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Though it was December and thus winter, he started a movement in Virginia towards the Rappahannock River that actually caught Lee off guard. The Federals needed to cross over at Fredericksburg, but the pontoon bridges arrived late. By the time they got over the river, the Confederates arrived and held the imposing Marye’s Heights south of town. The Federal assaults were a bloody disaster. It’s regarded as the worst defeat of the war for the Union.
Instead of focusing on the infamous attack on Marye’s Heights, Kurz opts to show the contested crossing of the Rappahannock. The Federals take up most of the space here, trying to cover the construction of the pontoon bridges by firing across the water or getting into boats. The Confederates are seen on the other side in front of burning buildings. The town of Fredericksburg was indeed devastated by Federal artillery, street fighting, and looting by the Federals. Oddly, the Federal rank-and-file in the foreground are not in overcoats despite the winter setting. What makes it even more surprising is that Kurz puts them on the officers and the soldiers in the right background.
Battle of Stones River
On December 31, General Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee made a dawn attack on General William Rosecrans’ Army of the Cumberland at Stones River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This attack smashed the Federal right, but the Union was able to organize and stabilize a new line. Since Rosecrans refused to retreat, Bragg ordered an assault two days later on January 2, 1863. This was not as successful and the Confederates had to withdraw. The battle saw astonishing casualty rates for both sides. Following a string of military defeats, the Union victory was cheerfully received in the North.
Fighting occurs on both sides of Stones River. If the geography is correct in regard to where Stones River and the railroad are, this is the fighting on December 31. A Confederate assault runs into artillery fire and Federal reinforcements. Rosecrans, standing out in his darker blue uniform, directs the defense on horseback. The number of dead horses in the background might suggest the aftermath of a cavalry collision, though it could be the downed steeds of officers. Overall this is one of Kurz’s most accurate lithographs, comparatively speaking.
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