Kurz & Allison Part X: Late 1864

 While General Grant and the Army of the Potomac were still stuck at Petersburg, the Union scored various victories in late 1864 that hastened the end of the Confederacy and ensured Abraham Lincoln's reelection as President. Naturally Union veteran Louis Kurz would feature some of these victories in his lithographs, two from Union General Phil Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign and two from Confederate John Bell Hood's ill-devised Tennessee offensive.

Battle of Opequan or Winchester

The title for this lithograph is somewhat misleading. Opequan is in fact spelled Opequon and this is the Third Battle of Winchester. To be fair to Kurz this is the largest Winchester battle of the war (Winchester changed hands at least 72 times). This was a major battle of the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. General Jubal Early and his Confederates had been running rampant, even approaching Washington D.C. itself. Newly arrived the aggressive Sheridan was determined to end his run. On September 19 he assailed the Confederates along Opequon Creek. The Federals broke through, only to be repulsed by canister fire. General Wesley Merrit's cavalry brigade got into the Confederate rear and after confused fighting Early withdrew to Fisher's Hill, the site of the next battle. This started a string of defeats for the Confederates in the Valley.

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.