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Lot Essay
This animated and captivating painting recalls the Civil War events of the Battle of South Mountain which unfolded on September 14th, 1862. South Mountain is the name given to the geographical barrier between Eastern and Western Maryland which extends from the Blue Ridge Mountains. The battle began in the morning when General George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac was met by General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Once night fell, General Lee ordered his troops to withdraw. After the fighting ceased, 4,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded or missing. Among the dead was commanding General Jesse Lee Reno of the Federal Ninth Corps, whose name is noted in the artist’s inscription.
The painting is likely an interpretation of A.A. Fasel’s print of the battle, that was first published and widely circulated in 1864. Here, the artist depicts the Confederate soldiers retreating in the valley passage and at the mountain ridge. The Confederates are diminutive figures compared to the boldly rendered Union troops. The unknown artist is identified by the inscription as C.H. Fern. The same artist is known to have painted other historic works, including Battleship Maine, dated 1902 and in the collection of the American Folk Art Museum (acc. no. 1981.23.1). He is also referenced in an advertisement placed in the May 14, 1989 Boston Globe for the sale of a whaling scene picture dated 1843. The present work was most likely commissioned by Byron Dexter Leighton of Rindge, New Hampshire. Records show that Leighton served as a Private in Ninth Regiment of the New Hampshire Infantry, enlisting on July 12, 1862 until his discharge in 1865. One can presume he fought in the Battle of South Mountain and had this painting made as a way to commemorate the men he knew and lost that day.
Robert and Marjorie Hirshhorn were passionate American Folk Art collectors and acquired the preeminent collection of American marquetry. Their collection was exhibited At the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM), where Robert also served as a member of the Board of Trustees.
The painting is likely an interpretation of A.A. Fasel’s print of the battle, that was first published and widely circulated in 1864. Here, the artist depicts the Confederate soldiers retreating in the valley passage and at the mountain ridge. The Confederates are diminutive figures compared to the boldly rendered Union troops. The unknown artist is identified by the inscription as C.H. Fern. The same artist is known to have painted other historic works, including Battleship Maine, dated 1902 and in the collection of the American Folk Art Museum (acc. no. 1981.23.1). He is also referenced in an advertisement placed in the May 14, 1989 Boston Globe for the sale of a whaling scene picture dated 1843. The present work was most likely commissioned by Byron Dexter Leighton of Rindge, New Hampshire. Records show that Leighton served as a Private in Ninth Regiment of the New Hampshire Infantry, enlisting on July 12, 1862 until his discharge in 1865. One can presume he fought in the Battle of South Mountain and had this painting made as a way to commemorate the men he knew and lost that day.
Robert and Marjorie Hirshhorn were passionate American Folk Art collectors and acquired the preeminent collection of American marquetry. Their collection was exhibited At the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM), where Robert also served as a member of the Board of Trustees.