American Civil War Poets & Painters

      The American Civil War was a trying time for the U.S. This harrowing ordeal pitted brother against brother in a bloody battle of dispute. Within these few years the American nation was plagued with sadness, pain, and hardship for those involved. Some fought for freedom, some fought for justice, some for their homeland, and some for themselves. Though this time is behind America, the beating of the war drums can still be felt. The feel of battle can be imagined through the war poems and literature of solders and bystanders; the harsh aftermath and repair of the post-war people can been understood with each brushstroke of the veteran artist. We can remember those lost and what they fought for when we delve deeper into the art and literature of the American Civil War.

1861 "Our Banner in the Sky" By Frederic Church

      When it comes to Civil War poetry there are several styles and subjects. Some poets write about the call to arms or unity for the nation, others write about the roles of women in the war, national pride, or tales of the individual solder. Some of the most famous poets of the time include Walt Whitman, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Herman Melville.
      Whitman's most popular poem, "O Captain, My Captain," was inspired by the death of Abraham Lincoln. This poem was included in Whitman's collection Sequel to Drum-Taps and again in Leaves of Grass.
      Greenleaf's poem "Barbara Frietchie" is a prime example of how some Northern people viewed the Southern rebels. In this poem, Greenleaf describes a picturesque landscape in the North threatened by General Lee and his "barbarian" army.
      Herman Melville collected a folio of work in his 1866 Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War. Within this

Color guard of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry

collection there are numerous examples of Civil War life and remembrance, such as "The Portent" and "Shiloh." Some of Melville's poems express a hope for a united nation, others question the war and what it might accomplish. Some celebrate the solder, and others remember whose who have been lost.

      Many poems were written during the Civil War, and many more were written post-war. These post-Civil War poems feature a broad selection of topics, much like the works written during the war. Some were about piecing together a broken nation and remembering the fallen soldiers, other were about feelings of doubt and hostility on both sides of the war.

John Greenleaf Whittier

      "Acceptation," a poem by Mrs. Margret J. Preston, expresses the relief of the Confederacy that the war
is finally over. Though there is peace and the fighting if over, there are still some feeling of resentment and hostility, but more than anything, their is peace and rest.
      Abram Joseph Ryan, under the pseudonym "Moina," wrote "The Conquered Banner" at the end of the war. This poem is about General Lee's surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse and memorializes the failure of Southern war efforts.

      Civil War art and artists also played their part to depict stories of the Civil War. The paintings and other works of Civil War era artists depict a broken landscape and the challenges of once again uniting a nation. Artists such as Winslow Homer, Sanford Gifford, Frederic Church, and Eastman Johnson helped to pain the post-Civil War America as the people saw it.

1866 "Prisoners from the Front" By Winslow Homer

     One of the strongest images produced of the post-Civil War attitude is "Prisoners from the Front" by Winslow Homer. This painting exhibits four Confederate soldiers in the foreground surrendering to a Union brigadier general; a broken landscape filled with weary soldiers fills the background. The Confederate soldiers are tied and tattered, battered and disgruntled. The youthful Union solder featured at the right is confident and assured, glad that the war is over and glad to be on the "winning" side. This painting exhibits the feelings of surrender and weariness that followed the war. It also showcases the confusion and hostilities felt by some of the soldiers.

1871 "The Wounded Drummer Boy" By Eastman Johnson

      Eastman Johnson's painting "The Wounded Drummer Boy" is an exceptional display of Southern pride, confidence, defiance, and courage. In this painting, a young, wounded drummer boy has been hoisted up on the shoulders of a Confederate soldier. As the story goes, during the battle of Antietam a young drummer was wounded in the leg and asked a Confederate soldier to carry him onward so that he could continue drumming for for his unit. Johnson began work on this painting in 1864, the year he showcased the drawings, and finished painting it in 1871.

      Together, the poets and artists of the American Civil War help show the world today what it was like on the battlefield of yesteryear.