Description

This copper etching was done from Forbes' original sketches done on the Civil War battlefields as the special artist for "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper" from 1862-1864. This etching features five scenes depicting daily activities in a soldier's life, going clockwise from the top left: A Hot Day shows three soldiers grouped around a gun in position while two soldiers sleep behind a shelter; Beef Steak, Rare! shows a soldier cooking over a fire in front of a tent; An Orderly shows a cavalry orderly waiting for orders; A Quiet Nibble on the Cavalry Skirmish Line shows a horse eating grass while the soldier on it's back keeps watch; and A Straggler shows a soldier who is "sick" when a fight is expected. The artist's signature is etched beneath and slightly to the right of the horse's head. This is Plate 27 of 40 in the Life Studies of the Great Army by Edwin Forbes, copyrighted by him in 1876, and published for subscribers by Henry J. Johnson, New York. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum