Description

This is an engraving by Alexander Hay Ritchie originally done in 1868 from a charcoal drawing by F.O.C. Darley that portrays the artist's rendition of a scene from General Sherman's March to the Sea. The March to the Sea was a successful military campaign that involved the burning of Southern homes, consumption of their goods, and destruction of their railroads among other tactics. This engraving shows General Sherman on horseback, looking towards the front line of battle in the distance. A building is burning while soldiers are dismantling the railroad tracks. An African American family smiles at the men as they walk by. The title and a vignette portrait of Sherman appear in the lower margin. For more information on this print, see "The Union Image: Popular Prints of the Civil War North" by Neely and Holzer, page 228. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum