Henry Alexander Wise (1806–1876) was a Virginia lawyer and politician, serving as a U.S. Representative from 1833 to 1843 and Governor of Virginia from 1856 to 1860. As governor, Wise oversaw the imprisonment, trial, and execution of John Brown for his attack on the Harpers Ferry arsenal. Ironically, Wise organized an armed seizure of Harpers…
Tag: illustration
Illustration of Robert L. McCook
Robert Latimer McCook (1827-1862) was a lawyer from Ohio, one of nine children of Daniel McCook. Robert, seven of his brothers, and his father all fought for the Union during the Civil War. Their family was known as the "Fighting McCooks". When the Civil War broke out, Robert recruited the 9th Ohio Infantry from among…
Illustration of William S. Rosecrans
William Starke Rosecrans (1819-1898) was born in Ohio and despite having no formal education, graduated from West Point in 1842. He did not fight in the Mexican War and went into business as president of the Preston Coal Oil Company. When the Civil War broke out, he became aide-de-camp to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan…
Illustration of Jacob D. Cox
Jacob Dolson Cox, Jr. (1828-1900) was something of a renaissance man. Born in Canada to American parents, Cox attended Oberlin College and later became a lawyer. He moved with his wife, Helen Clarissa Finney, to Ohio where he became a state senator. During the Civil War, he was a brigadier general and led the famed…
Illustration of Thomas A. Morris
Brig. Gen. Thomas Armstrong Morris (1811–1904) was a civil engineer from Kentucky who led a brigade under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan during the Northwest Virginia Campaign. Morris graduated from West Point in 1834 and served as an artillery officer. When the Civil War broke out, he became quartermaster general of the Indiana state militia.…
Illustration of George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was born in Philadelphia and graduated from West Point in 1846. He fought in the Mexican War, and his father was close friends with Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott, who would become overall commander of U.S. forces at the outbreak of the Civil War. McClellan's services were highly sought after, but Ohio Governor…
Illustration of Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett
For many years, photos of Robert S. Garnett were often mistaken for those of his more famous cousin, Richard Brooke Garnett (1817-1863), who was killed in Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. The existing images and illustrations (at least available online) leave something to be desired. Like many early-war Confederate officers who didn't go on to win fame, these images are grainy and low resolution.
Updated Illustration of Col. George A. Porterfield
Last week, I commissioned an illustration of Col. George A. Porterfield, who commanded Confederate forces at Philippi. You can view the results here. The illustration was decent, but not quite what I had in mind. I decided to go back and find a different illustrator. I'm glad I did! What Maul22 came up with was…
Continue reading ➞ Updated Illustration of Col. George A. Porterfield
Illustration of Col. George A. Porterfield
Eventually, I intend to include profiles of the personalities central to the early Civil War in Virginia in this encyclopedia. Unfortunately, more than a handful didn't go on to win much fame, so finding quality contemporary photos or illustrations of them is difficult. I decided to hire an artist to create illustrations of these individuals…
Continue reading ➞ Illustration of Col. George A. Porterfield
Spirit of '61 