BATTLE in the WILDERNESS 1864 - CIVIL WAR - VIRGIN Poster

During the Civil War, the public who read pictorial-based newspapers hungered for news from the front. In an age where the camera was limited in its ability to capture action, the War Correspondent who could sketch and tell the written story at the scenen became invaluable. Such was Civil War Artist Alfred Waud. Here he depicts U.S. Grants forces first skirmish with Robert E. Lee's men in the veritable jungle of undergrowth in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Lee's troops had the advantage because of the skills of southern woodsmen. Grant's commanders relied more on maps that proved to be unreliable. This led to General Wadsworth's death, which is noted by Waud on the sketch, when he strayed too close to enemy lines and took a lead ball to the back of the head. At 56, he was nine years older than any other Union General.