behind AotW

This evocative piece is from an etching by New York artist William Henry Shelton (1840-1932). He depicted horse artillery troops at Chancellorsville in May 1863, and had a run of 750 copies printed by Bryan, Taylor & Company in New York City in 1887.

He deposited this copy with the Library of Congress in September 1877 to protect his copyright (touch to enlarge).

Shelton was himself an artilleryman – a Private in a New York battery at Antietam and Chancellorsville, later First Sergeant, 2nd Lieutenant, and lastly First Lieutenant near the end of the war – so he had some idea about the subject matter.

Here he is in enlisted uniform.

Two intriguing details about this particular print of Going into Action are the small sketches William made in the margin below the main picture. At the left, a self-portrait of the artist, and on the right, a horse head.

This print is still in the collection of the Library of Congress, and is now online.

His wartime photograph hosted by William “Griff” Griffing on Spared & Shared accompanying a Shelton letter of 19 October 1862.