Artists at Gettysburg (ePub)

As the 3-day Battle of Gettysburg raged, on-site visual depictions of the struggle were recording the action real-time. These have been mostly overlooked for over 160 years. Though scholars have scrutinized nearly every aspect of this historic event, drawings and paintings made by eyewitnesses - the only real visual documentation of the action - have all but been forgotten.

Artists at Gettysburg presents this unique collection - the work of two "special artists" and a Union soldier - in full color plates. This 68-page book appeals to art enthusiasts, Civil War buffs, historians, or any reader who enjoys compelling, true stories. Anecdotal essays animate the scenes, place them in context, and evoke the action of the battle. All 63 of these unique artworks have been faithfully reproduced from the originals.

Steve Sanders' fine art education, his 40-year professional career in 3-d design as well as his experience as a tour guide at the White House of the Confederacy Museum, has fostered his interest in historical events containing unique artistic elements. His research in the combat artists of the Civil War inspired him to consider whether any of their 1000s of pieces of extraordinary original art & the stories behind them still existed.

Astonishingly, Alfred Waud and Edwin Forbes, artists working for competing weekly newspapers, actually documented the action as the battle raged on. In addition to a handful of images that have been published previously, the author's painstaking research uncovered more than 4-dozen additional drawings that have rarely been seen.

The collection the author assembled constitutes the only visual documentation of the action created during the battle & its immediate aftermath. It is a compelling, valuable archive that deserves to finally be seen.