Civil War Action

James Queen (ca. 1820-1886)
Sketches with Co. B 8th Reg. Pa. Ma.
Under the officers of the Old Southwark
Gaurd [sic] in Chambersburg, 1862.
Watercolor on paper
Prints and Photographs Division
Gift/purchase of Marian S. Carson, 1995 (43.11)

Before shutter speeds of cameras were capable of capturing action, the public's only glimpse of battle came from sketch artists capable of rendering scenes quickly and accurately. Just prior to the Battle of Antietam in mid-September 1862, artist James Queen accompanied a Philadelphia volunteer militia company on a march toward the front and recorded their progress in a series of picturesque watercolors.

James Queen (ca. 1820-1886)
Sketches with Co. B 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. Under the officers of the Old Southwark Gaurd [sic] in Chambersburg, 1862.
Watercolor on paper
Prints & Photographs Division
Gift/purchase of Marian S. Carson, 1995 (43.11)