The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-08-18
A Searching Criticism of Rothermed's
BATTLE of GettySburs."
m H. Ltyayo,, ID yLo n,,,uJ,L

1
Your paper of the 18th instant contains q
communication from Colonel w. w. Wood
1 one of our State commissioners to the Phila
delphia Centennial Celebration, in reply tc
the unfavolable remarks made by the editor
of the Columbus (Ga.) Sun on this some
what celebrated batlle-piece. These stric'
lures, or rather "home-thrusts," were writ
| ten upon the representations of visitor to
the getty of Brotherly Love" and copied
in recent issue of the Dispatch.
sA few weeks ago it was the writer's priyl'
Iege. or good fortune, to stop day or two
in Philadelphia. In an art gallery just within
the gate at Fairmont Park RothermePs
Battle of Gettysburg" was on exhibit
tion-perhaps permanently deposited there
Among those present were many soldiers
who had served in the Federal army during
the late war. / "then and there" con-
demned the spirit shown by the artist in
that painting towards the South. One gen.
tleman, in a tone of freezing respect, re-
marked that "the faces of the rebels were
contorted from painful wounds"
need not say that Colonel Wood not only
praises the work and defends the artist from
anything approaching sectional bias even i'll
its execution, but expresses the hearty wish
that all of Picketps men were able to con-
tribute towards purchasing copy for our
capitol. l agree with him that the picture
has. in an eminent degree, the common
quality of "hugeness and while do not
profess to be mouth-pece for Pickett's
men, as a private in the StoneWall Brigade
and a Virginian, and an actor in that dread
full scene of carnage, a part of which this
picture processes to represent, would scorn
to receive as gracious gift, much less place
in our State capitol, such a miserable, VIM
dictiye caricature of the faces Of southern
men. 1t is true, as Colonel Wood says, our
men are not represented as /" fleeing hotly,"
but worse-as crowd Of dirty, ruftian- and
beastly-looking desperadoes, skulking and
covering before the triumphant advance Of
the clean, handsome, dashing, "hip-hip-hur-
rah "bOys in blue" 1t struck me rs a
highly probable fact that the artist had
picked up wretches in the vile haunts and
reeking slums that abound in Philadelphia
to palm off as southern men. feel very
sure in saying that General Pickett did not
have such men-yeritable Catalan bandits
in his command.
Another picture of the Park, among others
of similar character, "ticketed Re-
pulse of the Rebel Maryland Brigade by
General Geary," was also on eNhiDitlon. In
this piece there is repetition of the an'mus
shown the South i'll the portrayal OF south
ern features and courage by northern artists,
or, perhaps, Philadelphia artists. "My Ma
ryianders " appear as a herd of surprised
gamblers fleeing from the officers of the law,
or regiment Of fresh lazzaroni conscrips
scampering panic-stricken from Ill Austrian
ambuscade.
/ also agree with Colonel Wood as to the
absence of asperity towards the people of
the South in so far as ordinary conversation
goes. But there is certainly room for and
need of conversion in other respects in Phila-
delphia. The writer was captured us pri-
soner of war at the battle Of Gettysburg. In
going from the railway depot to the dock,
where we were to take the steamer for Fort
Delaware, our route was through several
streets, and although heavily guarded and
defenceess, hooting and yelling crowd of
men, lconaeas, and childreu-many of whom
would have passed for respectable people if
good clothes are IN indication--Were per-
ia.ttcG IL pell us with ros!ey Of ro..cu ia
nanas, and salute us with string OF oaths
and abuse singularly out of place lii u city
tboasttul OF its morality and Christian charity,