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Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) Gen'l Stuart's raid to the White House

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00493.21 Author/Creator: Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) Place Written: s.l. Type: Print Date: circa 1880-1890 Pagination: 1 etching : b&w ; 26.1 x 34.6 cm. Order a Copy

Depicts Confederate cavalrymen under the command of General J.E.B. Stuart descending upon the Federal line only to find one Hezekiah Skinflint, a sutler who had provided provisions, in this case "ale and lager," to the soldiers. Many Southerners held stereotypes against the free-market North, and Volck buys into that by giving the sutler a name that means selfish and miserly. A bewildered Skinflint is being taken into custody at gunpoint, his supplies confiscated. The long line of covered wagons stretching into the distance suggests that many other supplies were taken in this raid of the Union line. The United States flag atop the building is being pulled down by one of the Confederate soldiers. The "White House" to which Volck refers in the title of this etching is a building used as General George McClellan's headquarters during the Peninsula Campaign. In 1862 Stuart rode from Richmond all the way around the Federal forces, including McClellan's headquarters. Size in extent is for the mount. The actual size of the etching is 20.2 x 26.4 cm. Title in pencil on verso.

Adalbert John Volck was a dentist, political cartoonist, and a caricaturist who sympathized with the Southern cause. During the Civil War, Volck supported the Confederacy through his satirical political cartoons. He also smuggled drugs and medical supplies for the Confederate army, and served as a personal courier to President Jefferson Davis.

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