1862 Wisconsin Civil War Camp Drawing
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GUEST:
I brought in a drawing. I found it when I was cleaning out my grandparents' home after my grandmother passed away in Wisconsin. It was in a closet, rolled up in a piece of old wallpaper that I was going to throw away.
APPRAISER:
I'm glad you didn't throw it away.
GUEST:
And I never opened it up all the way because I saw that it was old and fragile, so for 14 years, it's just been waiting for this.
APPRAISER:
Where was the house at-- anywhere near Milwaukee?
GUEST:
About an hour and a half from Milwaukee, yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
Because what's cool, this one was drawn of a camp which was down on Lake Michigan, and it's Camp Trowbridge.
GUEST:
Okay!
APPRAISER:
And it's got the date on the end, 1862, and it tells us that it's the 18th Wisconsin Regiment. We see a lot of military pieces, and sometimes you see pieces that kind of cross boundaries. This is not only a military piece, but it's also a wonderful piece of folk art. The guy that drew this, we fortunately have his name down here in the corner. The regiment, the 18th, is pretty special. They're organized on March 15, 1862. Less than a month away, they get to a place called Pittsburg Landing. They roll off the ships on April 5. April 6 comes, all hell breaks loose. It's the Battle of Shiloh.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
And they're in the thick of it, which if you're well drilled and ready to go, that's one thing. These guys were raw recruits and are in the thickest area during the battle. They suffer 24 killed, 174 POWs, and all those prisoners of war were surrendered by General Prentiss in a little place called the Hornet's Nest. And the Hornet's Nest got that name because they say the bullets were flying as thick as hornets going around your head, and these poor guys were right in the middle of it.
GUEST:
Good grief.
APPRAISER:
This is right before there. It's the calm before the storm.
GUEST:
Things are still leisurely.
APPRAISER:
It's a wonderful thing. We've got flags everywhere, we've got color. Up here, we actually have the name of the captain of each one of the companies, and many of those guys were taken prisoner when they surrendered. And we've got boats, we've got everything you could hope for, it's just beautiful. And this is a piece that, from every angle, is pretty. And one thing you learn in collecting: pretty always sells. As far as a value, this one would retail for about $3,000.
GUEST:
Oh my gosh! Good grief. (laughs)
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