M. O'Neil
AmericanCivil War Encampment, ca. 1863
On view
Oil on canvas
Dimensions31 × 43 3/8 in. (78.7 × 110.2 cm)
Framed: 25 × 37 1/4 in. (63.5 × 94.6 cm)
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1968.26
Beyond the artist's name as evidenced in the signature, nothing is known about the painter of this Civil War scene. Rather than depicting a more heroic scene of the war, such as an active military engagement, the composition shows a Union Army encampment. The static subject, with its open vista, high horizon line, and diminutive scale of the figures, has more in common with typical early topographical studies from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. O'Neil has taken a tight and deliberate technical approach, executing the work in a meticulous style with attention to minute detail.
On careful examination it is evident that some of the soldiers sport red trousers, the uniform adopted in the United States in emulation of the Algerian Zouave troops who fought for France in the Crimean War. The 11th Infantry of New York is perhaps the best-known Zouave inspired regiment, although there were others who also saw active service in the Civil War. In addition to several more from New York, other such regiments came from Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Missouri. The artist may have been a participant and was recording a personal experience on the spot, or he may have been documenting the scene from memory. It is also possible that he was simply using his imagination, a conjecture supported by the evenly rhythmic repetition of the stylized mountain formation.
