Sherman at Savannah, Georgia

John Chester Buttre|Otto Botticher|Major & Knapp

1865 · Lithograph with tint stone · Drawings and Prints

This group portrait represents the Union officers who supported General William Tecumseh Sherman’s march through Georgia, from Atlanta to Savannah, between November 15 and December 21, 1864. The general’s willingness to penetrate deep into Confederate territory without supporting supply lines proved to be devastatingly effective in undermining Confederate spirit and hastened the end of the war. At right additional officers review federal troops before Savannah, and below, Sherman’s famous letter presenting the city to Abraham Lincoln for Christmas is reproduced. The lithograph is based on a painting by Botticher who left Germany in 1848, established a portrait and lithography studio in New York, served as a lieutenant colonel in the Union army, and became known for the accuracy of his military subjects.

Artist

John Chester Buttre|Otto Botticher|Major & Knapp

Date

1865

Medium

Lithograph with tint stone

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947