Atlanta

Atlanta

Richard J. LeFevre (1931 - 2000)

1991

watercolor and mixed media on paper

In my series of Civil War paintings, I chose not to illustrate all the battles. This is particularly so in the case of Atlanta that had so many battles—such as the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, the Battle of Resaca, and so on—that I chose to concentrate on November 15, 1864, when Union General William Tecumseh Sherman (shown in the center) ordered the burning of all commercial portions of the city. Sherman ordered Atlanta’s mayor to evacuate all civilian personnel, and then he proceeded to torch these areas of the city. Shown at the bottom of the painting are some of the buildings after the fire. In my opinion, Major Henry Hitchcock’s quote that I used in this painting is one of the most significant quotes of the war. The Civil War began as a gentleman's war; its leaders were polite to one another and even had prisoner exchanges. But by the time they reached November 15, 1864, it had become a very dirty war. I would also like to add that this quote, written by Maj. Hitchcock of Sherman’s staff, does indeed express General Sherman's philosophy of war. Upon leaving Atlanta, he burned a swath of the South over 200 miles long and 60 miles wide all the way to Savannah on the sea. The general spared the destruction of Savannah and presented the city to President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas gift.

Bequest of the Artist