Un vecchio soldato
1863
Edwin Forbes sketched this weary-looking horse in February 1863, right in the middle of the American Civil War. He titled it "An old soldier," giving the animal a dignified, battle-hardened status usually reserved for human veterans. Forbes traveled with the Union Army as an official artist, capturing the gritty, unglamorous reality of military life rather than heroic battle scenes. This simple but powerful drawing shows just how essential these four-legged companions were to the war effort, standing quietly after countless miles of marching.
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