Carne de res para el ejército — en marcha
1864
Edwin Forbes captures the unglamorous reality of the Civil War in this 1864 sketch, dated February 11th at Rappahannock Station, Virginia. Instead of a glorious battle charge, a weary Union soldier on horseback leads a team of oxen—literally 'beef for the army'—down a dusty road. Forbes was embedded with the Army of the Potomac as a special artist for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, documenting the gritty logistics of feeding troops rather than just the fighting. The loose, energetic strokes bring the mundane march to life, proving that an army truly marches on its stomach.
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