Burning breastworks and forts at Manassas
1862
Edwin Forbes wasn't just an artist; he was a war correspondent sketching the American Civil War right from the front lines for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. In this gritty 1862 sketch, he captures Union soldiers dismantling and burning abandoned Confederate fortifications at Manassas, with some men casually lounging on barrels while others swing axes at the blazing wood. Forbes created these quick, on-the-spot sketches to send back to newspapers, giving the Northern public a raw, unfiltered look at army life long before combat photography could capture every moment.
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