Kitty. Edwin Forbe’s mare that he rode from 1862-1865
1865-1876
Meet Kitty, the faithful mare who carried artist Edwin Forbes through the American Civil War from 1862 to 1865. Forbes, an official artist for the Army of the Potomac, sketched this profile of his own horse in Baltimore shortly after the war ended, as noted by the inscription in the bottom right corner. The reddish mark on her flank suggests a wound or scar, adding a gritty realism to this portrait of a working animal. It’s a quiet, intimate tribute to a companion who survived the chaos of battle alongside him.