The pontoon bridges
1861-1876
Edwin Forbes captures the grueling reality of the American Civil War in this striking etching, showing Union troops and supply wagons trudging across a makeshift pontoon bridge over a wide river. The sheer scale of the operation is breathtaking—endless lines of soldiers stretch into the distance like a human river, while smoke billows on the horizon, hinting at the chaos waiting ahead. Forbes actually traveled with the Army of the Potomac as an official artist, sketching these scenes right from the muddy front lines. His work offers an unvarnished, ground-level view of military logistics that feels remarkably like 19th-century photojournalism, proving that sometimes the most powerful war art isn't about the fighting, but the marching.
- Technique
- Etching