A Bit of War History: The Recruit (Painting)

At the close of the Civil War, Vermont-born artist Thomas Waterman Wood painted a narrative triptych of Black Americans' military service during the conflict. The three works of art - The Contraband, The Recruit, and The Veteran - create a storyline encapsulated in the title A Bit of War History.

The Recruit depicts a man at the U.S. Army Provost Marshall General office (where he enlisted as shown in The Contraband), now dressed in his Union uniform, and displaying his weapon - proudly ready for military service."

According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art catalog: "By the war’s end, Black American men made up more than 10% of the United States Army and Navy, fighting bravely in so-called U.S. Colored Troops."

Artist: Thomas Waterman Wood
Date: 1865
Original medium: Oil on Canvas
Orientation: Vertical/Portrait
Image restored & enhanced by Rebel Seed Studio