1906, The Fourth Minnesota Entering Vicksburg
Date: 1906
Dimensions: Height: 2.03 meters ( 6 ft. 8in.), Width: 2.54 meters (8ft 4in.)
Medium: Painting – oil on canvas
Owner/Location: Governor’s Reception Room, Minnesota Capitol
Description
‘The event depicted here occurred on July 4, 1863, when the Fourth Minnesota Regiment entered the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The city had just surrendered, following a six-week siege. The honor of being one of the first units to march into the city was bestowed upon the regiment for the significant role it played in combat preceding the surrender. In the background is the Warren County Courthouse, which served as an artillery target during the siege. Col. John B. Sanborn, a St. Paul lawyer and brigade commander, is shown on horseback, leading his troops.” https://www.mnhs.org/capitol/learn/art/8966
Restoration work by Page Conservation Inc.
Exhibitions / Provenance
Exhibitions:
The commissioned painting was installed in the Governor’s Reception Room in 1906
Provenance:
Commissioned and owned by the State of Minnesota in 1904. Placed in Governor’s Reception Room, Minnesota Capitol 1906
Research / Publications
esearch:
In May 1863, Union forces attacked Vicksburg, Mississippi in a siege that lasted for six weeks. The Fourth Minnesota was among the Union regiments to force the surrender of Confederate soldiers. On July 4, 1863, the Minnesotans led the Union army into the surrendered city of Vicksburg.
Painter Francis David Millet captured this victorious moment in “Fourth Minnesota Regiment Entering Vicksburg,” created between 1905-1915. The painting is one of six Civil War murals hanging in the Governor’s Reception Room at the Minnesota State Capitol. [Political correctness] discussions about Capitol art in fall 2016 led the Minnesota Historical Society to decide to keep the Civil War paintings in place. Millet also painted “Treaty of Traverse des Sioux,” which will be relocated but remain in the Capitol.
[See “Treaty of Traverse des Sioux” and other American Indian paintings by Millet to learn more about his close and friendly relationship with American Indian’s and his effort to always portray their dignity and cultural identity accurately. This effort on the part of Millet was unusual for the 19th Century. Study drawings and correspondence with Native Americans is archived at the Academy of Arts and Letters in NYC, NY. where Millet was an elected member.]
https://www.mnhs.org/education/resources/fourth-minnesota-entering-vicksburg
Publications: