These Vermont soldiers staved off further defeat at Chancellorsville. The return of a 'lost' painting depicting them is a win-win for Green Mountain State, Texas students

Lyman Orton surrounded by Vermont Civil War Hemlocks (Photo courtesy Mary Admasian)

The story of a 155-year-old Civil War painting and its return to Vermont involves a compelling cast of characters, including a rich Texas oilman, a prominent businessman and an intrepid teacher who discovered the whereabouts of the work.

The canvas depicting soldiers in the Chancellorsville Campaign was produced by Medal of Honor recipient Julian Scott, a 3^rd Vermont Infantry fifer and drummer who took up the brush after the war.

Dubbed “The Fourth Vermont Forming Under Fire,” the painting joins four others made by Scott (below) -- all featuring soldiers from the Green Mountain State – on display in the Cedar Creek Reception Room in the State House in Montpelier. The unveiling occurred Oct. 29.

Remarkably, this is the first time “The Fourth Vermont” has been in the state since shortly after its creation.

Lyman Orton, who heads up The Vermont Country Store and is an avid art collector, purchased the work at auction earlier this year for $110,000. Orton has loaned it to the state for a year. Orton was on hand that day with the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks, a reenactment group.

Vermont historians and others enlisted Orton’s help after Champlain Valley Union High School social studies teacher Tyler Alexander learned the University of Houston was planning to sell the painting to create an endowed scholarship.

The painting’s journey involved several parties, so let’s start from the beginning.

Julian Scott was dedicated to showing valor of soldiers

Scott, a native of Johnson, Vt., received the Medal of Honor for helping to rescue wounded men at Lee’s Mill in Virginia while “under a terrific fire of musketry.” The soldier was just 16 during the April 1862 battle.

Scott was known to make battle and camp sketches during the war. He mustered out in 1863, enrolled in art classes, studied in Europe and became a professional artist upon return. He had a keen eye for detail and dramatic depictions of blue-clad Vermonters.

Lewis A. Grant is believed to be at far left, wearing broad hat and holding sword (Vermont State Curator's Office)

State curator David Schutz provided some context.

“His career as a painter took off with an 1869 battle scene, ‘Rear Guard at White Oak Swamp’ which was purchased by the Union League Club of New York City. That in turn led to a commission by the Vermont Legislature for the large painting (‘The First Vermont Brigade at the Battle of Cedar Creek’) and completed four years later, to be hung in the Vermont State House."

The recently acquired painting apparently features the valor of the 4^th Vermont Regiment as it helped counter Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s attempt to wipe out the rest of the Union army as it retreated from the 1863 defeat at Chancellorsville.

The plucky Vermonters protected the 6^th Corps, led by Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick, as it fled across the Rappahannock River at Bank’s Ford, Schutz said.

Click to enlarge text and illustrations (Courtesy Vermont State Curator's Office)

An interpretive panel below the painting says First Vermont Brigade – which included the 4^th Infantry – fought a rearguard action and was the last to cross to safety, “as dawn came to the smoky countryside with artillery striking all around.”

The painting, Alexander and others learned, was commissioned by wealthy New York patent attorney and diplomat Edwin Stoughton to honor his nephews, Charles and Edwin Stoughton, both of whom commanded the 4^th Vermont Regiment. The painting seems to feature brevet Maj. Gen. Lewis A. Grant, commander of the First Vermont Brigade, standing on the left with his drawn saber, according to officials.

Vermonters rallied around plan to buy painting

The painting stayed in the Stoughton family into the 20^th century, said Schutz, adding its provenance is unknown until Texas oilman and cattleman Patrick R. Rutherford bought it for his Houston home in 1983.

A University of Houston spokesperson told the Picket the estate of Rutherford, who died in 2020, donated the “Fourth Vermont” to its Department of History. The aim was for it to be displayed for a time in the department’s office before it could be sold to fund history student scholarships.

The school placed it on auction earlier this year.

Enter Alexander, the school teacher and author.

He was looking for suitable image for the cover of his new book, “If I Can Get Home This Fall: A Story of Love, Loss, and a Cause in the Civil War,” based on letters from Dan Mason, a soldier from the state’s Northeast Kingdom.

Alexander became aware of the painting but apparently no one else in Vermont knew where it was, said Schutz, the state curator.

The University of Houston history department gave Alexander permission to use the image, but told him they planned to sell the original work.

“He alerted us -- and we gathered a group of supporters to come up with a plan that would bring the painting to Vermont,” said Schutz.

That group included Vermont historians Howard Coffin and Kevin Graffagnino. There was no time to secure state funds, so Orton came through with the winning bid.

The businessman is the benefactor of the "For the Love of Vermont" art collection.

Auction proceeds will benefit UH history students

The university had commissioned Simpson Galleries of Houston to sell the work.

Online, the painting was entitled “Vermont Division at Battle of Chancellorsville,” but as Coffin points out, there was no Vermont Division. Instead, the First Vermont Brigade comprised the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th Vermont regiments.

Grant (right), the brigade commander, won plaudits for his leadership in the Peninsula Campaign, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Cedar Creek, the Wilderness and Petersburg.

He received the Medal of Honor for “personal gallantry and intrepidity displayed in the management of his brigade at Chancellorsville and in leading it in the assault in which he was wounded” on May 3, 1863.

The University of Houston spokesperson told the Picket gains from auction will be used to create an endowed scholarship, “which means it will benefit students in perpetuity.” The first recipients should receive funds in 2027-28, once the endowment fully vests. 

Prof. Catherine F. Patterson, chair of UH's Department of History, said in a statement: “The University of Houston History Department is pleased that this generous gift will both provide scholarships for our students and return this important painting to Vermont, where it holds ties to the state’s Civil War history.

Scott is best known for his depiction of the Battle of Cedar Creek (NPS photo)

Battle of Chancellorsville artifacts that were on renamed Navy missile cruiser will now be displayed at Spotsylvania County's museum

Sword, box of artifacts and Civil War saddle for years were on USS Chancellorsville (now USS Robert Smalls)

One year after the U.S. Navy changed the name of a guided-missile cruiser from USS Chancellorsville to USS Robert Smalls, numerous artifacts from the Battle of Chancellorsville that were formerly displayed on the warship have been returned to a Virginia community.

Spotsylvania County officials requested the Navy return items donated years ago by the Friends of the USS Chancellorsville.

“We are grateful artifacts previously displayed aboard the former USS Chancellorsville have found a fitting home at the Spotsylvania County Museum, where they can be shared with our community and visitors for years to come,” said Drew Mullins of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors, in a recent press release.

The decision to rename the ship came after the Naming Commission examined more than 750 bases, facilities, buildings and more to see if they commemorated the Confederacy, according to CNN. The commission found the Ticonderoga-class cruiser’s original name honored the major Rebel victory at Chancellorsville.

Civil War sword and scabbard that have been returned by the Navy (Spotsylvania County photo)

The cruiser (CG 62) was commissioned Nov. 4, 1989, and was deployed in March 1991 to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm.

The ship's motto was "Press On," a saying of Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson when his men had Yankees on the run. Jackson was fatally shot by his own troops at Chancellorsville.

USNI News, in a 2022 article about the suggested renaming, quoted a Naming Commission leader's comments on the vessel's crest (below), heraldic background and what was said during the commissioning ceremony and before then, when a Navy officer praised the performance of Jackson and Gen. Robert E. Lee at the battle. The inverted wreath on the crest was a reference to Jackson's death.

The ship’s wardroom featured a painting of Lee and Jackson that was removed in 2016, according to USNI News.

“We looked at the entire context and felt as though that this commemorated the Confederacy,” the commissioner said.

So now, the items are back on shore. The Civil War items included in the Navy’s gifting to Spotsylvania County include:

-- A McClellan cavalry saddle

-- Two framed cases of excavated Chancellorsville battle artifacts, including buckles, belt plates, bullets, tools and uniform fasteners. They appears to be items that were used by Confederate and Union soldiers.

-- An Ames Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber presented in 1992 to the ship’s captain.

-- Framed map of Chancellorsville 

-- “Battle of Chancellorsville, Sunday, May 3, 1863” print (original art from “Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Famous Leaders and Battle Scenes of the Civil War,” 1896) 

-- A copy of “The Campaign of Chancellorsville: A Strategic and Tactical Study” by John Bigelow Jr., 1910 Yale University Press

Craig Carroll presented these battle belt plates for ship (Spotsylvania County)

The collection includes several modern items associated with the cruiser.

“Plans are underway for the artifacts to go on display but that date has yet to be determined since we just recently acquired the items,” Michelle McGinnis, director of community engagement and tourism for the county, told the Picket in an email.

It has not yet been determined which items will go on display, she said.

Mullins said the museum will be the “perfect location and will serve to honor not only the ship itself and the crew who served our country while working on board, but also recognizes history while giving us the opportunity to learn from the lessons of our nation’s past.”

The late Lynn Freshour, a 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, was active in organizing the Friends of the USS Chancellorsville, according to officials, and helped foster a relationship between the crew and the Spotsylvania community. (Officials said the group is no longer active).

The Navy League, which also supported the vessel, assisted with the transfer of the items to the county. The Picket has reached out to its local chapter for comment.

Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for Naval History and Heritage Command, said the Navy decided to keep a few items from the USS Chancellorsville collection. (As to where the artifacts were displayed on the cruiser, he said possible locations include the wardroom, quarterdeck, a passageway and the captain's office/quarters.)

McConnaughey said among items retained by the Navy are a modern blue and gray battle streamer, several plaques, a mounted 12-pound Napoleon spherical shot (right) and a .58-caliber 1861 Model Springfield rifle-musket.

The renamed cruiser honors Smalls, a South Carolinian (photo above) who escaped slavery by commandeering a Rebel steamship.

At the start of the Civil War, the enslaved Smalls was a pilot on the CSS Planter. On the morning of May 13, 1862, he led a takeover of the ship by its slave crew, sailed past Charleston Harbor's formidable defenses and surrendered the vessel to the Union blockade fleet. His wife and children were among those on board who gained freedom.

Crew of then-USS Chancellorsville with banners from Spotsylvania

Smalls, 23 at the time, was celebrated across the North for his daring ride to freedom and he served as a ship’s pilot for the rest of the conflict. After the war, he returned to his hometown Beaufort and bought his former master’s home.

Following a stint in South Carolina’s Legislature, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served several terms.

The congressman fought against the disenfranchisement of black voters across the South, according to the American Battlefield Trust. He also fought against segregation within the military.

The Spotsylvania County Museum is located at 6159 Plank Road, Fredericksburg, Va. It features 1,800 square feet of exhibits that provide visitors insight into the county’s 300-plus-year history. The area is buffered by land under the control of the American Battlefield. The museum is free to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 4.p.m., except major holidays.

Man fined $15,000 for using metal detector, digging at Chancellorsville battlefield claimed he did not know he was on federal land

A portion of the Chancellorsville History Trail (NPS photo)

A Virginia man is paying a civil penalty of more than $15,000 after he was caught using a metal detector and digging on the Chancellorsville battlefield, officials said.

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Friday took to social media to remind visitors that it is unlawful to do such activities on federal land, saying artifacts are “an irreplaceable part of the nation’s heritage.”

Acting Superintendent Chris Collins on Monday told the Civil War Picket that the unidentified Alexandria man “was very forthcoming because he did not realize he was on federal property and gave up anything he had.”

The rangers discovered multiple unauthorized excavation sites.

Chris Collins

Collins said nothing significant had been removed from the area adjacent to the Chancellorsville History Trail. Given the circumstances, the agency handled the matter internally, rather than seek federal prosecution, officials said.

A press release said an off-duty Virginia State Police trooper noticed the man digging on the battlefield on March 16, 2021, and contacted the park, which sent rangers “who confronted the gentleman,” said Collins.

The man must pay $15,557.25 for damage caused by the excavation.

The trail is close to the park visitor’s center and State Route 3. The 4.3 mile loop follows “in the footsteps of Confederate soldiers hammering against the Union defense on the morning of May 3, Chancellorsville crossroads and house site, the Bullock House Site, and the apex of Hooker's last line,” according to the park.

The May 1863 battle was a decisive Confederate victory and paved the way for Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania that summer. It came at a huge cost: the death of Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, killed by his own men.

Collins said commercial development and lack of public awareness produce challenges for protecting historic resources. “There (are) consequences if you are doing something like this on federal property.”

Chancellorsville gets an app

History teamed up with technology when officials unveiled the latest Civil War app, this one for Chancellorsville. The Civil War Trust and state and local officials debuted the smartphone application Monday at the Chancellorsville Visitor Center in Spotsylvania, Va. • Article