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Richard Ewell

Richard Ewell
Artist
Unidentified Artist
Copy after
Julian Vannerson, c. 1827 - 1875
Sitter
Richard Stoddert Ewell, 8 Feb 1817 - 25 Jan 1872
Date
c. 1867
Type
Photograph
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Image: 7 x 4.9cm (2 3/4 x 1 15/16")
Sheet: 8.3 x 5.1cm (3 1/4 x 2")
Mount: 10 x 6.2cm (3 15/16 x 2 7/16")
Topic
Interior\Studio\Photography
Richard Stoddert Ewell: Male
Richard Stoddert Ewell: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War
Richard Stoddert Ewell: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War\Confederate Army
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.2001.35
Exhibition Label
Born Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Richard S. Ewell was one of many West Pointers who sided with their southern homeland at the start of the Civil War. Under the command of General Stonewall Jackson, Ewell proved to be reliable, and effective enough to warrant taking over command of the Second Corps upon Jackson’s death in the spring of 1863, on the eve of the Gettysburg Campaign. That three-day battle ended in defeat for Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia; Ewell shared in the blame, perhaps unjustly, when he received contradictory and discretionary orders, and failed to occupy the high ground of Culp’s Hill. At the end of the war, Ewell oversaw the evacuation of Richmond in early April 1865. Days later, at the Battle of Sailor’s Creek, just prior to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Ewell and his command were surrounded and captured.
Nacido en Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Richard S. Ewell fue uno de los muchos cadetes de West Point que apoyaron a su tierra sureña al comenzar la Guerra Civil. Bajo las órdenes del general Stonewall Jackson, Ewell probó ser confiable y efectivo, de modo que le asignaron el mando del Segundo Cuerpo del ejército al morir Jackson en la primavera de 1863, en vísperas de la campaña de Gettysburg. La batalla duró tres días, al cabo de los cuales salió derrotado el ejército de Virginia del Norte, liderado por Robert E. Lee. Ewell compartió la culpa, quizás injustamente, porque recibió órdenes contradictorias y no logró ocupar Culp’s Hill, punto estratégico por su altura. A finales de la guerra, Ewell supervisó la evacuación de Richmond a principios de abril de 1865. Días después, en la batalla de Sailor’s Creek, justo antes de que Lee se rindiera en Appomattox, Ewell y sus tropas fueron rodeados y capturados.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view