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Winfield Scott Hancock and David Bell Birney

Winfield Scott Hancock and David Bell Birney
Artist
Mathew Brady Studio, active 1844 - 1894
Sitter
Winfield Scott Hancock, 14 Feb 1824 - 9 Feb 1886
David Bell Birney, 29 May 1825 - 18 Oct 1864
Date
1864
Type
Photograph
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 12.7 x 20.1 cm (5 x 7 15/16")
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Military
Nature & Environment\Plant\Tree
Weapon\Sword
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
Architecture\Building\Tent
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Exterior\Forest
Exterior\Military Camp
Costume\Dress Accessory\Button\Brass
Symbols & Motifs\Flag\National\United States
David Bell Birney: Male
David Bell Birney: Business and Finance\Businessperson
David Bell Birney: Law and Crime\Lawyer
David Bell Birney: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War
David Bell Birney: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Brigadier General
Winfield Scott Hancock: Male
Winfield Scott Hancock: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate
Winfield Scott Hancock: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
Winfield Scott Hancock: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War\Union Army
Winfield Scott Hancock: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Brigadier General
Winfield Scott Hancock: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Major General
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.78.96
Exhibition Label
Union general Winfield Scott Hancock (1824–1886) commanded the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac. He won praise from soldiers and peers alike for his bravery and leadership at Gettysburg in 1863, where he was seriously wounded, and in the Virginia battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor in 1864. At Gettysburg, Hancock’s command repulsed the brunt of Pickett’s Charge. In response to a subordinate who urged Hancock not to ride his horse in the midst of the fight, he replied, “There are times when a corps commander’s life does not count.”
In this photograph of Hancock’s camp head- quarters, possibly near Cold Harbor in June 1864, Hancock is shown in the center, resting his hand on a tree. His division commanders—Francis C. Barlow, who is leaning against the tree, and David Bell Birney and John Gibbon at the front left—stand near him. A woodcut illustration of this photograph, appeared in Harper’s Weekly on August 13, 1864.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view