This work, painted at the close of the Civil War by a White Vermont-born painter, forms a narrative triptych (84.12a, b, c) of African American military service. In The Contraband (84.12a) a self-emancipated man appears in a US Army office, eager to enlist. The Recruit (84.12b) represents him as proudly ready for military service. In The Veteran (84.12c) he is depicted as an amputee possibly seeking his pension or returning to military service. By the war’s end, Black American men made up more than ten percent of the so-called US Colored Troops in the nation’s Army and Navy. See more at https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/13344
by vrphotosguy55
2 Comments
Strength and dignity in every brushstroke. A wounded soldier saluting freedom, carrying history on crutches. Haunting, hopeful, profoundly American today.
Veterans day is a day to remember what other sacrifices for what we can enjoy now. He never got a vote. He likely never knew the VA would exist. Many young men went to war never having hugged their spouse or their child. Unimaginable sacrifice. Honor their fate, and yours for their sacrifice.