1888 Kurz and Allison View of the American Civil War Battle of Chattanooga

This is an 1888 Kurz and Allison view of the American Civil War Battle of Chattanooga. Union forces appear on the right and are illustrated advancing on Confederate positions. Smoke and flames erupt from the barrels of both armies' rifles. Although unlabeled, given the terrain, this view likely depicts either General Sherman's or General Thomas's assault of Missionary Ridge.

The Chattanooga Campaign

The Chattanooga Campaign was a series of three major battles. Fought to break the Confederate siege of Chattanooga, Union forces under Major General Ulysses S. Grant were pitted against those under the command of Confederate General Braxton Bragg. These battles, one led by General Joseph Hooker at Lookout Mountain, one led by General George Henry Thomas at Missionary Ridge, and one led by General William Tecumseh Sherman, also at Missionary Ridge, broke General Bragg's Confederate troops after three days of hard fighting forcing Bragg into retreat. The victories secured Union control of Chattanooga and ended Confederate control in Tennessee. It also opened the way for General Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and his famous (and infamous) March to the Sea.

Kurz and Allison Civil War Lithographs

The publishing firm Kurz and Allison created a series of thirty-six battle scenes from the American Civil War in the late 1880s and early 1890s. At the time of their publication, historical interest in Civil War was at an all-time high, with many of the participants still alive and heroes to the subsequent generation. Kurz and Allison's views, due to their high production quality, were the most popular series of Civil War views ever published. In a style reminiscent of Currier and Ives, the chromolithographs were not meant to be purely historical representations, and from time to time, included historical inaccuracies. Even so, 'prints depicting the Civil War battles by Kurz and Allison are among the most sought-after collectibles of Civil War enthusiasts.'

Chromolithography

Chromolithography is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired product. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominate method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by Kurz and Allison in 1888. The only other cataloged example is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This piece is not cataloged in OCLC.