Conrad Wise Chapman

the long version

Conrad Wise Chapman (1842-1910) is unique among Civil War artists: he painted and sketched while on duty as a Confederate soldier and served in three theaters of the war. Chapman's firsthand knowledge is evident in his work. Ben Bassham has written both a critical study of Chapman's art and a biography, incorporating Chapman's correspondence and Civil War memoirs. The historical importance of Chapman's paintings as a record of the Civil War cannot be overemphasized, but this study also places Chapman's art for the first time in the context of Southern as well as American art.