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Painting commemorates J.E.B. Stuart's raid Reprinted from The Mercersburg Journal Last September, the Committee for the Commemoration of J.E.B. Stuart's Raid through Mercersburg asked Ron Lesser, a nationally known artist, to create three paintings to commemorate the events that occurred in Mercersburg on October 10, 1862, as J.E.B. Stuart, 1,800 cavalry, and four cannons raided the town, 140 years ago. The first painting, completed in July 2001, is entitled "On to Mercersburg." It shows General Stuart and his officers, as they are about to enter the town of Mercersburg on what is now Route #75. The second painting in the series has now been completed. Commissioned by The Mercersburg Academy, the work is entitled "Cannons on the Square." Each painting is a historic first, in that neither of these Civil War events has ever been represented before. The new painting shows a panoramic view of Mercersburg's Square, as it was in 1862. On the far left is a general store owned by William McKinstry. (Today it is the McKinstry House restaurant.) To the right of the store is the multi-story home of William McKinstry and his family. (This building is now apartments and retail stores.) Across East Seminary Street are two buildings, which today are also now apartments and retail. Down Seminary Street, through the rain, a building known as "Old Main" can be seen. This landmark building is now part of Mercersburg Academy. To both residents and visitors to Mercersburg, it is interesting to note that, except for minor cosmetic changes and different store-fronts, all the buildings depicted, except for one, appear much as they did in 1862. The scene painted in "Cannons on the Square" is of Stuart and his officers discussing the deployment of two artillery pieces, as 1st North Carolina cavalry (under the flag) pass through the town square. Although it is unlikely that Stuart's men intended to "use" them, the guns were no doubt a fearsome sight to Mercersburg's citizenry at the time, and likely served the purpose of subduing any rabid Unionists. Featured are two 12-pounders from the Stuart 1st Horse Artillery; shown, left to right, are troopers carrying flags of Hampton's Legion Washington Artillery and Stuart's 1st Horse Artillery, Major General J.E.B. Stuart, Captain James Breathed, and Major John Pelham. The painter, Ron Lesser, is recognized as one of the premier visual historians of Frontier and Civil War America. Prized by individual art collectors and corporations all over the world, Lesser is best known for his attention to detail and devotion to historical accuracy. His paintings are the result of painstaking research, and his talent to render the human condition, and the world we live in, with uncompromising realism. Not satisfied to simply bring to life important historical events, Ron Lesser seeks to portray in each of his paintings undiscovered truths that change our view of the past and rewrite history for the future. Mercersburg Academy chief financial officer Gail Wolfe made the decision for the school to purchase the Lesser painting for two reasons: first, because the school is an integral part of the history of the town, and, second, because the Academy wants to support the local efforts to commemorate this event. The Academy will also be supporting the commemorative weekend by hosting several of the events in October. Mercersburg Academy has purchased the original painting. Sales of prints of it, by the reenactment committee, will help support the event. The painting is temporarily housed in an Academy office, where it is not on display to the public. Tentative plans are to have all three works displayed together, later this year. For more information on Mercersburg's Civil War Weekend and Remembrance, scheduled October 11-13, 2002, contact Liza Main at (717) 328-5827, or go to the event website www.PathsoftheCivilWar.com |