Connecticut Historical Society collection, 1995.182.160 © 2011 The Connecticut Historical Soci…

Brig. General Nathl. Lyon. Commanding United States Army in Missouri.

PrinterPrinted by E.B. & E.C. Kellogg American, 1840 - 1867

PublisherPublished by E.B. & E.C. Kellogg American, 1840 - 1867

PublisherPublished by George Whiting American, 1820 - 1862

After a work byAfter a work by Mathew Brady American, 1823 - 1896

Date1861

MediumLithography; printer's ink and watercolor on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 12 5/16 x 9in. (31.3 x 22.9cm)
Sheet (height x width): 14 x 9 13/16in. (35.6 x 24.9cm)

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection

DescriptionFull-length portrait of a man in military uniform with epaulets. He holds a hat and a sword. He has a beard and mustache and stands in an open plain with hills in the background.

Object number1995.182.160

InscribedLithographed title beneath image: "BRIG. GENERAL NATHL. LYON. / Commanding United States Army in Missouri." Inscribed in pencil on verso, lower right: "consv CPC 1987" "Dwr 5". Old accession number inscribed in pencil on verso, upper center. New accession number inscribed in pencil on verso, lower right.NotesSubject Note: Nathaniel Lyon (1818-1861) was born in Ashford, Connecticut. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1841. He served in the Mexican War, then was appointed to Fort Riley, Kansas. Though originally a Democrat, experiencing the slavery controversy in "bleeding Kansas" turned him into a Republican who was adamantly opposed to slavery. In 1861, Nathaniel Lyon was transferred to St. Louis, Missouri, where he saved an arsenal of weapons from falling into Confederate hands; Nathaniel's strategy was brash, but it saved the arsenal, and possibly Missouri, for the Union. The action provoked Confederate Governor Claiborne F. Jackson and his supporters to insurrection. Nathaniel Lyon had been promoted to brigadier general on 17 May, and he mounted a campaign against the insurrection. The Confederates were waiting for General Lyon at Willson's Creek, near Springfield, Missouri, on 10 August. General Lyon was killed while trying to lead a last charge in what became a Confederate victory.

Date Note: Print presumably predates Lyon's death on 10 August 1861 since it depicts him commanding the U.S. army in Missouri.

Subject Terms