Description
Very nice carte view identified as f Major General Israel Richardson of Michigan. Richardson enlisted in the Union Army and recruited and organized the 2nd Michigan Infantry. When he reported with his regiment in Washington, D.C., he was warmly received by his old friend, General Winfield Scott. Promoted to colonel on May 25, 1861, he was assigned command of the 4th Brigade, 1st Division, in the newly organized army of Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell. His brigade saw limited action at the First Battle of Bull Run near Blackburn’s Ford, and in covering the subsequent Federal withdrawal to Washington. He was promoted to brigadier general, ranking from May 17, 1861. He commanded several brigades in the Army of the Potomac and then the 1st Division of the II Corps during the Peninsula Campaign in mid-1862. He was involved in the fighting at the battles of Yorktown, Seven Pines, and the Seven Days. Richardson was particularly distinguished in sharp fighting near the Chickahominy River. Following the campaign, he was promoted to major general on July 4, 1862. He next led his troops during the Northern Virginia Campaign, fighting at the Second Battle of Bull Run, and again during the Maryland Campaign in September, when he was engaged at South Mountain. Richardson’s 1st Division played a key role during the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, attacking Confederate positions in the center of the Sunken Road in support of the 3rd Division of Maj. Gen. William H. French. After stubborn fighting, by 1:00 p.m., Richardson had gained control of the high ground in front of the apex of the defensive line, and his men enfiladed the remaining defenders in the road, which would gain the nickname “Bloody Lane” for the carnage. Richardson pushed forward beyond the road and was directing the fire of his artillery and organizing another attack when he was struck by a shell fragment. Carried to the rear, Richardson was treated at a field hospital. His wound was not considered life-threatening, and he was given a room in Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s headquarters, the Pry House. President Abraham Lincoln paid his respects to the wounded Richardson during a visit to the battlefield in October. However, infection set in, and then pneumonia, which claimed the life of the popular general in early November. He was among five generals to be killed or mortally wounded at Antietam. Back marked by Anthony, this one is slightly trimmed along the bottom.
