Thursday, April 5, 2018

Major-General Sir William Howe


Title: William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
Artist: Richard Purcell aka Charles Corbutt (ca 1736-ca 1766)
Date: November 1777

Major-General Sir William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe (1729–1814), is depicted in this color mezzotint painting by Richard Purcell, published in 1777. Before returning to North America in March 1775, Howe had seen long service. After fighting in Europe during the Seven Years’ War, Howe played a key role in the capture of Quebec in 1759 and the subsequent campaign against the French. After criticizing Lieutenant-General Thomas Gage over tactics at Bunker Hill in June 1775, Howe was eventually given overall command that September. Under Howe’s leadership the British landed on Staten Island in July 1776 and during the fall of 1776 outmaneuvered General George Washington at Long Island and New York, forcing the Americans to retreat in disorder across New Jersey. During the Fall campaign Howe clashed with both Major-General Charles Cornwallis and Major-General Henry Clinton over strategy. Washington’s victory at Trenton revived American spirits and during 1777 Howe endeavored to regain the initiative by capturing the American capital at Philadelphia. Although this was successful, Howe’s failure to coordinate his movements with Major General John Burgoyne’s invasion from Canada resulted in Burgoyne’s surrender.


Source :
Book "Continental versus Redcoat: American Revolutionary War" by David Bonk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WilliamHowe1777ColorMezzotint.jpeg

Friday, March 2, 2018

Friedrich the Great after the Battle of Kolin


Title: Friedrich der Große nach der Schlacht bei Kolin (Frederick the Great after the battle of Kolin)
Artist: Julius Schrader (1815-1900)
Date: 1849

The Battle of Kolín on 18 June 1757 saw 44,000 Austrians under Count von Daun defeat 32,000 Prussians under Friedrich the Great during the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War). The Prussians lost the battle and nearly 14,000 men, the Austrians lost 8,000 men. The battle was Friedrich's first defeat in this war, and forced him to abandon his intended march on Vienna, raise his siege of Prague, and fall back on Litoměřice. The Austrians, reinforced by the 48,000 troops in Prague, followed them, 100,000 strong, and, falling on Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia, who was retreating eccentrically (for commissariat reasons) at Zittau, inflicted a severe check upon him. The king was compelled to abandon Bohemia. This painting by Julius Schrader showed the exhausted monarch resting on a bench after the battle.


Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kol%C3%ADn