Bradley Schmehl limited edition AP print on paper:"Bedlam in the Brickyard - Gerrysburg"
Title:Bedlam in the Brickyard - Gerrysburg
Size (H x W):20 x 30
Edition: 95 AP's numbered and hand signed by the artist
Medium:limited edition print on paper
About the Art:July 1st, 1863 - 6 pm--We find ourselves in the brickyard of John Kuhn on Stratton Street near the Harrisburg Road. The Federal brigade of Colonel Charles Coster (1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XI Corps) is sent to the brickyard with orders to hold the line, so as to cover the retreat of the Union XI and I Corps, which are fleeing southward through the town. Inexplicably, Coster holds one of his regiments in reserve (the 7th Pennsylvania); he would certainly miss them on the battle line.
Advancing southwest on a line parallel with the Harrisburg Road is General Jubal Early's Confederate division. They have succeeded in driving elements of the Union XI Corps from the field. Now Coster's brigade will bear the full brunt of the attack by the brigades of Hays and Hoke. Their already grim situation is made all the more untenable by virtue of the higher ground in their front which favors the attackers. It is not a question of whether the line will break, but when. Still in all, the Union men hold stubbornly until overwhelmed.
The 21st North Carolina of Hoke's Brigade, led by Colonel Isaac Avery, is shown charging the brickyard (note the dome-shaped kiln at right) as the 154th New York, sensing the collapse of both flanks of the brigade, attempts to retreat. Only a few got away; the majority of the regiment was captured. Now they face a war of survival in Confederate prisons.
Also visible in this scene are the John Kuhn residence (far right) and the Gettysburg Railroad Depot (far left).
BRADLEY SCHMEHL Bradley Schmehl is an artist with a love of history and a passion for the Civil War. Ideas for paintings come to the artist through reading history books, the diaries and letters of soldiers, visiting battlefields and historical sites -- and most importantly, talking and exchanging ideas and information with the many interested and interesting people who share his sense of history. Each of his paintings requires extensive research. He begins with a rough pencil sketch, usually done on location of the actual site or battlefield. Models are engaged to pose as various characters in the picture, then photographed. Once Schmehl is satisfied that his concept is historically accurate, he begins the actual painting process.
