General Custer Leading the Wolverines at Gettysburg

In 1885, Franklin D. Briscoe embarked on a major historical mural, The Battle of Gettysburg, measuring a total of 13 x 230 feet. Painted across ten panels, the work depicted the sequence of battle and was exhibited across the country, illustrating the artist's mastery of depicting Civil War scenes. In the present work, Briscoe skillfully captures the action-packed battle of July 3, 1863, in which General George A. Custer led his Michigan Wolverine brigade just east of Gettysburg to defend the Union along Hanover and Low Dutch Road. Here, Briscoe places Custer at center, dramatically charging toward the enemy, with the unfolding chaos of battle and American flag flowing majestically behind him.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Philadelphia, Briscoe studied at the age of sixteen under the maritime painter Edward Moran, before traveling to London and France, primarily exploring stormy seascapes like his mentor. He notably exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, as well as the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Brooklyn Art Association. His work is in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Delaware Art Museum, and Reading Public Museum, among others.