“Storm Over Gettysburg” by Mort Kunstler

This print is framed but can be taken out of the frame. The shipping price listed is for shipping the unframed print. Please text me if you have additional questions. Jane Eason, Four Winds Trading Company

GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE & GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET

We seldom think of the Battle of Gettysburg in darkness. For most of us, the images of Gettysburg are always in daylight. But important events that shaped the battle - and the war - occurred at nighttime. Some crucial fighting took place at night, of course, but vital and dramatic decisions also occurred in the dark of night at Gettysburg.

General John Buford, the Federal officer who so influenced the outcome of the battle by seizing key ground, made some of his pivotal decisions the night of June 30th. The Federal commander, General George Meade, and principal subordinates like General Winfield Scott Hancock, made crucial decisions at night in Meade's headquarters. Across the battlefield in General Robert E. Lee's headquarters, nighttime war councils and decision making also affected the outcome of what became the war's greatest battle.

I've painted many of these dramatic nighttime events at Gettysburg, but none kindles my imagination more than the brief ride Lee and General James Longstreet made together on the night of July 3rd. Hours earlier, Lee and Longsreet had watched as the courage and tragedy of Pickett's Charge unfolded - and devastated the heart of Lee's army. In the darkness of that Friday night, July 3, 1863, a ferocious thunderstorm rolled over Gettysburg. Storm Over Gettysburg captures that dramatic moment as Lee and Longsreet ride through the storm together, discussing Lee's next move. Should they stay and fight again, hoping somehow to win? Should they wait for a Northern counterattack? Should they retreat?

In this painting, Lee and Longstreet are backlit by rim-light from a distant bolt of lightning. Although it's challenging to paint, lightning and its unique light are naturally dramatic. The power and drama of the storm underscored to me the solemnity of the moment. Lee had to make some agonizing decisions during the war - and this was one of them. The storm of war had swept over tiny Gettysburg with the power of an awesome thunderstorm. Through it, the war - and the American people - were changed forever.

This is a beautiful collectible limited-edition Print.

Personally Hand Signed by Mort Kunstler

Image Size Is 12 1/2" x 14 1/2"