William Starke Rosecrans
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Museum of American History; transfer from the Veterans Administration Center, Dayton, OH, 1957
Accession Number
NPG.71.22
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Veterans’ Administration, Dayton, Ohio; transferred 1956 to Smithsonian, division of Military History as part of collection of military artifacts; accessioned 1957 Armed Forces History; transferred to NPG 1971.
Art Historical Context
This striking 1868 portrait by Samuel Woodson Price captures Starke Rosecrans a prominent Union Army Major General during Civil War. Painted just three years after the war end, it depicts Rosecrans with his signature beard and mustache, embodying the dignified resolve of a battle-tested leader. Price, a 19th-century American artist known for his meticulous portraiture, renders the general in a style that highlights military bearing and personal gravitas, typical of postwar commemorative works that honored Union heroes. Rosecrans rose to fame commanding the Army of the Cumberland, leading key victories like the Battle of Stones River in 1863, though his career faced setbacks at Chickamauga. Postwar, he served as U.S. Minister to Mexico and later as a California congressman, bridging military valor with political influence. This painting, classified as a formal portrait, preserves his legacy amid a national reckoning with the war's costs and triumphs. Acquired by the Veterans Administration in Dayton, Ohio, the artwork entered the Smithsonian in 1957 via transfers from military collections, now housed at the National Portrait Gallery. It offers visitors a tangible link to Civil War leadership, inviting reflection on heroism and resilience in American history.