R.L.I. Blues. Ink and watercolor on lined paper, mounted to grey period cardstock. Petersburg, [Virginia], 1864. 7 1/4 x 9 1/4 in., mounted to 11 in. x 14 in. Contemporary pencil inscription reads: "J. Wesley Smith to W.H. Cragton" and "In the trenches in front of Petersburg 1864." 

A charming ink and watercolor portrait of an infantryman in camp by John Wesley Smith, a private in Co. A of the 46th Virginia Infantry, known as the Richmond Light Infantry Blues. Dressed in uniform with his kepi, he grasps his rifle and wears his haversack, with his bedroll visible. He stands before his tent labeled "No. 2" and "C.S. Army." The artist encircles the portrait with a patriotic red, white, and blue frame with the title "R.L.I. Blues" and the date "1793," probably referencing the militia's early 18th-century origins. The caption identifies that the artist drew this charming scene in the "trenches in front of Petersburg" during the lengthy siege, sending it it to a friend. 

John Wesley Smith was a young soldier, possibly a member of the militia, who enlisted at the first outbreak of hostilities on 21 April 1861, mustering in as a private into Company A of the 46th Virginia Infantry. Many of the men were recruited from the local militia, the Richmond Light Infantry Blues. They were established in 1789 and notably had served in the suppression of Gabriel's rebellion in 1800 and Nat Turner's rebellion in 1831. They also guarded John Brown after his capture at Harpers Ferry. 

They mustered into the Confederate Army as a part of Wise's Brigade. At the Battle of Roanoke Island on 8 February 1862 at Roanoke Island, most of the regiment was captured, including Smith, and were paroled later that month. Most of 1863 saw them assigned to Charleston Harbor, and in 1864, they moved to the defense of Petersburg, from where this drawing was made. Near the end of the war, Smith was wounded and captured as a prisoner of war at the Battle of Hatcher's Run on 29 March 1865. It is unclear if he was present when his regiment surrendered with Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House. 

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[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Art, Folk Art, Military Art, Etching, Engraving, Lithographs, Prints, Ephemera]