172 YEARBOOK, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE [Vol. II. 



in American history, but also a glimpse of a most beautiful part of our 

 sister republic to the south. 



The second of these recently installed historical groups was opened 

 to the public on December Uth, 1922, and is typical of the Civil War 

 period. It depicts "The Battle of Winchester," fought September 19th, 

 1864, after Sheridan's famous ride, when this gallant general, by his 

 quick action and the inspiration of his personality, turned defeat into 

 victory and scored an important Union success. The moment chosen 

 is when the Union cavalry, led by Sheridan, is charging at full speed 

 upon a Confederate battery. The artillerymen in grey are making a 

 last stand and, even though wounded, some of them are taking a last 

 shot with musket or revolver at the on-coming cavalry. Perhaps the 

 most significant element in the foreground is the field piece in the 

 center with its lanyard in the hand of one of the Confederates, who is 

 in the act of firing the piece for the last time, if indeed he still has time 

 before he is trampled under foot by the thundering hoofs. 



The painting of horses is at best not an easy matter, but in this in- 

 stance, the artist has a mass of cavalry charging directly toward the 

 spectator, a most difiricult subject indeed to handle. The excellent suc- 

 cess of his efforts may be seen in figure 103. 



This group has the restriction of being on almost a dead level, so 

 that there are no topographic features to break the tenseness of the 

 scene. Thus the spectator's attention is riveted on the charging caval- 

 ry, which is so realistic that it seems that the battery in the foreground 

 must momentarily be overwhelmed by the charge. 



These groups are symmetrical in size and general layout with the 

 earlier groups in this series described in Volume P^ of the Yearbook. 



Each, W'ith its actual life-size wax figures and life-size foreground 

 setting and with its background made to carry out every more dis- 

 tant detail in proper perspective relation to all its surroundings, forms 

 a most perfect unit in teaching American history visually, and is prov- 

 ing of inestimable value, especially to the many thousands of school 

 children who come annually to the Museum. 



This work was done entirely by the Museum's Department of 

 Groups and Murals, under the immediate supervision of the Chief 

 Artist, Mr. George Peter, who himself painted the backgrounds. The 

 modeling was done by Mr. Charles R. Porteus, assisted by Mr. J. A. 

 Jeske. The uniforms were made by Mrs. Porteus. 



-'See p. 111. 



