John R. Kelso’s Civil Wars:
A Graphic History - Episode 14
More on the text
Teacher, Preacher, Soldier, Spy, 153-6. According to the official report filed by Kelso’s friend and commanding officer, Capt. Milton Burch, they had destroyed a “gigantic” saltpeter works that had cost the Confederate government $30,000, an operation that could have produced $6,000 worth of saltpeter in three days. Burch praised the efforts of his men, concluding with a special note about his second-in-command: “As to Lieutenant Kelso, his reputation as an intrepid soldier and skillful officer is too well known to require any further comment at this time.” Brigadier General Egbert Brown at Springfield added his praise in a communication to Major General Samuel Curtis, now commander of the District of Missouri at St. Louis, noting that this was the fourth “equally important and successful scout” by Burch’s men in the past few months, and that they had done just as well in numerous smaller affairs. Gen. Curtis, Kelso heard, called the raid on the saltpeter works “brilliant.” The men of the 14th, meanwhile, started to think that they might be invincible when led by Burch or Kelso.
More on the Illustration
Kelso seemed to have this incredible self-confidence. From one situation to another, he maintained his course, even when others doubted him. I wanted to show that here. As in the illustration of the Medlock Raid, this one had to have more room for narrative, and to show how big the space was. An earlier version of the sketch was closer up, but we wanted more of the grand landscape he describes. Here he stands, reveling in the accomplishment of blowing up the saltpeter mine, pausing to look back at his work, just within reach of the spent rebel bullets dropping into the water like pebbles.