A Crucial Discovery
“I was awestruck,” wrote Styple in the preface of his book, “Generals in Bronze: Interviewing the Commanders of the Civil War.” He elaborated on the discovery of what he called the Kelly Papers: “Never before had I read such extraordinarily enlightening interviews with the famed commanders of the Civil War. I was amazed at Kelly’s remarkable skill in recording their physical characteristics and emotional bearing; at last, I felt that those heroic figures were no longer iconic marble men, but human beings, warts (both literal and figurative) and all. I knew then I had to bring the Kelly interviews to light.”“Generals in Bronze” is part biography of Kelly and part historical focus on key events of the Civil War. However, most mesmerizing are the raw, detailed conversations between Kelly and great Civil War generals, such as Philip Henry Sheridan, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Ulysses S. Grant. Many lesser-known generals are included as well. In Kelly’s presence, they seemed to let down their guard while he sketched them for portraits and eventual bronze sculptures. As Kelly worked, these military men opened up about the difficulties of fighting in the Civil War.
Before each documented interview, Kelly described what his subjects’ dress, demeanor, and characteristics. Regarding an appointment Kelly had with a General John Newton on Jan. 2, 1895, to discuss portraying the general in bronze, Kelly wrote: “His face was perfectly impassive. His mental qualities: cool and collected.” After they discussed the artistic process and expectations for the work to be accomplished, Kelly began asking questions. Kelly queried Gen. Newton about a Maryland battle that occurred Sept. 14, 1862, just a few days before the bloodiest one-day battle at Sharpsburg/Antietam. The Virginia-born Union general answered: “The sharpshooters also kept pretty busy at me that day, as I could hear the zip of their bullets. It was singular, that day. I was fighting most of my neighbors.”
Styple informs readers of “Generals in Bronze” that even though Kelly was only 6 years old when the Civil War began, his young life was immersed in the conflict. Union soldiers often marched past his New York City home, and the daily accounts of battles were read aloud in his home. When Kelly began sketching the scenes that he saw and heard, his parents realized his innate artistic gift.
After the war ended, 15-year-old Kelly attended the National Academy of Design in New York City; afterwards he interned at Harpers Magazine as a wood engraver and illustrator. He soon moved to Charles Scribner’s Sons where he was employed as an illustrator. But then his skills and artistic interest evolved. Soon he was crafting bas relief panels depicting historic scenes, as well as portraits, bronze busts, and sculptures of famous and noteworthy historic military figures.
“Generals in Bronze” includes several photographs of Kelly’s artwork and a few of him working on projects. On the cover of the Oct. 15, 1904, Scientific American magazine, Kelly is shown casting one of his pieces in bronze.
It’s clear in Kelly’s descriptions that he maintained awe and respect for the many subjects he captured on paper or in bronze. Through Styple’s research, readers of “Generals in Bronze” will learn a great deal about an awful and extraordinary time in American history. It’s all thanks to an artist’s astute notes.
