...again the rebels rushed furiously on our men. -a Hessian soldier

1954

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Here, British forces of Hessian mercenaries, colonial Loyalists, and Native Americans fight the "rebels," including Black soldiers, at the Battle of Bennington, which ended in a victory for the patriots. By quoting a Hessian soldier’s letter, Lawrence used the words of the defeated to testify to the strength of the Americans and their cause. Scholars believe that this work was the first the artist painted as he was developing his Struggle series—a claim supported by its stylistic distinction from the rest of the panels. He produced it during an artist residency at Yaddo, in Saratoga Springs, New York, not far from the site of the famous battle. It dates to the same year, 1954, that the U.S. military abolished all remaining segregated units.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: ...again the rebels rushed furiously on our men. -a Hessian soldier
Artist: Jacob Lawrence (American, Atlantic City, New Jersey 1917–2000 Seattle, Washington)
Date: 1954
Medium: Egg tempera on hardboard
Dimensions: 12 × 16 in. (30.5 × 40.6 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Collection of Harvey and Harvey-Ann Ross
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art