The Cavalry Camp

Lyon & Co. · 1867

Only a small part of any soldier’s time during the war was spent in battle, and this colored print depicts Union soldiers from a cavalry regiment occupied with the activities of camp life. In the left portion of the illustration, men take part in various chores – chopping firewood, cooking dinner, crafting horseshoes and saddles, and writing dispatches. At the bottom of the image, men smoke and play cards, but look up to greet the arrival of a fellow soldier, who rides into camp with several birds killed during a successful hunt. In the lower right, two men read a large map or document. Above them, the regiment horses stand tied together.