Vintage Military Print - Columbus - Battle of Belmont, Missouri, 1861

Share

Columbus, Kentucky, sits on a high bluff above the Mississippi, and this print ties the town to the Battle of Belmont, fought on November 7, 1861, across the river in Missouri. Early in the Civil War, Confederate forces fortified Columbus to block Union river traffic, and Ulysses S. Grant led a Union expedition against the nearby camp at Belmont. The fighting was costly and ended with the Union troops withdrawing to their transports under fire, though Grant later called it a learning experience that shaped his early reputation. Engravings like this one were widely circulated in the North and South to show readers the war's first major engagements.

More from the Columbus collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.