Works of Art

During the time he was travelling to the West as an artist-correspondent for Harper’s, Remington’s work was noticed by Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles, a capable and very ambitious U.S. Army commander. Miles frequently opened doors for Remington to be an “official artist” on numerous occasions, allowing him easy access to the officers and troops in the field. In return, Remington supported General Miles’ efforts to be noticed in the press and praised for his exploits, whether deserved or not. The culmination of this was the publication in 1896 of the Personal Recollections and Observations of General Nelson A. Miles, a weighty self-serving tome that was designed to help propel Miles to the presidency of the United States. The volume featured a great many illustrations by Remington, including full-page black and white reproductions taken from paintings. Fourteen of these illustrations were printed in rotogravure for a portfolio issued by the book’s publisher, the Werner Company, in 1898.

Following the defeat of General George Armstrong Custer’s command at the Little Big Horn in July 1876, the U.S. Army troops under General Miles relentlessly pursued Chief Sitting Bull and his Lakota followers. On one occasion, after talks between General Miles and Sitting Bull had broken down, the Indian delegation raced wildly back to their lines to prepare for hostilities. “I ordered an advance of the entire body of troops, and immediately the Indians commenced setting fire to the dry prairie grass around the command,” Miles wrote. Remington’s illustration depicts this moment of the battle. “An engagement immediately followed in which the Indians were driven out of their camp for several miles,” the general reported.