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.

A series of raids by Cheyenne, Comanche and Kiowa Indians on white settlements in Kansas and Texas precipitated the regional conflict known as the Red River War (1874–75). Miles headed a force of eight troops of cavalry from Fort Dodge, Kansas, that moved into Texas to pursue a large band camped on a branch of the Red River. In typical fashion, Miles put constant pressure on the Indian force as soon as it was engaged and described a running battle “for twenty miles over the roughest ground that I had until that time ever see men fight upon.” Remington’s painting shows the point when the Indian camp was overrun and its defenders put to flight.