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.

On October 5, 1877, five days after the Nez Perce camp had been attacked and beseiged, Chief Joseph surrendered to General Miles. Remington’s illustration is somewhat inaccurate, since many of the dead and wounded on both sides had been gathered from the battlefield by the time the surrender occurred. Twenty-six Nez Perce and twenty-two soldiers had lost their lives. Miles recalled the sadness he felt when burying his men “in a weird and lonely land,” far from their home. “Equally melancholy were the scenes around the burial place of some Indian warrior who had been considered the pillar of his tribe and race,” he noted, “the entire Indian camp enumerating his virtues, praising his prowess, chanting his requiem and bewailing his loss.”