Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) Butler's victim of Fort St. Philip
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00493.23 Author/Creator: Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) Place Written: s.l. Type: Print Date: circa 1880-1890 Pagination: 1 etching : b&w ; 26.1 x 34.7 cm. Order a Copy
Depicts a heavily fortified prison where reputable and well-dressed citizens of New Orleans are shown at manual labor, shackled with ball and chain. The prisoners are guarded by members of the local home guard African American Zouave unit, who point to and mock them. In the distance, General Benjamin Butler escorts two ladies, most likely Unionist locals, through the compound. Federal forces under General Benjamin Butler and Admiral David Farragut captured Fort St. Philip, New Orleans in April 1862. Size in extent is for the mount. The actual size of the etching is 20.2 x 26.7 cm. Title in pencil on verso.
Adalbert John Volck was a dentist, political cartoonist, and a caricaturist who sympathized with the Southern cause. During the Civil War, Volck supported the Confederacy through his satirical political cartoons. He also smuggled drugs and medical supplies for the Confederate army, and served as a personal courier to President Jefferson Davis.
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