Two War Pictures

New Yoiik, April 35.- Two war pictures are attracting a good deal of attention at the cxhibition of tho Academy of Design this year. One is Gilbert Gaul's "With Fate Against ïhem," showing a bandful of Confpderato soldiers in desperato but hopeless conflict with the Union forces, and the other is the "Death of Gen. Sedwick," by Julián Scott, of Plainfielcl, N. J. Mr. Scott was a Union soldier during tho civil war, and he carried himself so gallantly as to recatas a medal for personal bravery from congress. Ho entered the service as a drummer boy, and bis artistio abilities attracted attention even then. He often contributed drawings to Harper's Weekly during the war, and bas furnished a number of war pictures to recent numbers of The Century. Maj. Gen. John Sedgwiek was bom in Litchfleld eounty, Conn., about 1817. He graduated at West Point in 1837, and was immediately appointed second lieutenant in the Second artillery, reaching the position of ürst lieutenant in 1839. At the battle of Contreras and Churubusco he commanded his company, and won the brevet rank of captain; and highly distinguished himself at Molino del Iiey, Chapultepec and the attack on the San Cosme gate. He was brevetted major for gallentry at Chapultepec. In 1849 he was commissioned captain, and in Maren, 1855, was proraoted major of the First cavalry. April 25, 1861, he was appointed colonel of the Fourth cavalry and on Aug. 31 brigadier general of volunteers. He commanded a división in the Chickahominy campaign. On July 4, 1862, he was commissioned a major general of volunteere. He was seriously wounded at the battle of Antietam, and af ter his recovery was placed in command of the Ninth army corps. Soon af ter he became the commander of the Sixth army corps, with which his name will ever be associated. Kneeling at the head of Gen. Sedgwiek is Maj. Whittier, at his right Maj. T. W. Hyde. CoL C. H. Tompkins, with raised hands, is calling aid. Lieut. CoL Martin T. McMahon is attracting the attention of Maj. Whittier to the stretcher just arrived. Surgeon Ohlenschlager has placed one of his hands upon the heart of the dead general, while with the other he f eels to see if any pulse is left. Maj. J. Ford Kent is on the extreme left of the picture, whieh is not shown in the cut. Lieut. Federhem is just In the rear of his guns. Capt Chauncy Harris and Sergt. Ira Hund are retiring with the rest of their command to the low breastworks. Lieut. CoL and Brevet Maj. Gen. M. T. McMahon was engaged in conversation with Gen. Sedgwiek at the moment that the general was struck. He was chief of staff of the Sixth army corps, baring served preyiously in that capacity witb Gen. Franklin, while in command of the left grand división of the army of the Potomao. He entered the service as an aide de camp of Maj. Gen. McClellan, commanding the army, and served with the ariny of the Potomac until the close of the war. He is now United States marsbal for the southern district of New York. CoL and Brevet Maj. Gen. Charles H. Tompkins was chief of artillery of the Sixth Army corps. He was colonel of the First Rhode Island artillery, and had been in command of all the batteries of the Sixi Army corps. He entered the service in 1601, as captain of the flrst battery which reached Washington on the first cali for troops. He now resides in New York city and is president of tbe American Diamond Rock Boring company. Maj. Thomas W. Hyde, brigadier general and brevet major general, was provost marshal of the corps. He entered the service in 1861 as captain in the Seventh Maine. He was subsequently promoted to ba major, and afterward of tho veteran regiment on its reenlistment. He now resides at Bath, Me. He ■was twica elected president of .the senate of that state, and, with Gen. McMabon, is on the board of managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, and is president of the Bath iron works. Maj. Charles A. Whittier, lieutenant colonel and brevet major general, was at the time tho senior aido to Gen. Sedgwick. He was subsequently promoted lieutenant colonel and adjutant general of the Second Army corps, in which position he continued until the close of the war. He is now a banker In Boston. Uilbert Gaul is famous f or hfa war pictures, ■which mostly depict Confedérate soldiere, who, in tueir destitute condition, were more picturesque and heroic than our own. For a long time war scènes "did not take." Nobody wanted tbem, nobody looked at them. One artist who bad tried them pereistently at last abandoned them and went abroad to devote himself to more conventional and salable subjects. Gilbert Gaul exhibited some small bufc marvelously realistio and expressive scènes, and ths critics and the public at once nodded approval of his genius. He paints nothing now but war scènes. Sometimes it is a pieture of a veteran standing solitary and lighting his pipe; sometimes au aid cairylng a dispateh is surprised, killed and his dispatches taken ; sometimes it is a wagon train runninc an arabush. But no matter whet the subject, Mr. Qanl'l pictures are all characteriaed by action. It is his love of action in figures which led him to make a specialty of war scènes rather than any fomlness for the grim spirit of war. He saw that in all military subjects, partioularly the f ragmentary ones he paints, there was au opportunity to represent action. He is a young man, delibérate in manner and modest, a native of New Jersey. Inheriting some property in thesouth, he went there and pent three years in making studies of battle grounds and Confedérate soldiers. Many of the figures in bis pictures were painted from original models who dressed up in the tattered garments they wore when quitting the service and posed for him. They are tiue portraits of the courageous, rawboncd momitaineer and the unyielding sons of tlie valleya who went forth to batile with a "last ditch" determination in their faces, and liever faltered to the end. His horses, too, are Confedérate horscs. They are animáis which have a hearty sympathy with tbo work they are engagpd in, and show at once former "botter days" and recent hard experiences. They are painted directly from life. Everything Mr. Gaul paints is made as real as a model bofore the eyes can make it. Af ter ho made fame as a painter of war scènes, others saw that the public interest in war picture was awakened and again began to créate them. Mr. üaul's picture at the Academy is mai-ked in the catalogue at 62,000.