Especially for You by Mort Kunstler ~ As I have painted scenes from the Civil War over the years, I’ve tried to portray and preserve that very personal side of the war as a historical reflection of the Civil War generation of Americans – and as a tribute to them as well.

I hope that’s what Especially for You conveys. The setting of the painting is Winchester, Virginia. The important Shenandoah Valley town repeatedly changed hands during the war, as it was occupied at different times by Federal and Confederate armies. This event is set on May 25, 1862, as General Stonewall Jackson’s army enters the town in a victorious parade. One of my first Civil War paintings, Stonewall Jackson Enters Winchester, depicts the same event from a different perspective. In Especially for You, General Jackson and his staff have already passed, and the focus of the painting is the soldiers in the ranks. The center of interest is the young girl who is handing an apple to a young infantryman passing through town on the march. The girl’s mother is looking on proudly, and behind – watching appreciatively – is another Southern woman holding a little boy in her arms. Nearby, an older boy excitedly watches the passing of the army from the brick sidewalk.

Incidentally, this is somewhat of a family portrait for me. My granddaughter Laura posed as the girl with the apple and her mother is my wife Deborah. My grandson Andrew posed for the boy on the sidewalk. The mother and baby are my daughter Jane and my grandson Tom.