The American Civil War Quintet by Dana Smith

By Dana Smith aka Dana Dana Dana

All 5 portfolios in The American Civil War Quintet contain a total of 29 silkscreens and 29 digital prints housed in 5 giant envelopes.

This work is inspired by primary source documents in the form of 150 letters written by the artist’s great-great grandfather, William Garret Fisher, while fighting for the Union. He dropped out of school at the age of 17 to volunteer to fight for what he thought would be a short stint, but became a 5 year saga, as detailed in his letters home. All letters are archived at willfisher.org

The silkscreen prints combine the graphic beauty of the handwritten letters with photos from the Library of Congress Civil War archive selected because they seem to illustrate Will Fisher’s harrowing narrative, and provide a means to further comprehend his brutal experience of war.

American Civil War Quintet letter home by William Garret Fisher The digital prints document each specific letter that relates to the silkscreen with an image of the original letter and also a transcription of the sometimes difficult to read handwritten words.

The result of a painter’s approach to silkscreen is a wildly variant edition – each print is similar to the rest, yet different in color and mood. The process of printing used three layers or screens. The first layer of ink was applied using a painterly technique designed to create bands of color and random shapes. This abstract background engages an emotional, intuitive part of the viewer and poses the question, “What might this be?” The second layer is a half-toned photographic image selected from the Library of Congress archive of Civil War photos applied with multiple colors. The third layer shows the beauty of the handwriting scanned from Will’s letters and is applied in semi-transparent metallic ink to float above the image, shimmering in and out of focus with the shift in angle of the viewer.

by Dana Smith, 2022

In October of 1861 17 year old Will Fisher drops out of school in Cambridge, New York to join the 7th Regiment of New York Cavalry Volunteers, Company A, also known as J. Morrison’s Nothern Black Horse Cavalry. He went to Camp Stoneman about 2 miles from Washington D.C., under General Slocum, as a bugler. His service starts with a bout of the measles and continues to tent life amongst 1000s of soldiers occupied with drills, rations, dissease, mud, and the deafening sound of the nearby battlefield. Ultimately the disillusioned regiment rebels because they are asked to enter battle without horses or weapons training.and they are mustered out of service.

• A variable edition of 45 portfolios
• 7 silkscreen prints on Stonehenge paper
• 7 digital prints on Moab Entrada paper
• Housed in a digitally printed envelope
• 30x22 inches
• Price is US$3200.00
• Price for all 5 portfolios is US$12500.00

Note: The silkscreens shown are just one example of the variable edition of 45. The colors are very different on every print. Also, it is impossible to reproduce the neon brightness of the inks online.

View a higher res .pdf (12.60mb)

This portfolio is in the following collections:

University of California at Irvine
University of Connecticut, in Storrs, CT
University of Delaware, in Newark, DE
School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts, Boston, MA
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Library of Congress, Washington, DC

by Dana Smith, 2023

In September of 1862 Will Fisher re-enlisted and joined the 123rd New York Volunteers, Company I. His brigade started near Harpers Ferry and followed the Rebels around Virginia, marching day and night loaded with packs, guns and ammunition through deep mud and hostile “sesesh”. Thousands of soldiers moving through the countryside consumed all the supplies in sight. They raided and burned confederate sympathizer’s homes at night. As weather got worse the brigade camped at Stafford Courthouse waiting for packages of food and warm gloves from home, and caring for many suffering from dysentary and PTSD. Will writes, “The 123rd only mustered about 3 or 400 men for duty, & we started with 960. I think we have seen as much banging as any other regt. of our age.”

• A variable edition of 45 portfolios
• 6 silkscreen prints on Stonehenge paper
• 6 digital prints on Moab Entrada paper
• Housed in a digitally printed envelope
• 30x22 inches
• Price is US$2800.00
• Price for all 5 portfolios is US$12500.00

This portfolio is in the following collections:

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts University, Boston, MA
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Library of Congress, Washington, DC

by Dana Smith, 2021

A passionate foot-soldier in the Army of the Potomac, first under General Joe Hooker and later under General George Meade Will Fisher managed to survive, unlike so many of his comrades. Will Fisher wrote from the trenches at Chancellorsville, “We were attacked early & fought behind breast works for four hours & then retired, but there was an awful battle going on all day & we were in front.” The brigade continued to Gettysberg where Will wrote from the battlefield, “The two armies have fought for two days the hardest battle that was ever fought in the civilized world... Last night we buried 800 dead Rebels in front of our breast works. The rest we will have to burn, for it stinks so we can’t stand it.”

• A variable edition of 45 portfolios
• 5 silkscreen prints on Stonehenge paper
• 5 digital prints on Moab Entrada paper
• Housed in a digitally printed envelope
• 30x22 inches
• Price is US$2400.00
• Price for all 5 portfolios is US$12500.00

This portfolio is in the following collections:

Letterform Archive in San Francisco, CA
University of California at Santa Barbara, CA
University of Connecticut, in Storrs, CT
University of Delaware, in Newark, DE
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts University, Boston, MA
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Library of Congress, Washington, DC

by Dana Smith, 2024

Against a background of political turmoil over the draft and the campaign to re-elect Lincoln, Will Fisher was promoted to sargeant, partly because the massive death toll opened up the position. Will rode 1500 miles from Harpers Ferry to Bridgeport, Alabama where the brigade set up a comfortable camp surrounded by guerillas. Will gaurded crucial bridges, and thousands of Rebel prisoners of war. In April of 1864 Will’s brigade left camp and moved “smack up to the front” engaging the enemy in one bloody battle after another ending in the siege of Atlanta. After the occupation of Atlanta Will wrote, “Oh, it was an awful sight & one I never shall forget. The morning we left Atlanta. An awful cloud of black smoke covered the face of the heavens as far as you could see.”

This portfolio is in the following collections:

Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts University, Boston, MA
University of Connecticut, in Storrs, CT

by Dana Smith, 2025

Will Fisher wrote of Sherman's March, “The wagon train of our corps when marching on the road reaches a good 12 miles to say nothing of the infantry columns which reach 3 or 4 miles.” They were followed by thousands of freed slaves. A barefoot slog through muddy swamps. No one was issued any rations so they foraged abundant supplies from the occupied plantations. The Rebels were overwhelmed as Sherman’s army tore up tracks and burned cities to the ground. Upon the victorious siezure of Savannah Will wrote, “Started from Atlanta in Northwestern Ga. the 15th of Nov. & the 21st of Dec. marched triumphantly into a seaboard city 300 miles from the starting point & all without firing a gun, that is, I have not fired one & but very few of the army have.” The campaign continued almost unopposed through the Carolinas and ended with a final victorious march into Washington D.C.

This portfolio is in the following collections:

Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts University, Boston, MA
University of Connecticut, in Storrs, CT