Top of page

Artwork from the Western Front: Adolph Metzner Civil War Drawings

Share this post:

As an admirer of Civil War drawings, a recently digitized collection of drawings by Adolph G. Metzner piqued my interest. The difference in style from many other drawings of the time, along with the richness of color, drew me in to learn more about this man and his artwork.

Battle of Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, July 20, 1864. Drawing by Adolph Metzner, 1864. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.51237
Battle of Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, July 20, 1864. Drawing by Adolph Metzner, 1864. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.51237

Born August 13, 1834 in southwestern Germany, Adolph Metzner immigrated to the United States in 1856. Shortly after the start of the Civil War, Metzner joined the First German, Thirty-Second Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, fighting for three years on the western front of the war.

Adolph Metzner, Union officer in the 32nd Indiana Regiment, full-length portrait, standing, facing front. Photograph, between 1861 and 1865. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c26232