Framed The Battle of Cold Harbor by Kurz and Allison

The Battle of Cold Harbor by Kurz and Allison depicts one of the bloodiest clashes of the American Civil War. The print shows Union and Confederate forces locked in desperate combat during the June 1864 engagement in Virginia. Kurz and Allison favored vivid colors, sweeping panoramas, and action-packed compositions, often prioritizing drama over strict accuracy. In this scene, Union soldiers surge forward under a storm of artillery and musket fire, while Confederate defenders hold entrenched positions. The smoke-filled sky, charging infantry, and scattered fallen men heighten the intensity of the moment, embodying the firm’s style of turning history into a theatrical spectacle. Although not a precise record of events, the lithograph captures the popular memory of Cold Harbor as a battle of immense sacrifice and futility, where thousands fell in a matter of minutes.