Julian Scott (1846-1901)
Julian Scott was born in Vermont the son of a watchmaker and jeweler. At the onset of the Civil War, the fifteen-year-old Scott became a drummer in the 3rd Vermont, which saw action in the Battle of Lee’s Mills. He ignored the heavy fire to save the lives of 9 wounded men, and was, as a result, awarded the Medal of Honor, thus becoming the first individual soldier to be so honored in the Civil War. Scott was wounded at the Battle of White Oak Swamp; during his recuperation, he first dabbled in art.
After his recovery, he acquainted himself with New York’s art community, and he studied at the NAD and he studied anatomy at a New York medical college. At the famous Tenth Street Studio Building, he befriended John F. Kensett, Louis Lang, and Emanuel Leutze, who would also become Scott’s first formal teacher.
In 1864, Scott returned to the battlefields, but now as an artist. After the Confederate surrender, he continued to visit battlefields gathering information and making sketches for a planned series of works documenting important Civil War battles. Among these works was a depiction of the Battle of Cedar Creek, which was installed in the Vermont State House.
While an accomplished artist, Scott’s post-war life was rather unsuccessful. His passion for social clubs led to a bout with alcoholism that was ultimately overcome with a temperance pledge. His life somewhat regained, Scott was chosen to accompany other artists westward with the 1890 census-takers to record the vanishing American Indians. He became fascinated by the native peoples and he also became a staunch supporter of their right to maintain their cultural ways.
Scott died alone and impoverished in 1901.
Information courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions Inc., June 2006