1 Bucks County Intelligencer, Hero Goes on Canvas August 30, 1961 Page B-SEVENTEEN Col. 1
Hero Goes
On Canvas
Hiram Purcell’s rescue of the
colors for the 104th Regiment dur-
ing the battle of Fair Oaks, Vir-
ginia, is a stirring tale of valor.
He won a Medal of Honor for
it.
But here’s an accolade to the
artist who depicted Purcell’s
courage on canvas.
His name: Jonathan Trego.
And his story is not so much
different from that of a war hero.
Same Courage
“He showed much the same
courage in his own life as those
in the action he so vitally paint-
ed,” said Mrs. Elizabeth Sias,
member of the Bucks county His-
torical Museum staff.
Mrs. Sias was talking about
Trego’s memorable effort, the viig-
orous portrayal of the 104th Penn-
sylvania Regiment at the battle of
Fair Oaks before Richmond on
May 31, 1862.
The painting presented to the
Society on Oct. 21, 1899, by the
Honorable John Wanamaker
hangs above the rostrum of the
Elkins Auditorium.
“In early childhood Trego’s
hands and feet were paralyzed
from disease,” Mrs. Sias said
“His love of painting, inherited
from his father, Johanthan Trego,
drove him to learn the art.
“By sheer courage, native tal-
ent and determination, he became
one of the most notable artists of his
time.”
Works
One of his works, “Washington
Reviewing His Troops,” hangs in
the Valley Forge Museum and
the “Battery of Light Brigade
Enroute,” hangs on the first floor
at College Hall, University of
Pennsylvania.
“Many people in North Wales
have talked of posing for him in
the open fields or; on rainy days,
on simulated horses in his studio.”
Mrs. Silas explained “His battle-
fields were those of the farms
near his studio and his neighbors
and their horses, his models.”
According to Mrs. Sias, many
people remember Trego drawing
his equipment after him on a
child’s express wagon to the spot
chosen for his painting.
He would accept neither help
nor sympathy for his physical
difficulty—but loved to talk about
his work.
“It may be that the heroic, vig-
erous action of his pictures com-
pensated for his own lack of phy-
sical strength,” she noted, “but
whatever the reason, he left us
faithful records of historic
action.”