William Lydston Jr. was a portrait painter and miniature artist whose career transitioned from the studio to the battlefield during the Civil War. Born in 1813, he established a reputation for capturing refined likenesses, operating a shop in Boston where he specialized in delicate miniatures and full-scale portraits.

Lydston was also an accomplished musician who enlisted in the Union army at age 47 in the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery band. During his military service, he often turned his artistic talents to sketching eyewitness scenes of army life. 

Although stationed in the Defenses of Washington near Alexandria early in the war, Lydston’s unit was later attached to the Richmond-Petersburg campaign. His drawings from the front in 1864 include regimental musicians playing in camp and under fire on the battlefield.

Unless otherwise noted, all objects are from the Fort Ward Museum Collection.

Exhibit introduction:

Buglers & Brass Bands: Soldier Musicians in the Civil War