The ''Surrender of General Burgoyne'' is an

oil painting Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the Binder (material), binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or oil on coppe ...

by the American artist

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

. The painting was completed in 1821 and hangs in the United States Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. The painting depicts the surrender of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Lieutenant General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York on October 17, 1777, ten days after the Second Battle of Saratoga. Included in the depiction are many leaders of the American

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

and

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

forces that took part in the battle as well as the Hessian commander Friedrich Adolf Riedesel and two

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officers: Burgoyne and General William Phillips.

Commission

Artist

(1756–1843) spent the early part of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

as a soldier, serving as an aide to both

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

and Horatio Gates.Weir, pp. 9-10 After resigning from the army in 1777, he pursued a career as an artist. In 1785 he began sketching out ideas for a series of large-scale paintings to commemorate the major events of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, and in 1791 he traveled to Saratoga, New York, where he sketched the landscape of the surrender site.Architect of the Capitol Upon his return from Britain after the end of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, he promoted this idea to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. On the strength of his application and the successful exhibition of '' The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775'' and '' The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec, December 31, 1775,'' as well as studies for other proposed paintings, the Congress in 1817 voted to commission four large paintings from him, to be hung in the United States Capitol rotunda.Weir, p. 36 The price was set at $8,000 per painting, with the size and subject matter to be determined by President

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

. A size of twelve by eighteen feet (370 cm × 550 cm) was agreed, as was the subject matter for the four paintings: the ''

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

'', the ''Surrender of General Burgoyne'', the ''

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis The ''Surrender of Lord Cornwallis'' is an oil painting by John Trumbull. The painting, which was completed in 1820, now hangs in the United States Capitol rotunda, rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The painting depicts th ...

'', and ''

General George Washington Resigning His Commission ''General George Washington Resigning His Commission'' is a large-scale oil painting by American artist John Trumbull of General George Washington resigning his commission as commander-in-chief#United States, commander-in-chief of the Continenta ...

''. Trumbull spent the next eight years executing the commission, completing this painting in late 1821. It was first displayed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from January to March 1822, and Trumbull supervised its hanging in the Capitol rotunda in 1824. It has remained there ever since. Trumbull himself cleaned and varnished the painting in 1828, also effecting repairs to an area near

Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (c. 1736 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...

's foot.

Description

This painting depicts General John Burgoyne prepared to surrender his sword to General Horatio Gates. American officers gather at the sides to witness the event; their varied dress reflects their different units. In the center of the painting, and extending into the background, is Burgoyne's army along with its German reinforcements. They were directed to the camp by American Colonel Lewis, Quartermaster-General, who rides on horseback in the far distance. The scene suggests peace rather than combat or hostility: beneath blue sky and white clouds, officers wear their dress uniforms, weapons are sheathed or slung, and cannons stand silent.

Other versions

Trumbull created a smaller, substantially similar version of the painting that now belongs to the Yale University Art Gallery. The rotunda version was used as the basis for a commemorative stamp issued in 1994.

People depicted

Weir provided this list, p. 69. The people depicted are listed approximately from left to right. *Major Lithgow *Colonel Joseph Cilley *Brigadier General John Stark *Captain Seymour *Major William Hull *Colonel Greaton *Major Henry Dearborn *Colonel Alexander Scammell *Colonel Lewis *Brigadier General William Phillips *Lieutenant General John Burgoyne *Lieutenant General Baron Friedrich Adolph Riedesel *Colonel James Wilkinson *Major General Horatio Gates *Colonel William Prescott *Colonel

*Brigadier General Rufus Putnam *Lieutenant Colonel John Brooks *Reverend Mr. Hitchcock *Major Robert Troup *Major Haskell *Major Armstrong *Major General

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 20, 1733 - November 18, 1804) was an American general in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War and a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New York. He is usually known as ...

*Brigadier General John Glover *Brigadier General William Whipple *Major Matthew Clarkson *Major Ebenezer Stevens

Notes

References

* *

External links

Architect of the Capitol
Web page on the painting {{United States Capitol Complex, state=expanded Paintings about the American Revolution 1821 paintings New York (state) in the American Revolution Paintings by John Trumbull Paintings in the United States Capitol American Revolutionary War Horses in art Flags in art Cultural depictions of British people Cultural depictions of military officers