Battles of December 19 including descriptions of the battles, geographic locations, associated artwork, and museums where a person can find associated artifacts and artwork.
1. Battle of Dreux
Date: December 19, 1562
War: French Wars of Religion (First War of Religion)
Cause: The battle was triggered by the escalating religious and political tensions between the Catholics (Royalists) and the Huguenots (French Protestants) following the Massacre of Vassy. The Huguenot army, aiming to link up with English allies in Le Havre, was intercepted by the Royalist army on the road to Dreux.
Result: Catholic (Royalist) Victory. It was a bloody engagement where the commanders of both sides (Prince of Condé for the Huguenots and Anne de Montmorency for the Catholics) were captured by their enemies.
Paintings & Art
- Painting/Print: The Battle of Dreux, 19th December 1562 (From the series Histoires diverses qui sont mémorables touchant les Guerres, Massacres et Troubles advenus en France)
- Artist: Jean-Jacques Perrissin and Jacques Tortorel
- Year: c. 1570
- Painting: Bataille de Dreux 1562
- Artist: Anonymous (French School)
- Year: Early 17th Century
Museums & Artifacts
- Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Dreux (Dreux, France): Houses the 17th-century painting of the battle mentioned above, along with local history exhibits detailing the conflict and the region’s role in the wars.
- Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris, France): Holds original prints and engravings by Tortorel and Perrissin depicting the chaotic scenes of the battle.
- Musée de l’Armée (Paris, France): Contains extensive collections of 16th-century armor, arquebuses, and pikes similar to those used at Dreux.
Location
- General: Dreux, Eure-et-Loir, France (Specifically the plains south of the town).
- Coordinates: 48.7282° N, 1.3756° E
Recommended Book
2. Capture of Fort Niagara
Date: December 19, 1813
War: War of 1812
Cause: In retaliation for the burning of the Canadian town of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake) by retreating American forces days earlier, British Colonel John Murray led a surprise night assault. They crossed the Niagara River silently to storm the American fort.
Result: British Victory. The British captured the fort with bayonets in a pre-dawn raid, seizing a massive supply of arms and munitions and securing a strategic foothold on the American side of the river for the remainder of the war.
Paintings & Art
- Painting/Illustration: The Surprise Capture of Fort Niagara (Various historical illustrations appear in 19th-century histories)
- Artist: 19th Century Illustrators (Often attributed to military lithographers like Ackerman)
- Year: c. 1815–1850
- Related Art: View of Fort Niagara (Watercolor)
- Artist: James Peachey (Depicts the fort slightly prior to the war, establishing the scene)
- Year: c. 1780s
Museums & Artifacts
- Old Fort Niagara (Youngstown, New York, USA): The site itself is a museum. It houses original 1812-era flags, muskets, and uniforms. The “French Castle” building, which was stormed during the battle, still stands.
- Canadian War Museum (Ottawa, Canada): Holds artifacts related to the British 100th Regiment of Foot, which led the assault, including shako plates and redcoat uniforms.
Location
- General: Youngstown, New York, USA (Mouth of the Niagara River).
- Coordinates: 43.2625° N, 79.0632° W
Recommended Book
3. The Great Swamp Fight
Date: December 19, 1675
War: King Philip’s War
Cause: The United Colonies of New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Plymouth) launched a preemptive strike against the Narragansett tribe. The colonists believed the Narragansett were harboring Wampanoag refugees and preparing to join the war against the English settlements.
Result: Colonial Victory. The colonial militia attacked the fortified Narragansett village in the middle of a frozen swamp. The fort was burned, resulting in the death of hundreds of Narragansett warriors and non-combatants, though the colonial forces also suffered high casualties.
Paintings & Art
- Print/Engraving: The Great Swamp Fight
- Artist: Unknown (Published in 19th-century histories, currently held by The Granger Collection)
- Year: 1827 (Engraving date)
- Illustration: Attack on the Narragansett Fort
- Artist: Historical illustrators for Harper’s Magazine
- Year: c. 1850s
Museums & Artifacts
- Tomaquag Museum (Exeter, Rhode Island, USA): Provides an Indigenous perspective on the war and the massacre, featuring cultural artifacts and oral histories of the Narragansett people.
- Great Swamp Fight Monument (South Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA): A granite obelisk marks the approximate site of the battle within the management area.
- Rhode Island Historical Society (Providence, Rhode Island, USA): Houses colonial records, letters from commanders involved in the fight, and archaeological fragments from the era.
Location
- General: South Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA (Great Swamp Management Area).
- Coordinates: 41.4697° N, 71.5939° W
Recommended Book
4. Battle of Salem Cemetery (Battle of Jackson, TN)
Date: December 19, 1862
War: American Civil War
Cause: Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest launched a cavalry raid into West Tennessee to disrupt Union supply lines, specifically aiming to destroy the Mobile & Ohio Railroad which was supplying General Grant’s army.
Result: Confederate Strategic Victory. While technically a tactical repulse where Union infantry held their ground at the cemetery, the battle acted as a successful feint. It occupied the Union defenders while Forrest’s subordinates destroyed the vital railroad tracks nearby, achieving the raid’s objective.
Paintings & Art
- Illustration: Skirmish at Jackson, Tennessee (Woodcut engraving)
- Artist: Artists for Harper’s Weekly or Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper
- Year: 1863
- Modern Art: Forrest’s Raid (Various modern Civil War prints depicting the 1862 campaign)
- Artist: Don Troiani or Mort Künstler (Thematic associations)
- Year: Late 20th Century
Museums & Artifacts
- Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield (Wildersville, Tennessee, USA): Located nearby, this site covers the entirety of Forrest’s West Tennessee campaign, including the Salem Cemetery engagement, with interpretive trails and artifacts.
- Tennessee State Museum (Nashville, Tennessee, USA): Holds a vast collection of Civil War cavalry sabers, uniforms, and flags similar to those carried by Forrest’s troops.
- Salem Cemetery Battlefield (Jackson, Tennessee, USA): The cemetery itself remains a historic site with markers explaining the infantry and cavalry movements among the graves.
Location
- General: Jackson, Tennessee, USA (Northeast of the city center).
- Coordinates: 35.6326° N, 88.7915° W
Recommended Book
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