Title
The Burial of Latané
Creator
William D. Washington
Description
William D. Washington’s renowned painting, The Burial of Latané, poignantly captured a Confederate memory of the Civil War. The painting depicts the funeral of Confederate Captain William Latané who led Confederate forces to a victory at Hanover Courthouse, Virginia, in June 1862. Because Union troops forbade a military burial for the slain hero, Latané’s brother had no choice but to leave his body in the care of the women, children, and slaves of nearby Westwood plantation.
Shortly after the battle, Virginia native and Southern Literary Messenger editor, John R. Thompson, commemorated the Confederate hero’s death in a poem. Two years later, in 1864, Latané’s legend inspired William D. Washington’s oil painting, The Burial of Latané. Washington, a Virginian and distant relation of President George Washington, is best known for painting The Burial of Latané and for establishing the Virginia Military Institute’s Fine Arts Program. Washington’s canvas enjoyed wide celebrity throughout the Confederate South, with many families honoring the memory of the slain Latané by hanging prints of Washington's painting above their mantle.
Shortly after the battle, Virginia native and Southern Literary Messenger editor, John R. Thompson, commemorated the Confederate hero’s death in a poem. Two years later, in 1864, Latané’s legend inspired William D. Washington’s oil painting, The Burial of Latané. Washington, a Virginian and distant relation of President George Washington, is best known for painting The Burial of Latané and for establishing the Virginia Military Institute’s Fine Arts Program. Washington’s canvas enjoyed wide celebrity throughout the Confederate South, with many families honoring the memory of the slain Latané by hanging prints of Washington's painting above their mantle.
Date
1864
Coverage
Old Church, Hanover County, Virginia
Westwood plantation, Virginia