Frederic Remington
American, 1861­1909
The Advance Guard or The Military Sacrifice
1890
Oil on canvas
87.3 x 123.2 cm
George F. Harding Collection, 1982.802

Remington was famous for his drawings, paintings, and sculptures of life on America’s western plains. He often visited the West and once traveled with the United States cavalry as it pursued North Plains Sioux across the Badlands. To prevent ambush, officers sent a few soldiers out ahead of the regiment.

Remington’s painting shows us the moment when one of the advance guard is shot by an unseen enemy; the rest retreat to warn the regiment of danger.