The Winds of Winter - Ornament

The Winds of Winter “A great source of inspiration for my paintings has been the work of the highly esteemed author and historian, Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr. His new best-selling biography, Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend, is no exception. His vivid description of Jackson's winter expedition from Winchester to Romney, West Virginia, was the primary inspiration for The Winds of Winter.” The campaign began on January 1, 1862, on a deceptively spring-like day. Many of the inexperienced soldiers chose to leave behind their overcoats. That afternoon, a northwest wind began blowing and the temperatures soon plummeted. The hardships increased along with the bitter cold. The men suffered from lack of food and from inadequate clothing and shelter. Over the course of the two-week march, the troops experienced the most arduous conditions imaginable, including almost impassable roads, freezing temperatures and unrelenting snow, wind, sleet and rain. The horses also struggled.