Bartlett C. Jones [Order this photo]

A wedding gift, given to a young couple in 1955, led a retired college professor to uncover perhaps one of Missouri -- and Saline County's -- great artists from the 19th century. However, the artist, William B. Cox, had been all but forgotten in art history.

"Maybe he deserves to be forgotten," said Bartlett C. Jones, speaking at the Sweet Springs Historical Society on Monday, Sept. 22. "But I will show you a number of works of his that hang in major museums and are often reproduced."

"The people who studied the art of the Civil War think he's important, that's why they put him in their books and that's why they reproduce his images," he said.

The wedding gifts, given to Jones and his new bride by relatives from Virginia, were two paintings, one of Robert E. Lee and another of Stonewall Jackson in Civil War uniforms. Jones, who has degrees from Swarthmore College, Emory University and University of Florida, had first thought the paintings were reproductions.

In the 1990s he started researching who had painted the portraits and couldn't find anything.

Finally, he found a "flashcard" at the State Historical Society of Missouri archives about a "Captain W.B. Cox," where he discovered the artist was from Missouri.

"After hauling these portraits all over the country, Florida, Texas and Ohio. Finally I wound up in Columbia two miles away from the only repository that would have given me this clue," he said.

After that, he literally went through "rolls and rolls" of microfilm at University of Missouri library and was able to find newspaper articles about the artist. Many are from the Miami newspaper, where Cox apparently stayed for long periods of time. Some articles state Cox was born in the area, but other records state he was born in Virginia or Illinois.

Many of Cox's most famous paintings came from the Civil War. One of the best known, the "Heroes of Manassas," is in many Civil War history books.

Like many of Cox paintings it shows what Jones called, "some weird sense of humor."

The photo depicts Jefferson Davis and four confederate generals at the beginning of the war. However in the corner of the painting is a small, lit shell "about to blow them up" explained Jones, showing a depiction of the painting.

The original is on display at the museum at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point.

According to Jones, Cox was a captain in the Missouri Militia and at one time a Civil War prisoner. After a prisoner exchange he didn't return to action, but instead painted battle flags for the forces.

By 1871, he was back in Missouri and became an "itinerant painter who literally goes from town to town or fair to fair looking for commissions." He was active all around the area including Boonville, Brunswick, Trenton and Glasgow.

It was at that time Cox apparently spent time in Sweet Springs, Sedalia and Miami, according to Jones' research. He worked in various media, including charcoal, oil, pencil and crayon.

"He also did crayon portraits and pictures, which were cheaper and quicker," he said.

One 1880 news clipping Jones found said that Cox spent a long period of time at the Miami area home of Abel Van Meter, doing many paintings of Van Meter, his wife and one of a "prize" oxen, that took the "premium at the Kansas City Fair" the year before.

Cox didn't give up Civil War depictions. He apparently worked on a large canvass of the "Battle at Wilson's Creek" in Springfield. He even went to the home of General Sterling Price "maybe to get objects or likenesses to give Sterling Price a featured place in this huge canvass he was going to reproduce, but nothing is known of the existence of this work," said Jones. He said there is record that Cox showed the work to a newspaper editor.

Cox also apparently gave "temperance" lectures in the area, including at Arrow Rock and Sweet Springs, then called Brownsville.

Although Cox is forgotten in today's history books, Jones found many articles lauding his talent and a directory calling him one of Missouri's great artists.

"In his own day, in the 1870s he was quite appreciated," said Jones, who read some of the reviews, including one comparing him to "Angelo, Rafael or Sir Thomas Lawrence."

The only mention made of his death in 1882, according to Jones, was in the Brownville Herald, stating he died of "delirium tremens," and warning young men of taking "pleasure in the cup."

Jones has written an article on Cox, which is scheduled to appear in the next edition of Missouri Life Magazine.

Contact Marcia Gorrell at marshallag@socket.net