What if the primary source text doesn’t give the whole story…?
It never does. Each primary source text is simply one storyteller’s perspective on history.
Here’s how I combine Colby’s brief letters with OTHER primary sources to expand & explore the world of FREEMAN COLBY VOL. 3… And hopefully get a bit more of the “whole story”!
NOTE: I’ve selected these sample pages from my notes, as shared @ my Patreon; Patrons can click on the images to see the full notes & resources. ~ M
TO THE FRONT: A Rushed Letter Home
Here’s a sample source text — Freeman Colby’s hastily written 28 April 1864 letter — and a sample Vol. 3 page drawn from it:
The moment I try to DRAW this scene, I realize how much information is missing from Colby’s letter:
- WHERE is he writing this letter?
- What does this place look/sound/smell/feel like?
- Who else is there? What are they doing?
In order to draw the place, I can either “make up” details (= historical fiction?), OR I can try to find some actual historical details about it.
SETTING: “Soldiers Rest, Alexandria, Va.”
Fortunately Colby’s letter gives us a general location: “Soldiers Rest, Alexandria, Va.” This was a common stopping point on the railroads to & from the front lines in central Virginia.
Here’s an 1864 color lithograph of the setting for Colby’s letter; It supplies plenty of juicy details to set the scene!:
In these 2 pages (below), I imagine Colby looking around @ various details (drawn from the source image) as he prepares to write:
Adding a third setting page, we can even zoom in on specific details from our source image. I use aspect panels to highlight actions that contribute to the overall environment:
REUNION: Jonas & Camp!
Colby doesn’t tell us HOW he reaches his regiment; I can only imagine his reunion with friend Jonas, based on camp details supplied in Roe’s regimental history:
ON THE MARCH: The Army of the Potomac
Now that Colby’s back with the regiment, he becomes our eyes & ears on the Army of the Potomac’s advance into Virginia.
To get a sense of what this enormous army looks like on the road, I’ll need several sources — Including the memoirs of General Grant…:
Plus the sketches of Harper’s artist Alfred Waud…:
From all these text & visual sources, I can build a 2-page spread to show how Colby & co. moved south across the central Virginian plain:
PRO-TIP: If the march moves from left to right (= the standard reading direction for English language comics), it gently pushes the reader along into the next pages…
NEXT: Into the Wilderness! >>
This work is PATRON-POWERED!
www.MarekBennett.com 