Xanthus Smith was a well known artist during 19th Century. He was actually at the Battle of Mobile Bay and sketched and painted many scenes from that day. I believe the ones I've seen are the best ever done on the subject. Apparently the bulk of his entire works on Civil War naval paintings was owned by a banking company called AmSouth of Mobile, Alabama. They used to go on display at the local art museum now and then. The works are not well known and the painting I include here is one of seven known that he did on the Battle of Mobile Bay. It is the only one you can find publically in prints. I have one other but it is a black and white photograph of the painting showing the engagement where the CSS Tennessee is giving broadsides into the Union fleet.

Now they are lost. AmSouth was bought by Regents banking several years back. The Naval Historical Center used to keep track of them but since the buy-out nothing has officially been seen of them.

Here is the list of art lost.

Farragut's Ships passing Fort Morgan
U.S. Steam Sloop Hartford
Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac
Farragut in Front of Fort Morgan, Mobile, Tecumseh Sinking
U.S. Metacomet, Capt. Jouett, Capturing The Confederate Steamer Selma
USS Ironsides
Hartford Attacking the Rebel Ram Tennessee
Dupont's Attack on Charleston
Civil War Naval Action [ships bombarding a fort]
Rebel Tennessee Attacking U.S. Ships Richmond and Lackawana
Sinking by the Merrimac [sinking of the Cumberland]
Destruction of the Rebel Cruiser Alabama by the U.S.S. Kearsage
Civil War Naval Action [showing Confederate ironclad engaging several federal steamers]
Sinking of the Rebel Cruiser Alabama by the U.S.S. Kearsage
U.S.S. Monongahela Ramming the Tennessee
U.S. Sloop of War Constitution
Capture of Fort Fisher
Capture of the Philidelphia and Tonawanda by the Confederate Privateer Alabama

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David Upton