Virginia artist hangs an ornament on White House Christmas tree

By Rusty Dennen, The Free Lance-Star

FREDERICKSBURG

Snow in the winter of 1862-63 added to the misery of Confederate and Union soldiers hunkered down in and around Fredericksburg.

Still, the white powder gave them a welcome break from the numbing routine of military life by supplying plenty of ammunition for snowball fights.

That rare joyful moment is captured on a Christmas ornament painted by Stafford County artist Dale Glasgow. The ball hangs on the White House’s Blue Room Christmas tree as part of a holiday homage to America’s 391 national parks.

The ornament, made for Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, features a soldier in a cap grasping a snowball in each hand, ready to throw. The figure is clad in neither gray nor blue, but gold, to represent troops from both sides and the universality of the conflict.

“The tough part was putting the decoration on the ball ,” said Glasgow, 47, who is known for historical landscapes and for meticulous detail in his paintings. Among his recent works is a series of oil paintings on the founding of Jamestown.

Park Superintendent Russ Smith said the design transcends textbook themes about the war.

“We agreed that the snowball scene is … a way of humanizing the story of the soldiers at Christmas,” Smith said.