soldier, artist, b. Brunswick, Me. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (1829), was stationed at Ft. Crawford, Prairie du Chien (1829-1830) and at Ft. Snelling, Minn. (1830-1831). He taught drawing at West Point (1833-1840), served in the Florida war (1840-1841), and was again stationed at Ft. Snelling (1841-1848). After serving in Texas (1848-1849), he was called to Washington, D.C., where he spent five years preparing the illustrations for Henry Schoolcraft's History, Conditions and Future Prospects of the Indian Tribes in the U.S. Eastman rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the army, and was retired from active military service in 1863 with the brevet rank of brigadier general. He was recalled to duty by act of Congress in 1867 in order to execute paintings for the House and Senate committees on Indian Affairs and on Military Affairs. He lived in Washington until his death. One of the pioneer army painters and illustrators of the American Indian, Eastman executed numerous drawings and paintings of Indian and military life in the Wisconsin-Minnesota region as well as in the other areas in which he served. Smithsonian Inst. Misc. Collections, 87 (3), Apr. 1932; M. H. Eastman, Amer. Aboriginal Portfolio (Philadelphia, [1853]); P. Butts, Art in Wis. (Madison, 1936); WPA MS.Learn More
Dictionary of Wisconsin History
Explore more than 1,600 people, places and events in Wisconsin history.
[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]
