Civil War, Picket Duty In Virginia. The scene shows Union troops in blue uniforms firing with rifles over a fence, from their position in a wood. The Union troops are shown standing, crouching and kneeling, firing or standing at-the-ready with their rifles, whilst an officer looks on from behind. Their target is a Confederate column of cavalry which is crossing the field in front of them. One of their horses, its rider lying on the ground, is bolting. A farmhouse and a road is discernible in the background.