metzner, who achieved the rank of captain during the war, maintained a visual record of his experiences with the 32nd indiana through numerous sketches. his illustrations included the daily life of the union soldiers during training, in camp, and in battle. when artists' supplies were unavailable in the field, metzner used materials such as scraps of cardboard instead of canvas. his training as a pharmacist also may have provided him with the knowledge to produce tints for his drawings from natural sources such as berries and bark. after the battle of stones river, metzner was assigned as a topographical engineer with the 2nd division, army of the cumberland, where artists' materials were more readily available for sketching during his idle hours. upon his return to indianapolis in 1864, metzner created at least one oil painting from his wartime sketches. an by oil on canvas scene of artillerymen in battle was metzner's last known work before he pursued other interests.