Austro-Hungarian troops trying to cross a river 1918

Achille Beltrame made this image of Austro-Hungarian troops trying to cross a river, but when, we don't know. There is a tonal quality to the image, which makes it feel muted, like a faded memory—the sepia tones of the shore contrast with the dull gray of the water, which is neither inviting nor still. I imagine Beltrame trying to capture the chaos and desperation. What was he thinking, standing there amidst such a fraught scene? The water is high, and the movement of the river is pulling the viewer's eye to the center. The artist guides the viewer through a story of crossing with a focus on a man pulling another by the feet. They are trying to move toward a more certain future, but the painting leaves you unsure if they will make it. Maybe Beltrame was inspired by Delacroix or Gericault, history painters trying to capture the feeling of an event. I think he was trying to put a story in our heads, while at the same time being ambivalent about what that story is.