Many news publications used satire (the use of humor, exaggeration, or mockery to point out an individual’s wrongdoings or societal ills) in the form of drawings and etchings to highlight issues during the Civil War and advocate for a particular side.
Examine the following political cartoon, which depicts a Union commander waiting for Confederate leaders to emerge from hiding. Then answer the questions below.
“The Old General Ready for a ‘Movement.’” Union propaganda from the summer of 1861, claiming dominance over Confederate troops led by generals P. G. T. Beauregard and Gideon Pillow. Union commander Winfield Scott sits on a mound in the center, holding a noose and awaiting the emergence of president of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis from his "Richmond" burrow. Currier & Ives, 1861. Library of Congress
Questions
Annotate this Image
Directions: Take a look at the illustration below, utilizing the magnifier tool to help you. Be sure to read the summary that appears on the Library of Congress website since it will help you make out some of the figures and events they are referencing.
Then use the annotation tool to describe some of the labels, symbols, caricatures, and captions in the illustration and what they represent. Download the notes to share with your class.
Source: “The Secession Movement.” Currier & Ives, New York, c. 1861. Library of Congress
Summary of Illustration from the Library of Congress:
“Confident Union propaganda from the summer of 1861, claiming dominance over Confederate troops led by generals P. G. T. Beauregard and Gideon Pillow. Union commander Winfield Scott sits on a mound in the center, holding a noose and awaiting the emergence of president of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis from his ‘Richmond’ burrow. With his feet Scott pins the tails of two foxes, Beauregard (on the left), near Manassas Junction, and Pillow, near Memphis. The print was probably issued before the Battle of Bull Run, while Beauregard's troops were stationed at Manassas Junction, protecting the Confederate capital at Richmond. Memphis was not won by the Union, however, until June 1862.”
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