Teaching the Civil War with Technology

On January 3, 1863, Harper’s Weekly ran the following Thomas Nast image of Santa Claus visiting the Civil War Soldiers

What can you see in the picture?  There is so much to see in this photo.  From the drummer boys playing with the Jack-in-the-box to the troops chasing a pig in the background (notice one soldier falling down in the chase).

How about a little seek and find.  Can you find:

• a drum
• a soldier with a pipe
• Santa’s Reindeer
• two American Flags
• A soldier with a stocking
• a soldier climbing a pole

This image is fun to look at and rich in details.  I love the outfit that Santa is wearing, the soldiers in their great coats, the Sibley tents and the “Welcome Santa” sign.  According to an brief article in the paper, Santa is showing the soldiers “Jeff Davis’s future.  He is tying a cord pretty tightly around his neck, and Jeff seems to be kicking very much at such a fate.” The article also says that a group of soldiers in the background are playing football.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

Posted under Primary Sources

The above illustration by Thomas Nast is entitled “Christmas Eve, 1862″ and is from an 1862 issue of Harper’s Weekly.  On the right side of the illustration is a Civil War soldier on duty sitting next to a fire on a cold night.  In addition to holding his musket, he is holding a photo of his family.  Behind him are other soldiers sitting next to a tree and standing guard.  On the left side is his wife, kneeling in prayer with their children “nestled all snug in their beds.”

Look closely in the upper left portion of the illustration and you can see Santa (complete with reindeer) getting ready to head down the chimney.  In the upper right Santa is delivering presents to soldiers in the field.  All the while, the Civil War is raging below them in the form of both a land and a sea battle.  And in between, the hardships of war, graves of fallen soldiers.

So, on this Christmas Eve, let us pause to remember those families who have loved ones serving in our military and pray for their safe return home.

Merry Christmas.

Posted under Primary Sources

A quick post to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

In the spirit of keeping this on topic, I share the following image from abelincoln.com

Posted under Uncategorized