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Civil War Era |
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| “The Tribune” |
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Source: New York Illustrated News |
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Date:
August 5, 1861, p. 210
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Click to see
a large version of this cartoon |
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Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
In the summer of 1861, Nast was providing the New York Illustrated News
with combat sketches based on eyewitness material and patriotic images in
support of the Union war effort. On June 26, 1861, the New York Tribune
began running a prominent editorial-page slogan urging Union troops “Forward to
Richmond!” (the Confederate capital). With Greeley at home recuperating from a
knee injury, this saber-rattling phrase was initially approved by managing
editor Charles Dana. It expressed a widely-held belief in the possibility of a
swift end to the war. However, the Union debacle at the First Battle of Bull
Run (Manassas) on July 21 undermined that hope, and scorn was heaped upon
Greeley and other proponents of the Richmond campaign. Nast and his newspaper,
though, wholeheartedly endorsed the spirit of the Tribune battle cry. On
August 5, 1861, the New York Illustrated News published an editorial
defending Greeley and his newspaper’s “On to Richmond!” campaign (as the
Illustrated News called it). Even so, as the war dragged on for over three
more years, Nast would find occasion to invest the now legendary Tribune
battle cry with overtones of sarcasm.
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