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Hercules of the Union

Hercules of the Union
Artist
Unidentified Artist
Sitter
Winfield Scott, 13 Jun 1786 - 29 May 1866
Robert Augustus Toombs, 2 Jul 1810 - 15 Dec 1885
Alexander Hamilton Stephens, 11 Feb 1812 - 4 Mar 1883
Jefferson Davis, 3 Jun 1808 - 6 Dec 1889
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, 28 May 1818 - 20 Feb 1893
David Emanuel Twiggs, 14 Feb 1790 - 15 Jul 1862
Francis Wilkinson Pickens, 1805 - 1869
John Buchanan Floyd, 01 Jun 1806 - 26 Aug 1863
Date
1861
Type
Print
Medium
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions
Image: 30.6 × 22.1 cm (12 1/16 × 8 11/16")
Sheet: 45.6 × 34.3 cm (17 15/16 × 13 1/2")
Mat: 56.1 × 40.7 cm (22 1/16 × 16")
Topic
Weapon\Sword
Costume\Dress Accessory\Epaulet
Weapon\Club
Costume\Footwear\Boots
Nature & Environment\Animal\Mythical
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Muttonchops
Costume\Dress Accessory\Belt
Jefferson Davis: Male
Jefferson Davis: Literature\Writer
Jefferson Davis: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer
Jefferson Davis: Military and Intelligence\Soldier
Jefferson Davis: Politics and Government\Confederate President
Jefferson Davis: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Mississippi
Jefferson Davis: Politics and Government\US Senator\Mississippi
Jefferson Davis: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of War
Jefferson Davis: Politics and Government\Governor\Mississippi
John Buchanan Floyd: Male
John Buchanan Floyd: Law and Crime\Lawyer
John Buchanan Floyd: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War\Confederate Army
John Buchanan Floyd: Politics and Government\Governor\Virginia
David Emanuel Twiggs: Male
Winfield Scott: Male
Winfield Scott: Literature\Writer
Winfield Scott: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate
Winfield Scott: Politics and Government\Public official
Winfield Scott: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
Winfield Scott: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\War of 1812
Winfield Scott: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Mexican War
Winfield Scott: Congressional Gold Medal
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard: Male
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard: Literature\Writer
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War\Confederate Army
Francis Wilkinson Pickens: Male
Alexander Hamilton Stephens: Male
Alexander Hamilton Stephens: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Alexander Hamilton Stephens: Journalism and Media\Newspaper publisher
Alexander Hamilton Stephens: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Georgia
Alexander Hamilton Stephens: Politics and Government\Governor\Georgia
Alexander Hamilton Stephens: Politics and Government\State Legislator\Georgia
Alexander Hamilton Stephens: Politics and Government\Confederate Vice President
Robert Augustus Toombs: Male
Robert Augustus Toombs: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Robert Augustus Toombs: Politics and Government\Statesman
Robert Augustus Toombs: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War
Robert Augustus Toombs: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War\Confederate Army
Robert Augustus Toombs: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Georgia
Robert Augustus Toombs: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Planter
Robert Augustus Toombs: Politics and Government\US Senator\Georgia
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.84.102
Exhibition Label
To justify armed conflict with their fellow countrymen, printmakers in the North produced visual propaganda that vilified and dehumanized the South. This print features U.S. Army General Winfield Scott (1786–1866), a Virginia native who remained loyal to the Union, in the guise of the legendary hero Hercules, raising a club labeled “Liberty & Union” against a hydra labeled “Secession.” The seven heads of the mythical beast represent prominent Southern leaders, each labeled with his name and supposed crime. The print was published during the first months of the war and, significantly, does not include slavery among the South’s offenses.
There is some irony in pitting Scott against a serpentine creature. He was the architect of a military strategy that critics mocked as the “Anaconda Plan,” which called for surrounding and slowly starving Confederate forces of vital resources. Scott retired in November 1861, but his strategy endured, guiding the Union to victory.
Para justificar el conflicto armado ante sus compatriotas, las imprentas norteñas produjeron propaganda visual que denigraba y deshumanizaba al sur. Aquí aparece Winfield Scott (1786–1866), general del ejército de EE.UU. y nativo de Virginia que permaneció leal a la Unión, como el legendario héroe Hércules, levantando un garrote con la inscripción “Libertad y Unión” contra una hidra llamada “Secesión”. Las siete cabezas de la bestia mitológica representan a líderes sureños, identificados por nombre y presunto crimen. La estampa se publicó a inicios de la guerra y, curiosamente, no incluye la esclavitud entre los crímenes del sur.
Es un tanto irónico que Scott enfrente aquí a una serpiente. Él fue el arquitecto de una estrategia militar cuyos críticos apodaron el “Plan Anaconda”, que proponía rodear y poco a poco privar de recursos vitales a las fuerzas confederadas. Scott se retiró en noviembre de 1861, pero su estrategia continuó y llevó a la Unión a la victoria.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view