Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1903-01-17
THE BOOMING CANNON
RECITALS OF CAMP AND Eat.
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, Fora9-
ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.

put genuine soldiers and the spirit Of
battle into his pictures in the last three
years of the war, and he studied men
and military movements to good pur-
pose. In all his military cartoons he
handled his pencil like a soldier-with
a soldiers enthusiasm as well as with
soldiers daring. The people were
never, in doubt as to where he Stood
and whether his picture was Of a battle
or a hospital scene, or in the nature or
comment on the progress of the war, 1t
was always appreciated by the boys in
the army.
Mast was not an idealist, although
something Of hero worshiper. He
was always sensitive on the question
Of short men, and he resented the claim
Of tallneSs for a man who was not
tall. He always insisted that the pic
lures of Lees surrender were mislead-
ing, because they left the impression
that Lee was a very tall and very
stately parsonage, and that Grant was
short man, inclined to slouchiness.
He often said to me that most Of the
men who sketched the scene strove to
make Lee the central figure, giving him
size suited to the center of the stage,
whereas Lee was, in fact, very little, If
any, taller than Grant. In his later
years Mast painted picture to bring
out this idea.
HE always put Grant in picture at
his best. AS General or President,
Nast's Grant had no stoop in the shout
ders and no slouchiness in dress, but
always had dignity of countenance and
a soldierly bearing. Mast liked Sher-
idan, and always made Little Phil look
larger and taller than he really was.
He didn't like Schurz, and the latter
always stood in his pictures thinner
and more awkward than he really was.
AS a rule, however Mast was fair to all
soldiers, and he handled his pencil in
the service of the Union with the vigor
and passion of a cavalryman swinging
q saber.
Mast was more given than any other
cartoonist to putting himself in car
toons. He did this when Andrew John
son returned to the Senate in 1875. He
had been merciless in his treatment of
Johnson as President in the reconstruc-
ton era, pursuing him with unexam-
pied bitterness. When Johnson took
his seat in the Senate Mast pictured
himself with a sketch book under his
arm, welcoming Johnson to the Capitol
with a low, satirical bow, and saying,
Here we are again. When Grant
wrote his letter, in 1875, declining pos
itively to be candidate for a third
term, Mast drew himself with peacock
Didn't l told you So?
zone of Nasts best pictures of him
self, however, was an imprOmptu
sketch Of his hunt for Nasty. He had
illustrated the Nasty letters greatly to
the satisfaction Of Mr.. Locke, but had
never seen the latter. The Harpers
were preparing to publish a new book
by Nasty, and they asked Mast to go
out to Toledo and have a conference
with Locke as to illustrations. Mast
and Nasty exchanged letters. Each
had great admiration for the other, and
both looked forward to the meeting
with delight. 1t Was arranged that
Locke should meet Mast at the train,
Nasty taking it for granted that he
would know Mast, and Mast ready to
bet that he would recognize Nasty on
sight.
Both were short men, but it so hap
pened that Mast thought Nasty was a
tall man. and Nasty had drawn a men
tai picture of Mast as a tall man. SO
when Mast stepped off the train at To-
ledo he walked about the station look
ing for his tall friend, Nasty and the
tall friend, Mast. They missed each
other until Mr.. Locke had only one
short man before him, and, after pass
ing him three or four times, ventured
the remark that he was looking for Mr..
Thomas Mast.
Mast calculated Good Lord" and
held out his hand. He asked if it was
possible that he was addressing Mr..
Locke. Then the story came out, each
admitting that he had his eyes ad-
justed to take in a big, tall man. Mast
sat down as soon as he entered Mr..
Locke's house and made sketch Of
the meeting, one Of the very funniest
pictures he ever put on paper"
when Mast returned from Italy in
1861" said the Captain, "he thought he
knew more about military matters than
some Of our Generals. He had served
on Garibaldfs staff and had seen good
deal of war on the Italian scale AS
soon as he went to the front in this
country, however, he saw, as few news
paper men did, the massiyeness Of our
armies and the magnitude Of the strug-
gle. He saw beneath the surface, and
he began at once to get at the meaning
of things, at the underlying principles
of the war at the sentiment of the