Yankee Volunteers Marching into Dixie in 1862 by
date: label: Date made
content: 1862
name: label: publisher
content: Morse, Charles Fessenden
label: publisher
content: Morse, A. G.
label: lithographer
content: Bufford, John Henry
label: printer; publisher
content: Morse, Charles Fessenden
label: maker
content: Bufford, J. H.
notes: label: Description
content: This 1862 chromolithograph of Union soldiers in "Uncle Sam" costumes, parading down a road in formation, led by a uniformed Union officer with a raised sword. The costumes include striped beige pantaloons, blue tailcoats, red vests, white top hats, and jack boots, and each man carries a rifles over his shoulder. A drummer and fife player proceed at the front of the group the men behind them fly several large American flags. This patriotic print portrays the confident and smiling volunteers as righteous heroes, marching for freedom. The unrecognizable topography of the land across the river suggests that this print depicts an imagined view of either Boston, where the lithographer and publisher resided, or Washington, D.C. Visible in the distance is either the domed Massachusetts State House with wings prior to their actual construction or an anticipated vision of the completed U.S. Capitol with dome. Perhaps the indistinct setting was meant to appeal to Union supporters both in New England and nationally. Initially published as a sheet music cover, this colorful print was also used as a recruitment wall print. The image highlights the shift from Brother Jonathan, an early character representing New England and the Northern states, to Uncle Sam, a symbol of the strength of the federal government. By the end of the Civil War, Brother Jonathan had been replaced by this new personification of the American nation.
label: Description
content: The lithographer of this print was John Henry Bufford (1829-1870/71). The son of a sign painter and gilder, Bufford trained with Pendleton's Lithography in Boston, 1829-1831. He worked in New York with George Endicott and Nathaniel Currier (1835-1839) before returning to Boston where he developed a reputation for printing and publishing popular prints, commercial work, labels, and trade cards. The company went through several iterations and name changes until about 1865. He became the chief artist for Benjamin Thayer until buying out the firm to found J. H. Bufford & Co. (1844-1851). He continued to work in the lithography and publishing business for the remainder of his life. In 1865, his sons Frank and Henry John became partners in Bufford & Sons or J.H. Bufford’s Sons Litho. Co. After his death they continued the family business as Bufford Brothers and as Bufford Sons Engraving & Lithographing Company until 1911.
label: Description
content: The work was copyrighted by Charles Fessenden Morse of Boston. Morse joined the Second Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in 1861, and was a friend of Robert Gould Shaw, who commanded the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the first all-black regiments formed during the Civil War. Morse fought at Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. After the war, he became influential in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was president of the Kansas City Stockyards.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
label: depicted
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
topic: label: Subject
content: Patriotism and Patriotic Symbols
label: Subject
content: Horses
label: Subject
content: Chronology: 1860-1869
label: Subject
content: Uniforms, Military
label: Subject
content: Civil War
label: Subject
content: Music
label: depicted
content: Flags
label: depicted
content: Uncle Sam
label: related event
content: Civil War
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: American Civil War Prints
label: See more items in
content: Art
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.60.3308
label: catalog number
content: 60.3308
label: accession number
content: 228146
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Lithograph
label: Object Name
content: chromolithograph
label: Object Type
content: Prints
label: Object Type
content: Lithograph
label: Other Terms
content: Lithograph; Pictures
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: image: 10 in x 12 1/4 in; 25.4 cm x 31.115 cm