Description
This cartoon from 1861 shows General Winfield Scott slaying a dragon called secession. The cartoon serves as a tribute to the commander of Union forces, Gen. Winfield Scott, shown as the mythical Hercules slaying the many-headed dragon or hydra, here symbolizing the secession of the Confederate states. At left stands Scott, wielding a great club "Liberty and Union," about to strike the beast. The hydra has seven heads, each representing a prominent Southern leader. The neck of each southerner depicted is labeled with a vice or crime associated with him.
Transcript of "The Hercules of the Union, Slaying the Great Dragon of Secession" Cartoon
Source-Dependent Questions
- Each head of the hydra represents a southern leader and a crime associated with them. What do you think it means that no leader is accused of the crime of slavery?
- Justify this claim using evidence - the hydra is a creature with many heads. The artist used the hydra to show that secession had multiple causes, not just slavery.
Citation Information
"The Hercules of the Union, Slaying the Great Dragon of Secession," Currier & Ives, New York, 1861. Courtesy of Library of Congress