Civil War Santa played a surprisingly controversial political role during the Christmas of 1863. While it’s no surprise to see Santa raising spirits with piles of gifts, his role as activist is not on top of most Christmas lists. Even so, Civil War Santa was a popular celebrity guest for the North through the up-and-coming political cartoonist Thomas Nast whose Santa appeared on the cover of Harper’s Weekly ‘s January 3, 1863 edition.
Pictured below is the early image of Santa from Thomas Nast (1840-1902) in an illustration titled “Santa Claus in Camp.”. Civil War Santa sits on his reindeer-pulled sleigh from which he distributes gifts to Union troops. The sign above an American flag reads, “Welcome, Santa Claus.”
Yes, Civil War Santa strongly supported the Abolition of Slavery as his striped pants and star-covered jacket indicate. But the dead give away is the puppet he holds. It resembles Confederate president Jefferson Davis with the name JEFF on its chest. Santa is tying a rope around its neck. Meanwhile Union soldiers look on, some with presents that include pipes, stockings and a jack-in-the-box.
General Ulysses S. Grant once claimed that Thomas Nast (and the Civil War Santa) did as much as any one man to preserve the Union and bring the war to an end.
Thomas Nast’s Illustrations Captured The Grief Of Civil War
German immigrant Thomas Nast (1840-1902), began his career as an illustrator for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. His career as a political cartoonist and war correspondent took off in 1859 with his work for Harper’s Weekly.
Nast’s image of Christmas of 1862 portrayed a woman kneeling in prayer beside her sleeping children. She’s thinking of her husband suffering on a battlefield far away. Nast pictures him leaning against a tree, solitary and forlorn as he looks at pictures, presumably of his family. With scenes of the war surrounding him, Civil War Santa goes about his business, delivering presents to children back home.
According to Tonya McQuade of Emerging Civil War,
“This was a time when the mood in the North was far more dreary following the Union defeat at Fredericksburg and the high number of casualties at Shiloh.” (EmergingCivilWar.com)
Nast’s images from the 1863 publication portray the same family happily reunited under very different circumstances. He captures the optimism of in the North in December of 1863 following significant victories in Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga.
In December of 1864, Nast illustrated President Abraham Lincoln inviting Confederate generals to “The Union Christmas Dinner.” He is welcoming Jeff Davis, Robert E. Lee and others to the Union Banquet Hall.
“The Northern governors — all recognizable — were seated at a long table opposite a row of empty chairs, each reserved for a specific Confederate state. An olive branch at the upper left and the return of the prodigal son at the upper right completed the allegorical imagery.” (EmergingCivilWar.com)
Nast’s Pencil Was Mightier Than Any Rifle
Nast wanted to join the military ranks during the civil war, but was convinced that he could do more with his artistic gifts.
His depictions of Republicans as elephants and Democrats as donkeys remain with us to this day. Among other important stories Nast took on were the Ku Klux Klan and dishonest politicians including the notorious “Boss” William Marcy Tweed of Tammany Hall, who financially depleted New York City after the Civil War.
Nast influenced other muck rakers in print such as Nellie Bly and and political cartoonists including Art Young.
Santa Became A Beloved Symbol Of The Commercial Christmas Holiday
It’s no secret that our beloved Santa is an amalgamation of centuries-old characters and legends from multiple cultures and across continents. In England, Father Time was the man. In the West, Father Time blended with a Victorian Santa. A jolly round man in a red suit eventually coalesced with decades of marketing campaigns. But it took some time for Santa’s makeover to be finalized. (RacingNellieBly)
In his 1881 Nast used many of Clement Moore’s images from his 1822 “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.” This became definitive Santa that we know to this day. It first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. Civil War Santa’s style had transformed. He traded stars and stripes for a red suit trimmed in white and had a workshop at the North Pole teeming with elves. And yes, there was a Mrs. Claus.
In 1889, 126 of Nast’s popular Christmas illustrations were published in Christmas Drawings for the Human Race.
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