01/01/2026
The 118th NY wishes you peace, love and happiness in 2026!
This is a more rare illustration depicting New Year’s Day during the civil war by Thomas Nast, published in Harper’s Weekly. The picture compares and contrasts the state of affairs in the North and the South during the Civil War in 1864.
The left pictures scenes of happiness and joy in the North. Union Soldiers are pictured on furlough, celebrating the new year with their family. A small inset image shows former slaves celebrating their recent emancipation. Children are seen happy and playing. A picture of a union soldier shows him to be well fed, clothed and equipped.
In contrast, the images on the right show the sad state of affairs in the South at that time. A woman and several children are shown weeping and grieving over a fresh grave. A rebel soldier is seen in a tattered uniform, unable to protect himself from the bitter cold.
The upper inset image implies a spiritual component to the Civil War, with scenes of heavenly and demonic beings pitted against one another.
With the 1864 presidential campaign about to get underway, Thomas Nast used this illustration to remind people of what had been accomplished, and how victory was close at hand, if the country would stay the course.
Source: sonofthesouth.net
