Gas and glory - Political cartoon, public domain image
Summary
A satire on Franklin Pierce's alleged ineptness as an officer during the Mexican War. There are two scenes. In the left frame, in "New Hampshire," Pierce trains a band of volunteer militia, exhorting them, "Forward! my brave Compatriots preserve but that undaunted front, and victory is ours." A soldier on the far left asks, "Capting Pierce wheres them Britishers! darn their skins just show em to a feller! will ye?" In contrast, in "Mexico" at right, Pierce lags behind his troops, holding his stomach and complaining, "Oh! how bad I feel, and every Step I go forward, I feel worse. I got such a pain in the abdomen I must resign my Command and go home." A soldier with the group looks back, saying, "Come along Gineral Pierce! heres them ere enemies you used to talk about on trainin down East: Hurry up and lick em." The print was no doubt issued during the 1852 presidential campaign when Pierce was the Democratic candidate.
Glimpses of U.S. political campaigns in magazine covers and satire.
Tags
Date
Contributors
Location
Source
Copyright info