How Many Cups #HolidaySeason - My Favorite Santa? Civil War Santa
And some thoughts on a cherished soft drink
One Sip Of Eggnog
Nearly unrivaled on a hot summer day is a slug of Coke - from the bottle, of course - while slothing outside on your front porch. Oh a chilling, wintry day, however, the Coca-Cola company must be worshipped for reasons bereft of such pagan gluttony.
In 1931, the soft drink giants launched an ad campaign featuring a massive rebranding of Santa Claus. No, this one wasn’t fueled by Ozempically carved tummies and pictures of Positano’s adorable albeit stray dogs sandwiched between bikini shots. Coke, nay, the whole world, was thirsting for a more jolly, more tender Claus. Santa as we know him, donned with cheeks as rosy as his red suit, was born from Coke marketing over nine decades ago and thankfully so.
Or Was It?
Civil War Santa and cartoonist Thomas Nast may have something to say about that.
1862 was a troubling time for the Union. Urged by wealthy elites and their desire to maintain economic dominance born from free labor, uneducated White Southerners took up arms to fight against both their self-interest and Northern brothers.
To begin the year, President Abraham Lincoln had urged General McClellan to launch an aggressive front against the South, presumably with hopes of ending the war quickly. Naturally, McClellan ignored the order. Two months later, his demotion would serve as a harbinger of how the year would unfold for Union soldiers.
General Stonewall Jackson (who almost got killed last week) led a Southern victory in the Shenandoah Valley. The Battle of Seven Pines not only saw Union forces lose nearly 6,000 lives, but it led to the promotion of General Robert E. Lee.
Quick aside: anyone arguing against the destruction of Lee’s monuments is at best a moron and at worst, racist. Some suggest he harbored no discriminatory views towards Africans. Some would be wrong. Lee once wrote that the institution of slavery was “a greater evil to the white man than to the black race” and that the “painful discipline” slaves had thrust upon them was “ necessary for their instruction.” Furthermore, as an executor of his father-in-law’s will, Lee freed over 200 slaves, yes. This is not because he was a great believer of emancipation. No, Lee was legally ordered by way of said will to liberate the slaves he inherited. In fact, he petitioned the state of Virginia to keep the slaves after the mandated five year period. Oh, and Lee himself asserted that confederate monuments should not be erected after the war…
Lee demonstrated why he was recruited by both sides of the war. The Union would go on to lose more battles, thereby lowering mental and physical strength. Suffering over 11,000 killed or wounded at Antietam will do that. Losing a series of battles in Fredericksburg, on the eve of the Holidays no less, didn’t help.
Enter: Santa Claus
Although born in Germany, Thomas Nast can be credited with inspiring the American conception of Santa Claus - the one Coca-Cola made commonplace in the States.
With the morale of both soldiers and Union supporters’ beginning to wane, Nast published an image of Santa visiting the troops. Posted in Harper’s Weekly, once known as Harper’s Weakly because they would not speak out strongly against slavery, Nast’ cartoon gave a boost of spirit to the Union. Indeed, Lincoln himself once called Nast the nation’s “best recruiting sergeant.”
And there is so much going on in this drawing:
Santa looks to be bringing war supplies to the troops
While wearing a stars-and-stripes Christmas suit
And hanging an effigy of Confederate president Jefferson Davis
As one of his elves comes to life to entertain some child soldiers
And Union men entertain themselves by having a pole-climbing competition in the deep background
This Nast Guy…
…left a greater imprint on American life than we may know. He is thought to have invented the G.O.P elephant symbol and the Democrat’s donkey as well. Ulysses Grant credited his presidential election to Nast’s cartoonist aid. As the wave of post-bellum discrimination known as Jim Crow attempted to tidal over America, Nast’ sketches acted as levees, depicting the honest reality of Black life after Reconstruction.
Oh and Santa. He did the Santa thing too.