1864 Union Christmas Dinner Harper's Weekly December 31 Abraham Lincoln
$64.64
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Title: 1864 Union Christmas Dinner Harper's Weekly December 31 Abraham Lincoln
📜 ABOUT THIS PIECE OF HISTORY 📜
📜 A Vision of Reconciliation: This December 31, 1864, issue serves as a profound closing to a year of unprecedented bloodshed. Thomas Nast’s legendary centerfold, "The Union Christmas Dinner," captures a hopeful vision of the future. By depicting Abraham Lincoln inviting the South back to the national table, it signaled the shift from total war toward the difficult process of Reunification and Reconstruction.
📜 Strategic Destruction: While the centerfold looks toward peace, the interior prints document the grit of the final campaigns. From the systematic destruction of the Weldon Railroad to the naval dominance of Porter’s Fleet, this issue provides a visual ledger of how the Union finally broke the Confederate infrastructure and prepared for the victory of 1865.
🌟 FEATURED HIGHLIGHTS 🌟
🎄 "The Union Christmas Dinner" by Thomas Nast (Double-Page Centerfold): A "very ornate" and world-famous masterpiece. It shows President Lincoln standing at the head of a banquet table, welcoming Southerners. The empty chairs, labeled with Confederate state abbreviations, represent the vacant seats in the Union. This is a "blue-chip" artifact for Lincoln, Nast, and Reconstruction historians.
🏚️ The Destruction of the Weldon Railroad:
"General Warren's Raid—Tearing up the Weldon Railroad" — A detailed look at the Fifth Corps in action.
"Soldiers Making a Greek Cross Out of Heated Rails" — A fascinating and artistic print showing soldiers bending rails into their corps badge, a permanent mark of destruction.
"Burning of Ties & Rail" and "Destruction of Water Tanks at Jarret's Station."
⚔️ The Battle of Nashville & The Cumberland:
"Nashville & Its Fortifications" — A strategic half-page view of the "Rock of Chickamauga’s" stronghold.
"The U.S. Monitor 'Neosho' Engaging Three Rebel Batteries" — High-action naval combat on the Cumberland River.
"Map of Nashville" — Documenting General Thomas’s operations.
🍑 "General Sherman's Operations Around Savannah": A timely strategic map published just as Sherman presented the captured city to Lincoln as a "Christmas gift."
⚓ Naval Power & Blockade Success:
"Porter's Fleet Leaving Fortress Monroe" — A grand view of the assembly of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
"Chase & Capture of the Blockade-runner 'Armstrong'" — Documenting the ongoing success of the Union Navy.
🧸 "Christmas Morning" (Front-Page): A "nice" full-page cover showing children playing with toys while parents watch from the doorway—a stark and touching contrast to the war coverage inside.
🔍 CONDITION & TRANSPARENCY 🔍
Complete Issue: This is the full, original 16-page issue from December 31, 1864.
Originality: Guaranteed original woodblock printing from 1864—an authentic 161-year-old primary source.
Condition Study: I take pictures of every single page so you can study them carefully. Pay special attention to the intricate border vignettes in the Nast centerfold and the clear strikes of the Fifth Corps "Greek Cross" rail-bending scene.
🥂 WHY IT IS A MUST-HAVE 🥂
Lincoln & Holiday Collectors: This is the definitive "Civil War Christmas" issue. Nast’s "Union Christmas Dinner" is among his top three most significant wartime works.
Engineering & Railroad Buffs: The series of prints on the destruction of the Weldon Railroad provides the best visual documentation available of 19th-century military sabotage.
Nashville & Tennessee Historians: Between the city views and the monitor combat print, this is a core issue for documenting the end of the war in the West.
Custom Framing: I offer professional framing for any item in my shop. The Nast Christmas centerfold or the "Greek Cross" rail print would make a museum-quality historical focal point!
📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION 📦
Safe Storage: Housed in an acid-free archival folder with a Mylar overlay to prevent any degradation of the historic newsprint.
Flat Shipping: Shipped with heavy-duty reinforcement to ensure the issue and its large centerfold arrive safely.
Tracked: All orders include tracking for your peace of mind.
🏷️ TAGS (SEO) 🏷️
1864 Harpers Weekly, Thomas Nast Union Christmas Dinner, Abraham Lincoln Christmas 1864, Weldon Railroad Destruction, USS Neosho Monitor, General Sherman Savannah Map, General Thomas Nashville, Fifth Corps Greek Cross, Civil War Blockade Runner Armstrong, December 31 1864.
1864 Union Christmas Dinner Harper's Weekly December 31 Abraham Lincoln
$64.64