On March 10th Commissioner George Railton Scott and seven women arrived in New York City
from England to commence the Salvation Army's crusade in America. They quickly embarked on
a campaign to redeem American souls by leading parades, singing hymns, and making similar
public spectacles; Keppler used them as a background for this cartoon, appearing three weeks
after their debut. The idea that both organizations, Stalwart Republicanism and the Salvation
Army, exhibited a peculiar blend of military and religious zealotry is an insightful observation
which serves to ridicule partisanship in all its incarnations.
The first element of the picture that should be noted is the artist's attention to the physical details.
Besides the correct gender proportion, the dark costumes, derby hats, and the flag are all exact
reproductions of the Army's original appearance [1]. This affords the opportunity for some
cross-dressing humor, as George Robeson, John A. Logan, and others play the female Christian
Soldiers; Roscoe Conkling is accurately shown to be the leader of the operation, and seemingly
the loudest voice in the choir. Such a precise likeness of the Salvation Army strengthens the bond
between it and the Stalwarts in a visual sense; by linking the two, the low opinion the public
initially had of the Army will hopefully transfer to its political twin.
The depiction of Grant as the "Savior of His Country" is obviously intended as a satirical
comparison to Jesus; however the General's elevation to this deific stature points to an important
part of his public image. His service in the Federal Army placed him "in the cloudy Valhalla of
myth" [2], where the people worshipped him with unrestrained sentiment. Since Lincoln was
dead Grant became the focus of all the re-affirmations of Republican values, and so his disciples
fetishized his image in order to further the campaign. This deliberate use of Grant as totem
further emphasizes the spoilsmen's manipulation of him, bringing out the Stalwarts' devious
nature. As confirmed by Conkling's hat, the evangelistic mission and GOP politics are represented
by Keppler as shady pretenses for personal gain.