Image – Northern Volunteers Saluting The American Flag in 1861

Chapter 14

Northern Volunteers Saluting the American Flag in 1861

After the attack on Fort Sumter, President Abraham Lincoln called on 75,000 volunteers for military service. Within a few months, he had reached his goal, with some states providing three times their individual quotas. This lithograph, printed in Philadelphia in 1861 as the North mobilized its forces, shows volunteers rallying around the flag. A man standing at center holds an enormous American flag, topped by an eagle, while two uniformed soldiers each holding rifles raise their arms in salute. In the background can be seen wagons, cannon, and cavalry officers: clear signs of an army preparing for war.