Smarthistory – Winslow Homer, Army Teamsters

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Homer, Army Teamsters

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Question 1

Which of these clues in the painting do not identify the figures as part of the U.S. (Union) army?

A	The figure second from right, in the group seated outside the tent, wears a blue kepi cap, of the type given to enlisted soldiers in the U.S. Army.
B	The use of mules instead of horses as pack animals for supply trains distinguished the U.S. Army from the Confederate army.
C	The three-lobed symbol on the tent identifies a specific corps and division of the U.S. Army.
D	A group of men rests near the mules and wagons that would have carried military supplies during the war, identifying them as teamsters, a role held frequently by free Black men in the U.S. Army.

Question 2

How does this image compare with negative, stereotypical images of Black people at the time?

A	The men are based on sketches from life, therefore not negatively caricatured, but the choice to show them at rest appears, at least at first glance, similar to racist images portraying Black people as lazy.
B	The men are based on sketches from life, therefore not negatively caricatured, and the choice to show them at rest was a commonly used sympathetic portrayal of the hardships faced by Black people at the time.
C	The men are portrayed similarly to Black men in images from the popular press and minstrel theater, where they were characterized as lazy, idle, and unaware.
D	The men are portrayed differently from Black men in images from the popular press and minstrel theater, where they were most often characterized as hard working, reliable, and determined.

Question 3

Which of these does not reflect the ways that Black men and women participated in the U.S. Army during the Civil War?

A	The U.S. Army established the United States Colored Troops in 1862, allowing Black men to serve as enlisted soldiers.
B	From the beginning of the war, many self-emancipated Black men and women were accepted in U.S. Army camps as contraband, or refugees, ensuring further protection from a forced return to enslavement.
C	From the very first battle of the war, Black and white soldiers served side by side in combat and received equal recognition for their efforts.
D	The U.S. Army employed Black men and women, both free northerners and self-emancipated individuals, in various roles as laborers in camp as well as in combat.

Question 4

Which is the most likely interpretation of the alternate title for this painting, “The Bright Side”?

A	It is a visual cue, referring to the sunlight that highlights the group of resting men and the tent behind them, and indicating this brighter area as the central focus of the scene.
B	It suggests that the men will get more rest and recuperation from their arduous labors if they sit in the sunlight.
C	Playing on negative stereotypes of the time, it suggests that Black people believed they would improve their intellectual capacities by sitting in the sunlight.
D	It suggests that the group of men is both physically and metaphorically on the “bright side” of the war by serving with the U.S. Army, thereby contributing to a brighter future for Black people.

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Key points

During the United States Civil War, Winslow Homer was an artist correspondent for Harper’s Weekly Illustrated Magazine. On various occasions, he traveled with the U.S. (Union) Army and made sketches of what he observed of battles, camp life, and other aspects of military operations. He sent his sketches to Harper’s to make engravings and publish the images as part of their reporting on the war to a largely northern audience. During and after the war, Homer turned a number of his sketches into paintings.
In this painting, the U.S. Army is identified by the three-lobed symbol for a specific corps and division on the tent and by the blue kepi cap, of the type given to enlisted U.S. soldiers, worn by the figure second from right.
Both Black men and women contributed to the efforts of the U.S Army during the war. While initially barred from enlisting, self-emancipated people nonetheless sought safe haven in army camps. These refugees provided labor as personal servants, cooks, launderers, stevedores, teamsters, and builders. In 1862, Black men were legally allowed to enlist, most frequently serving in labor detail rather than combat.
Teamsters drove the wagons and cared for the pack animals that furnished the U.S. Army supply line. The work of sustaining the massive U.S. Army with food, ammunition, and other necessities was essential as well as dangerous work given that the northern forces fought primarily in the South during the war.
Representations of Black people in the popular press and minstrelsy in the 19th century often employed negative stereotyping and caricature. Homer begins to break with these conventions by drawing on sketches from life and emphasizing the humanity of his subjects.

Go deeper

Educator Resources on Black Soldiers Serving with the U.S. Military during the Civil War, from the National Archives

The United States Colored Troops, from Encyclopedia Virginia

An Educator Resource on the United States Colored Troops, from the United States Civil War Museum

Experiences of the U.S. Civil War: The work of war Experiences of the U.S. Civil War: Refugees and displacement, from “The U.S. Civil War in Art” by Smarthistory

Homer’s image of a Sharpshooter on Picket Duty, a video by Smarthistory

More to think about

Why do you think Homer continued to make images of the war after it was over?

Images of wartime, even if not of battle scenes, can elicit strong emotional responses. In this regard, can you compare the responses to Homer’s painting mentioned in the video with the impact of images of more contemporary conflicts, in our own time? What is similar and different?

Smarthistory images for teaching and learning:

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Winslow Homer, Army Teamsters

Test your knowledge with a quiz

Homer, Army Teamsters

Key points

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More to think about

Smarthistory images for teaching and learning:

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