All is supposedly fair in love and war, especially when a nation divides in two and goes to war in attempt to heal itself. In the United States’ Civil War, the situation was dire and bleak. A slight skirmish that was supposed to last under 90 days evolved into a long four-year slog to a very bloody but very marginal victory. Both the Union and Confederacy needed as many bodies as they could must and eventually they had to turn to groups of people both consistently oppressed and marginalized for help in the war. The poster analyzed in this paper is from 1862 but J.E. Farewell & Co., Steam Job Printers, is a recruitment for the 9th Regiment of the Union Army specifically targeted at Irish immigrants in Boston, Massachusetts. The poster is an important historical artifact to examine tensions between the Irish and other Americans throughout the 19th century. A long-time marginalized group of immigrants, the United States finally turned to them for help, while also trying to profit off of their oppression and take advantage of their plight in order for them to register for the Civil War. “Irish valor and bravery, have, to a great extent, thus far, impeded the march of…show more content… The poster explains, “In this Regiment you will have a chaplain of the old faith to minister your spiritual wants and dispense the priceless blessings of religion.” And while this has the appearance of an olive branch by allowing practicing Catholics to continue throughout the war this could imply separate quarters and social ostracizing for being open and practicing while fighting for a protestant nation. In addition, religion is a huge aspect of American culture at this time where social connections form but if Irish practice differently they might be further removed from other Americans and have trouble assimilating with the rest of the
