'The Conquering Hero' — Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Triumph

Published six weeks after Appomattox, this full-page engraving organizes Union victory into a three-part monument. At top, a laurel-wreathed medallion portrait labeled 'The Conquering Hero' — almost certainly Grant in uniform — divides two flanking scenes: rebels surrendering arms at left, Northern crowds rejoicing over Union victories at right. The central arch, bracketed by wreaths inscribed ARMY and NAVY, frames an allegorical tableau: a bust of Lincoln presides over classical female figures — Columbia or Liberty types — placing a laurel crown on a kneeling woman representing the restored nation. Battle names ring the arch's border. The composition argues that military victory and martyred Lincoln together sanctify reunion, with the Army and Navy sharing equal credit. The allegory employs entirely classical-European idioms, typical of Harper's commemorative illustration in the immediate postwar period.