Puck — May 21, 1879 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes **Henry Ward Beecher**, the famous Brooklyn clergyman (identified in the caption "Chaplain B. Sees Looks"). The cartoons mock his leadership of a volunteer military regiment during what appears to be the Civil War era. The top cartoon shows Beecher riding absurdly on a donkey toward Montreal to celebrate the Queen's birthday—satirizing his awkward military command. Middle panels depict him as an incompetent chaplain struggling to maintain discipline among barely-clothed, unruly soldiers. The bottom panel shows chaos among his troops. The satire targets Beecher's military incompetence and the general disorder of volunteer units, contrasting his civilian preaching authority with his laughable inability to command soldiers.