The Wasp — 1877 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# The Eastern War - Satirical Commentary on 1880s Military Conflicts This page from *The Wasp* satirizes multiple contemporary military crises. The main headline "THE EASTERN WAR" references conflicts in Asia—specifically mentions of San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Chicago suggest American anxieties about foreign invasion or domestic military disorder. The cartoons use absurdist humor: soldiers on bicycles, household troops engaged in confused combat, and a "Sergeant is sick" caption mock military preparedness. The detailed circular orders about regiments parading and securing armories appear to satirize bureaucratic overreach in response to perceived threats. The caricatured Chinese figures and references to "Bashi-Bazouks" (Ottoman soldiers) reflect period xenophobia. Overall, the satire mocks American military panic about Eastern conflicts and domestic order, presenting military hierarchy and invasion fears as comically overwrought.