St. George’s Opinion of the American War

Richard Mansergh St. George drew this cartoon soon after his return home to Ireland in 1778. Print sellers Matthew and Mary Darly published it in London. The cartoon shows a British light infantryman pointing and laughing at a group of prisoners from Washington’s army. The American soldier with his arms crossed is nearly identical to the American officer depicted in St. George’s sketch “Myself Conversing with Rebel Prisoners According to the Rules of Chivalry.” Meanwhile, a British officer gestures to a wounded American soldier who appears to be of African descent. Though the cartoon’s exact message is unclear, it might be making fun of the French and their decision to form an alliance with the United States in 1778. St. George depicts the American Revolutionaries as incompetent and the well-dressed military or political officer on the left may represent France.

A View in America in 1778 
Drawn by Richard Mansergh St. George; Published by Matthew and Mary Darly 
August 1, 1778 
Etching 
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.