Army of the Potomac—Sleeping on Their Arms Possibly 1864

Winslow Homer's print, made for Harper's Weekly, captures the Union soldiers of the Army of the Potomac in a moment of uneasy slumber during the American Civil War. The most striking symbol here is that of vigilance amidst exhaustion, embodied by the standing guard with his rifle. This motif of the watchful protector has ancient roots. Think of the Roman god Janus, or the ever-vigilant Argus of Greek myth. Across cultures, the image of the guardian resonates with the universal need for safety and security. But here, the soldier's weary stance and the vulnerability of his sleeping comrades introduce a modern twist. No longer a god, he is a man burdened by the psychological toll of war. It is this tension, between protection and vulnerability, that engages us on a subconscious level. Homer masterfully taps into our collective memory, evoking both our primal fears and our enduring hope for safety, revealing the cyclical dance between conflict and peace, watchfulness and rest.