At Left: Santa Claus
- by Thomas Nast
In 1822 Clement C. Moore got a better look as described in his poem known to many as “The Night Before Christmas.”
Santa actually travels in a sleigh and Moore successfully identified eight of nine reindeer. His classic description of the jolly Santa dressed in fur and coming down the chimney was irresistible, even in Massachusetts. Later, political cartoonists Thomas Nast fixed the image in the public imagination.
By the time of the Civil War, Santa was on the scene. George Parkhurst, of the 6th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry wrote home on January 2, 1863 “I am sorry that I was not at home when Santy Clause came round. I think if I had been at home he would done better by you all.”