Research Regarding Confederate Currency Ten Dollar Bill with Serial Number 7874 (#0017) Graphics/Symbols: Woman on the right = Minerva
- "Roman goddess of wisdom, medicine, commerce, handicrafts, poetry, the arts in general, and later, war"-war as an art form
- Also associated with victory and protection
- Often represented as "a noble and fearless warrior" (https://www.ancient.eu/Minerva/)
- Roman deities were common in United States and European symbolisms
- Harkened back to the strength of the Roman Empire
- Inspiration
- "General Francis Marion offering dinner of sweet potatoes to Sir [Banastre] Tarleton during Revolutionary War"(42)
- Based on "fanciful painting" from 1836 by the name "General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Dinner" by John Blake White (42)
- Fact/Legend: Early 1781, militia leader Marion camping out in South Carolina when British officer arrived to negotiate a prisoner exchange. Marion offered him some of their breakfast of sweet potatoes, the British officer was so touched by the American's dedication to independence based on their meager meal and tattered clothes that, legend has it, he switched sides to fight for American independence.
- General Francis Marion:
- Native of South Carolina
- Owned slaves
- Fought in multiple early American wars, most notably the Revolutionary War
- Gained nickname "Swamp Fox" as he avoided capture by the British even after Charleston fell, specifically avoided capture by British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton who gave up chasing him after 26 miles when Marion's militia escaped into a swamp
- "As for this damned old fox, the Devil himself could not catch him." –British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton
- Iconic historical figure/legend especially for South
- "Though things looked bad for the Americans after Charleston fell, Marion's cunning, resourcefulness and determination helped keep the cause of American independence alive in the South."
- Inspiration for 2000 movie, The Patriot
- Oscar Marion:
- Marion's personal slave
- The African-American cooking sweet potatoes in White's painting which now hangs at the Capitol
- Honored in 2006 by President Bush for being a "faithful servant" and for his "service…in the Armed Forces of the United States"
- Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-swamp-fox-157330429/)
- Full name: Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter
- 1809-1887
- Prior to Civil War, U.S. Representative from Virginia, Speaker of the House, and U.S. Senator
- During Civil War, became the Confederate States Secretary of State early on then a Confederate Senator in 1862.
- Confederate President pro tempore on various occasions
- Member of "Southern Triumvirate" with Jefferson Davis and Robert Toombs
- A photograph of Hunter can be viewed on the Library of Congress website.
- Sources:
