The Civil War is certainly not a subject that has escaped the attention of scholars. In fact,C. Vann Woodward's conclusion from over three decades ago still holds true: But, as Woodwardgoes on to mention, emerge

Such is the case when itcomes to nationalism and the differing stances of the Union and the Confederacy over whatcharacterized proper mid-nineteenth century patriotism. Up to recently the literature on theseissues remained remarkably scant. And while that trend has subsequently reversed itself,especially with regards to the Confederate States of America, there still has been surprisinglylittle attention paid to the northern theater as well as no in-depth side-by-side comparisons of thetwo fronts' nationalistic impulses. This dissertation intends to fill in those gaps.

Using the mediums of U.S. Greenbacks and C.S.A. Greybacks, this project highlightshow Yankee and Rebel currency vignettes illustrated two disparate national ideologies. Namelythat northern leaders continuously adopted agendas promoting the trustworthiness of the polityand the greatness of an integrated nation; whereas southern bureaucrats initially struggled withthose concepts, only realizing their importance once public confidence in the Confederate Stateshad eroded beyond repair. Therefore, at its most fundamental level, this manuscript argues thatwartime monetary iconography developed in coordination with these differing viewpoints.

As a consequence, the North's early tableaus were far simpler and more consistent intheir presentation than any of the South's Civil War issues; however, both sets of images evolved throughout the duration of the conflict, with the United States settling on a broader selection andthe Confederacy adopting a stricter visual vocabulary. These changes, of course, also closelycorrelate to various economic and martial episodes that caused the U.S. and C.S.A. treasuries tosignificantly revise their financial policies as the need for a reliable currency system becamemore apparent. But although the explicit use of patriotic pictures - specifically of state-centeredobjects, individuals, and events - aided in those efforts, such displays did more than simply makepaper dollars more palatable to the general public: they functioned as emissaries of the separategovernments that released the notes themselves

To read the complete article, see:
Greenbacks and Greybacks: Iconographic Depictions of Union and Confederate Nationalism on Civil War-Era Currency(https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_olink/r/1501/10?clear=10&p10_accession_num=kent163762562877458)