Nineteenth-century political cartoons are often dense portraits of a very particular, very intense moment. Readers of this one, which appeared in the spring of 1863, would have known that Ambrose Burnside, a Union general, had earlier issued an order making it illegal to voice sympathies for the enemy. Clement Vallandigham, a leader of the Peace Democrats, had been charged with treason for violating this order with a speech claiming that the war was being fought to free blacks and enslave whites, not to keep the Union intact.

The cartoon represents Burnside at left, being "hugged" by a venomous copperhead, the name given to the Peace Democrats by their opponents. Other copperheads are chasing Abraham Lincoln, who calls over his shoulders to the black men seeking his help "Go back to your masters." The "what is it?" in the title refers to a deformed African man who had recently been exhibited by P.T. Barnum.

The cartoon does not portray any of the characters in a positive light, but it does capture the rage and turmoil felt in the North two years into the war. It appeared just weeks before the New York draft riots broke out.