Unter dieser freien Fahne fand die Ruh ich wieder!
Komm ich zurück, muß bei Euch auch eine gleiche freie gelten!!!

The subscription reads:
Under this free banner I found my peace!
Should I return, you must have an equal free one, too!!!

Colored woodcut, Frankfurt, 1848. Obviously, the artist had some colorful ideas about Illinois, its wildlife and nature.
Hecker did return to Europe in 1849, but before he arrived, the last attempt of revolution had been suppressed. Disappointed, he returned to Belleville and stayed in the USA until 1873, when he returned for a short visit of the recently unified German Reich. True to his word, he didn't come to stay, but returned to the Land of Freedom he had helped to defend.