Angel of Andersonville, Prince of Tahiti: Andersonville to Tahiti: The Story of Dorence Atwater
Andersonville to Tahiti: The Story of Dorence Atwater by Thomas P. Lowry. Illustrated, appendix, source notes, 119 pp., 2008. Thomas P. Lowry, www.booksurge.com, $14.95 plus shipping. Angel of Andersonville, Prince of Tahiti: The Extraordinary Life of Dorence Atwater by Debby Burnett Safranski. Illustrated, 228 pp., 2008. Alling-Porterfield Publishing House, 13310 Riley St., Holland, MI 49424, $17.95 plus shipping. It is ironic that recently two self-published biographies focusing on the same relatively obscure individual were published almost simultaneously. And that both biographies suffer from the same deficiencies since neither is indexed nor footnoted. Dorence Atwater, the subject of these studies, enlisted in August 1861, at the age of 16, in a Connecticut cavalry squadron that was consolidated into the 2nd New York Cavalry. Due to his excellent penmanship, he served as a clerk to Judson Kilpatrick. During the Gettysburg Campaign, Atwater was captured and sent to a series of Confederate prison camps eventually arriving at the infamous Andersonville in March 1864. Once again, his writing skills served him well as he became a clerk to camp commander Henry Wirz. In that capacity, Atwater maintained a secret list of the names and burial sites of deceased prisoners. Atwater’s list became problematic when he was eventually released in February 1865. It led to his court-martial, dishonorable discharge and incarceration. His close friendship with Clara Barton led to his release. He soon became an American consul to Tahiti where he married a sister of the former queen. Atwater died in 1910 in San Francisco at the age of 65. Dr. Thomas P. Lowry, author of Andersonville to Tahiti, is no stranger to readers of Civil War literature for he has written 11 books on American history including, The Story the Soldiers Wouldn’t Tell: Sex and the Civil War (1994), and Tarnished Scalpels: The Court-Martials of Fifty Union Surgeons (2000). Lowry’s book is the better-written and researched chronicle of Atwater’s checkered career. Lowry made use of the Official Records, the Court-Martial files of the National Archives, along with other primary sources. Atwater’s life is interesting and eventful, and it needs to be related, however, Lowry tends to make use of filler to extend the story to book length. Debby Burnett Safranski’s Angel of Andersonville, Prince of Tahiti is difficult to review. Being a descendant of Dorence Atwater, she is too emotionally attached to her subject. She wrote, “Dear Readers: I pray you will learn about Dorence’s life, love him — and teach your children about him…” In her introduction, the author admonishes students in a “Note to journalism students: Be very careful in construction.” Yet, she admits a second edition is due next year. Her book suffers from hero worship and the need for an editor. It is also noteworthy that in the liner notes to Lowry’s book, William C. Davis declares, “Only a novelist would imagine such a life,” while Jack Welsh calls the life, “A tale wild as any novel…” These comments are fascinating since Safranski terms her book “essentially a biography,” yet she admits to dramatizing some events, adding “some fictional characters” and creating dialogue. Angel of Andersonville tends to ramble between relating Atwater’s life, the presence of ghosts is discussed, religious tracts appear in non-related areas of the book, the role of angels is noted, along with a critique of modern education, and a plea to write the government to preserve the National Park system. It is difficult to take a biography seriously when the Archangel Michael appears while Atwater is ill and a dialogue between the two continues for several pages. One wishes Safranski made use of some secondary sources such as William Marvel’s Andersonville: The Last Depot, which does discuss Dorence Atwater’s plight. She relates for several pages how a group of raiders terrorized the prisoners of Andersonville. She suggests these raiders were “a group of six Rebel criminals who dressed themselves as Yankee prisoners.” Not Marvel, or any other prison camp historian, appears to substantiate this claim. Neither book makes it clear as to where Atwater was held following his court-martial. He was sentenced to either Auburn or Albany. Both New York State penitentiaries held Union prisoners during the war. There is also a difference of versions as to how Atwater was able to secretly carry the burial list on his person. Dorence Atwater’s life is novel-like and almost akin to the Horatio Alger books — a boy who suffered many adversities, overcame them, led an adventuresome life, married an exotic princess, and eventually he grew in wealth and stature in his community. If you wish to read his life story, Thomas Lowry’s book is clearly the better choice. Reviewer: Michael Russert, a member of the North Shore Round Table of Long Island and the Company of Military Historians, has a MALS plus 60 hours in American Studies. He is Coordinator of The New York State Veteran Oral History Program.
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