“The Personal Observations of a Man of Intelligence”:
Sir James Fergusson’s letters begin on Aug. 17, 1861, on board the Canada and end on Oct. 23, 1861. His journey from Nova Scotia to Montreal, Toronto, Niagara Falls and Hamilton ended on Sept. 17 when he reached Chicago. During the next four weeks, he visited Detroit, Michigan, Louisville and Richmond. In his wake, he left a number of interesting observations about the people he met. Upon landing at Halifax, he frankly noted, “I have hardly seen a handsome woman, though they all are decent-looking.” During his visit to Niagara Falls he encountered a Southerner and his son who had taken refuge in Canada. He described them as the “most charming people,” the upper class of whom captured his admiration with their good manners and attention to etiquette. En route to Richmond by train from Chattanooga, Fergusson spent a miserable time in a car crowded with loud, tobacco-spitting Confederate soldiers. Tobacco-spitting, he noted, crossed social classes. While visiting John J. Crittenden, author of the Crittenden Compromise, and his family, Fergusson wrote, “The gentlemen of the family chew, and spit over the carpets, but are gentlemanlike and kindly.” His interview with Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard seemed to be the highlight of his whirlwind journey through the United States. The Personal Observations of a Man of Intelligence is not a battle book like Sir Arthur Fremantle’s. Rather, it is a well-written travelogue, filled with detailed, honest descriptions of the United States and Canada during the early days of the war, which I genuinely enjoyed reading. Reviewer: John Michael Priest John Michael Priest is a 30-year Civil War and U.S. history teacher in Washington County, Maryland, high schools. A member of Historical Miniature Wargaming Society, he is an avid 54mm wargamer--French and Indian War through the U. S. Civil War. He has written four Civil War books and has a manuscript under consideration at the University of Kentucky Press. |
Edited by Ben Wynne. Notes, index, appendices, 176 pp., 2009, True Bill Press,