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Permutations of a Marriage: John Charles and Jessie Benton Frémont’s Civil War Alliance

Pamela Herr

in Intimate Strategies of the Civil War: Military Commanders and Their Wives

This chapter explores the Frémonts' unusual working partnership during the Civil War, focusing particularly on the chaotic early months when John Frémont served as commander of the Western Department ... More

This chapter explores the Frémonts' unusual working partnership during the Civil War, focusing particularly on the chaotic early months when John Frémont served as commander of the Western Department of the Union army, and Jessie became his chief aide and confidante. During the turbulent one hundred days of John Frémont's St. Louis command, the couple displayed both a genuine antislavery idealism, which made John the head of the radical wing of the Republican party, and an eager self-promotion that challenged President Lincoln's political career. After about three months in command, just as John claimed to be on the verge of battlefield victory, Lincoln fired his controversial general. John Frémont's subsequent Civil War career was disappointing. Despite even his wife's vigorous efforts, which included a book that justified his western command, the war left the Frémonts politically tarnished and personally embittered.Less

Politics and Conscience

Paul C. Gutjahr

in Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy

Chapter forty-eight examines Hodge’s politics and his tripartite commitment to God’s sovereignty, property rights and the need for religion to be tied to political action for the good of the nation. ... More

Chapter forty-eight examines Hodge’s politics and his tripartite commitment to God’s sovereignty, property rights and the need for religion to be tied to political action for the good of the nation. Through an examination of Hodge’s Repertory review of Moses Stuart’s Conscience and the Constitution, one finds that Hodge had a firm commitment to believing that humanity’s common moral sense would bind the nation together. This belief was unsettled by the Civil War. Hodge also shifted political party allegiances during this life from the Whig party to the Republican party, but he always considered himself a Federalist at heart.Less

This is My Body Politic: Catholic Democracy and the Limits of Representation

Elizabeth Fenton

in Religious Liberties: Anti-Catholicism and Liberal Democracy in Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature and Culture

This chapter analyzes Margaret Fuller’s journalistic accounts of the Italian Revolution, which she produced for the New York Tribune between 1848 and 1850, to show that Catholicism provided ... More

This chapter analyzes Margaret Fuller’s journalistic accounts of the Italian Revolution, which she produced for the New York Tribune between 1848 and 1850, to show that Catholicism provided antebellum Protestant Americans with a means of articulating their concerns over representative democracy. From the vantage point of revolutionary Rome, Fuller confronts her government’s failure—particularly in its promotion of slavery and imperialism—to represent either her wishes as a citizen or its own constitutional promises. The chapter then turns to campaign materials from the presidential election of 1856, which Republican John C. Frémont lost primarily because his opponents accused him of being a Catholic. Reading campaign pamphlets alongside anti-Catholic writings of the period, the chapter concludes that figurations of Catholicism bring to light a general and widespread apprehension that no individual or party could represent a nation as politically fractured as the United States.Less

The First Confiscation Act

John Syrett

in The Civil War Confiscation Acts: Failing to Reconstruct the South

Samuel Gridley Howe and other abolitionists believed that with the firing on Fort Sumter, God had “opened the way” for the emancipation of the slaves and the subjugation of the “Slave power.” Many ... More

Samuel Gridley Howe and other abolitionists believed that with the firing on Fort Sumter, God had “opened the way” for the emancipation of the slaves and the subjugation of the “Slave power.” Many factors contributed to this dramatic transformation of the war. These included the First and Second Confiscation Acts passed by Congress in August 1861 and July 1862. After the fall of Fort Sumter, Abraham Lincoln emphasized to both North and South that the Union would try to “avoid any devastation, any destruction of, or interference with, property, or any disturbance of peaceful citizens in any part of the country.” The First Confiscation Act had been a weak blow against both slavery and the Confederacy by those who now applauded Frémont and attacked Lincoln.Less

Faith-Changing for Life

Roger J. Porter

in Bureau of Missing Persons: Writing the Secret Lives of Fathers

This chapter examines three memoirs describing how a parent's need to hide his or her religious identity led to a lifetime of secrets and secrecy: Mark Kurzem's The Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of ... More

This chapter examines three memoirs describing how a parent's need to hide his or her religious identity led to a lifetime of secrets and secrecy: Mark Kurzem's The Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood, Michael Skakun's On Burning Ground: A Son's Memoir, and Helen Fremont's After Long Silence: A Memoir (1999). The chapter considers accounts of Jews caught in the Holocaust and forced to conceal their Judaism, as well as the impact on their children when they learned of the parental deceptions. In these works, secrecy enabled the parent literally to survive, but it also entailed shame, self-abnegation, and in several cases a desire to maintain the subterfuge long after the situation requiring it had passed. Because the secrets harbored by their parents are so alarming, the adult children struggle to tell the stories with accuracy and compassion, fervently concerned to do justice to their parent's horrific experience.Less

A Line in the Sand: Bioarchaeological Interpretations of Life along the Borders of the Great Basin and the American Southwest

Aaron R. Woods and Ryan P. Harrod

in Bioarchaeology of Frontiers and Borderlands

This chapter features a bioarchaeological examination of traumatic injuries and pathological conditions on human skeletal remains from the Fremont and Virgin Branch Puebloan cultures of the ... More

This chapter features a bioarchaeological examination of traumatic injuries and pathological conditions on human skeletal remains from the Fremont and Virgin Branch Puebloan cultures of the pre-contact American Great Basin and Southwest. This study indicates that there were differences across the borders of these regions, which share a boundary along the southern portions of Utah and Nevada. The Fremont and Puebloan borders considered in this chapter include the boundary between Parowan Valley and the St. George Basin, and the Canyons of the Escalante River and the Kaiparowits Plateau, all in the state of Utah. Additional Ancestral Puebloan bioarchaeological data will be discussed from southern Nevada to help illustrate differences between Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan skeletons. The skeletal evidence allows us to infer that the borders between the Fremont and Virgin Branch Puebloans and the Fremont and the Kayenta Puebloans were very distinct, and results demonstrated that there was a much higher rate of trauma and pathology among the Fremont.Less

The Shack Idea

Estella B. Leopold

in Stories From the Leopold Shack: Sand County Revisited

As each of us siblings—Starker, Luna, Carl, Nina, and i— matured and entered our professional lives in different parts of the country, we carried with us a hankering to have a place in the country, ... More

As each of us siblings—Starker, Luna, Carl, Nina, and i— matured and entered our professional lives in different parts of the country, we carried with us a hankering to have a place in the country, a Shack of our own. It is not merely real estate, of course. Instead, it is a camping place for feeling close to the land, a place to work with the land and to observe the ecosystem and its fauna. To “own,” or as the first peoples saw it, to “belong” on a piece of land is exciting and special—a chance to become acquainted with a few favorite species, then to watch them grow. But of course it is way more than that. As Dad said, he chose his land for its backwardness, but it flourished in splendid isolation under our care. Shack land, as we conceived of it, had the potential of being inhabited by a vast number of native bird species, plus a diverse fauna of mammals, which got richer with time. We were excited that the Shack landscape itself had such physical variety; it had hills and dales, a grand river, a series of tributaries animated by spring and fall floods, a standing bottomland forest coursed by those floods and occupied by lively muskrats, with ducks flying in and out of the sloughs, as well as kingfishers and jays. Even though it was “degraded” agricultural land, Dad and Mother saw it as a land of opportunities for the family. While it had a “reduced level of complexity,” the soil was still there, and we could help improve it, which actually means that the right plants could make it better. Prairie is the perfect model for this kind of restoration and recovery. Dad described the upward flow of energy from soils through the plant community as a kind of circuit. After major disruption and loss of native species, the energy circuit is slowed and altered. He asked, “Can the land adjust itself to the new order?” He was sure it could if we reintroduced the native plant species on that cornfield, on that terrace, on that hill, in order for a genuine prairie, with its very efficient energy-flow, to become reestablished. Less

Lincoln as Commander in Chief: Forays into Generalship

Mark Grimsley

in The War Worth Fighting: Abraham Lincoln's Presidency and Civil War America

This chapter offers a reconsideration of perhaps Lincoln’s most flagrant and extensive foray into de facto generalship of his presidency. It occurred in late May 1862, when he intervened in ... More

This chapter offers a reconsideration of perhaps Lincoln’s most flagrant and extensive foray into de facto generalship of his presidency. It occurred in late May 1862, when he intervened in operations in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, an involvement that also had a critical impact on the Union’s Peninsula Campaign designed to seize the Confederate Capital of Richmond.Less

Antislavery Politics and the Problem of the Constitution

Daniel W. Crofts

in Lincoln and the Politics of Slavery: The Other Thirteenth Amendment and the Struggle to Save the Union

Chapter Two traces the rise of the political antislavery movement. It shows how three pioneering leaders—Joshua Giddings, Salmon P. Chase, and Charles Sumner—continued the struggle to “denationalize” ... More

Chapter Two traces the rise of the political antislavery movement. It shows how three pioneering leaders—Joshua Giddings, Salmon P. Chase, and Charles Sumner—continued the struggle to “denationalize” slavery. They would abolish it in the District of Columbia, prevent its spread to new territories, exempt the federal government from responsibility for fugitive slaves, limit the interstate slave trade, and bar new slave states from entering the Union. But the quest for electoral success created pressures to pull back from a broad-focus antislavery agenda. The rise of the Republican Party in the mid-1850s widened the appeal of antislavery politics, but Republicans toned down the antislavery stances taken by the Liberty Party and the Free Soil Party in the 1840s and early 1850s.Less

Revival of the Fugitive Slave Issue, 1858–61

David G. Smith

in On the Edge of Freedom: The Fugitive Slave Issue in South Central Pennsylvania, 1820–1870

This chapter shows the rise of a race-based opposition to antislavery in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. The catalyzing factor appears to have been John Fremont's candidacy for President as a Republican ... More

This chapter shows the rise of a race-based opposition to antislavery in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. The catalyzing factor appears to have been John Fremont's candidacy for President as a Republican in 1856. Such tactics only intensified after the Dred Scott decision and during Lincoln's 1860 candidacy. As soon as Lincoln was elected, in a maneuver that appears pre-orchestrated, Democrats in Philadelphia started a petition and publicity campaign centered on removing barriers to the rendition of fugitive slaves by repealing Pennsylvania's personal liberty laws. Over 100 petitions on the crisis and Pennsylvania's fugitive slave laws poured into the legislature during the secession winter. Surprisingly, no petitions to keep protections for fugitive slaves came from south central Pennsylvania, although there is evidence that some residents petitioned Congress in that vein. There was a kidnapping attempt on a Gettysburg local, Mag Palm.Less

The New Gold Mountain

Willow S. Lung-Amam

in Trespassers?: Asian Americans and the Battle for Suburbia

This chapter explores why the valley became such an important hub of racial and ethnic diversity, especially among recently arrived Asian immigrants in the latter half of the 20th century and the ... More

This chapter explores why the valley became such an important hub of racial and ethnic diversity, especially among recently arrived Asian immigrants in the latter half of the 20th century and the early 21st century. Beginning with a brief look back at the pathways forged by early Asian American pioneers, the chapter focuses on the sweeping changes that occurred in the region economically, spatially, and socially after World War II. The chapter shows how Asian Americans navigated their new terrain and put down roots in working- and middle-class neighborhoods, in particular underscoring how the Fremont suburb's rapid growth and development were prefaced on the valley's booming innovation economy and Asian Americans' own suburban dreams.Less

A Quality Education for Whom?

Willow S. Lung-Amam

in Trespassers?: Asian Americans and the Battle for Suburbia

This chapter considers how migrants' educational priorities and practices reshaped Silicon Valley neighborhoods and schools. For many Asian American families, high-performing schools have been among ... More

This chapter considers how migrants' educational priorities and practices reshaped Silicon Valley neighborhoods and schools. For many Asian American families, high-performing schools have been among the most important factors drawing them to particular communities around the region and to their imagined geography of “good” suburban neighborhoods. The academic culture and practices that Asian Americans introduced in Fremont schools, however, has been met with considerable resistance. A case study of the Mission San Jose neighborhood in Fremont shows that as large numbers of Asian American families moved into the community, primarily for access to its highly ranked schools, many established White families moved out. This pattern of so-called White flight was driven in part by tensions between Asian American and White students and parents over educational values, school culture, and academic competition.Less

. Spoils of Other Empires

John G. T. Anderson

in Deep Things out of Darkness: A History of Natural History

In which we move to North America to discuss early Spanish explorations of the Gulf Coast, the role of the Hudson’s Bay Company in natural history studies, and the journeys of Lewis and Clark and ... More

In which we move to North America to discuss early Spanish explorations of the Gulf Coast, the role of the Hudson’s Bay Company in natural history studies, and the journeys of Lewis and Clark and later American explorers in mapping and cataloging the heart of the continent.Less

Big River and Scouting the Southwest Corner: August to September 1861

John R. Kelso

Christopher Grasso (ed.)

in Bloody Engagements: John R. Kelso's Civil War

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso shares his experience at Big River and the Southwest Corner between August and September 1861. Kelso's regiment was sent to Big River, on the Iron Mountain Rail ... More

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso shares his experience at Big River and the Southwest Corner between August and September 1861. Kelso's regiment was sent to Big River, on the Iron Mountain Rail Road, to help fend off an attack by the rebels led by Meriweather Jeff Thompson. He was also ordered by Col. Sempronius H. Boyd to go out in disguise and pass along the entire southern border of Missouri to the Southwest corner, and see if it would be possible for his regiment alone to march through on that line. At Iron Mountain, Kelso and John Newton McConnell went to scout about the country and made one trip to the top of the Pilot Knob. When he arrived in Rolla, Kelso found his regiment already there, waiting orders to move on toward Springfield with John C. Frémont's army.Less

Federals in Retreat, Refugees in the Snow, and Vengeance in Buffalo: October 1861 to February 1862

John R. Kelso

Christopher Grasso (ed.)

in Bloody Engagements: John R. Kelso's Civil War

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso talks about the events that transpired between October 1861 and February 1862, highlighted by the retreat of the Federals who then took revenge in Buffalo. Leaving ... More

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso talks about the events that transpired between October 1861 and February 1862, highlighted by the retreat of the Federals who then took revenge in Buffalo. Leaving Rolla in the morning, Kelso encountered a large body of cavalry led by Col. Thomas Roe Freeman. Soon a large portion of John C. Frémont's army began to make their way to Springfield. Kelso then left his comrades and went into hiding all alone only a few miles from Buffalo, and in a rebel locality. Kelso narrates how he was captured by Confederate rebels but was able to escape and gave Gen. Samuel R. Curtis a full account of what he had gone through.Less

Every Day’s Delay Weakens the Secessionists and Strengthens the Union: Secession Defeated, June–December 1861

Michael D. Robinson

in Union Indivisible: Secession and the Politics of Slavery in the Border South

This chapter covers the last half of 1861 and demonstrates how Unionists within the Border South managed to defeat the secessionists within their midst. This chapter emphasizes the movement away ... More

This chapter covers the last half of 1861 and demonstrates how Unionists within the Border South managed to defeat the secessionists within their midst. This chapter emphasizes the movement away from neutrality in each of the Border South states and the forces that tilted the balance towards Unionism. A major factor contributing to the defeat of secession in the Border South was the increased presence of the Union army. In Maryland, Missouri, and eventually in Kentucky, federal troops were used to keep Border South secessionists in check. This chapter also chronicles how Unionists overcame John C. Frémont’s emancipation proclamation, which he announced in August 1861. By the end of 1861, all of the Border South states had abandoned neutrality and cast their lot with the United States. Internal divisions continued, but the secession movement had been defeated in the Border South.Less

Who the Devil Are You, Anyway?

Christopher Grasso

in Teacher, Preacher, Soldier, Spy: The Civil Wars of John R. Kelso

Declining the chance to become an officer to make a point about patriotism, Kelso joined the 24th Missouri Infantry as a private. Sent on solo spy missions, he learned to assume the identity he ... More

Declining the chance to become an officer to make a point about patriotism, Kelso joined the 24th Missouri Infantry as a private. Sent on solo spy missions, he learned to assume the identity he needed: as a gentleman giving speeches at Confederate recruiting stations, or as a coarse, racist rebel denouncing abolitionists. Back home in Buffalo, after Union General John C. Frémont’s campaign to push the Confederates out of southwest Missouri was abandoned, Kelso’s secessionist neighbors burned his house down and drove his family out into the snow. He vowed to kill twenty-five rebels with his own hands in revenge. On another spy mission, he was captured and condemned to hang, but made a daring escape.Less