"Alias Paine"

[Bill Richter]

Actually, my real problem is with the Wikipedia article on Glimor. It is not footnoted. I tend to side with the Confed Military hist and Sifakas' multi-volume hist of Confed Units

[My Name Is Kate]

The article in the link on page 4 says that Mosby's "gang" was far worse than even Gilmor's. (I'm not saying it was...all I have is questions and counter-questions, no answers...well, maybe one or two now and then.)

Not to change the subject too much, but I think Fanny Seward was probably another interesting character in the Civil War/Lincoln saga. I read somewhere, maybe it was in "Alias Paine", that when she was brought on the monitor to identify Lewis, all she said was that she couldn't be sure it was him, and she didn't want to incriminate a young man and ruin his life if there was any doubt about his guilt. That is a pretty mature and considerate thought for such a young girl to have, especially after what she had witnessed, and I bet she was very nearly sure that it was the same person, but maybe not 100% sure.

Are there any good books that focus mainly on Fanny Seward?

[Gene C]

Fanny Seward's diary is on line at http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=638

Linda Anderson of this symposium informed me about this and is very knowledgeable about the Seward family.

[Linda Anderson]

(01-27-2013 08:00 PM)Gene C Wrote:  Fanny Seward's diary is on line at http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=638

Linda Anderson of this symposium informed me about this and is very knowledgeable about the Seward family.

Thank you, Gene.

The only in-depth biography of Fanny is a dissertation written by Patricia Carley Johnson: Sensitivity and Civil War: The Selected Diaries and Papers, 1858-1866, of Frances Adeline (Fanny) Seward. The first chapter is called "The Setting: Fanny Seward and Her Times." The rest of the dissertation contains excerpts from her diary and other writings. Unfortunately, the dissertation has not been published and is available at only a few libraries around the country.

http://www.worldcat.org/title/sensitivit...ef_results

Johnson also wrote an article called "'I Could Not be Well or Happy at Home. . .When Called to the Councils of My Country': Politics and the Seward Family" which is available here:

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=1018

Another article on Fanny is "Growing up with Books; Fanny Seward's book collecting, reading and writing in mid-nineteenth-century New York State," by Deirdre C. Stam. Libraries & Culture 41.2 (2006).

Fanny Seward was a "shy, gentle, affectionate young woman" whose life centered around her family. Her mother, who suffered from ill health, stayed in the family home in Auburn, NY while her father lived in Washington. Fanny spent time with both her parents. Seward bought an insurance policy when Fanny was born so that she would never have to marry if she chose not to. Her diary expresses her desire to live a productive life as a single woman and she thought of Dorothea Dix and Charlotte Cushman as role models.

The events of April 14 traumatized Fanny. She had suffered from "weak lungs" throughout her life and after Powell's attack and her mother's subsequent death nine weeks later, Fanny became ill, suffering from "fevers, chills, headaches, and severe, recurring chest pains." Her thoughts turned to God and she was baptized in the Episcopal church.

What amazes me is that I have seen nothing in her diary to indicate she harbored hatred or bitterness towards Powell. In the back of her last diary of 1866, she wrote a list of "Things to be desired," including "A soul, trustful, faithful and humble," and "A spirit, patient, preserving and hopeful."

[Rob Wick]

Quote:The only in-depth biography of Fanny is a dissertation written by Patricia Carly Johnson: Sensitivity and Civil War: The Selected Diaries and Papers, 1858-1866, of Frances Adeline (Fanny) Seward. The first chapter is called "The Setting: Fanny Seward and Her Times." The rest of the dissertation contains excerpts from her diary and other writings. Unfortunately, the dissertation has not been published and is available at only a few libraries around the country.

If you're willing to spend $37 you can download it from Dissertation Express, which is part of the ProQuest system.

For something that's not readily available, that's not an outrageous price. I've bought a few on Sandburg and just bought one over the weekend on Lincoln and writers from the Progressive Era.

Best
Rob

[Linda Anderson]

(01-28-2013 08:50 AM)Rob Wick Wrote:  

Quote:The only in-depth biography of Fanny is a dissertation written by Patricia Carly Johnson: Sensitivity and Civil War: The Selected Diaries and Papers, 1858-1866, of Frances Adeline (Fanny) Seward. The first chapter is called "The Setting: Fanny Seward and Her Times." The rest of the dissertation contains excerpts from her diary and other writings. Unfortunately, the dissertation has not been published and is available at only a few libraries around the country.

If you're willing to spend $37 you can download it from Dissertation Express, which is part of the ProQuest system.

For something that's not readily available, that's not an outrageous price. I've bought a few on Sandburg and just bought one over the weekend on Lincoln and writers from the Progressive Era.

Best
Rob

That's great to know, Rob! Thank you very much. The price is good, too. I spent more than that in gas going back and forth to Brown.

[MaddieM]

(01-27-2013 11:25 PM)Linda Anderson Wrote:  

(01-27-2013 08:00 PM)Gene C Wrote:  Fanny Seward's diary is on line at http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=638

Linda Anderson of this symposium informed me about this and is very knowledgeable about the Seward family.

Thank you, Gene.

The only in-depth biography of Fanny is a dissertation written by Patricia Carley Johnson: Sensitivity and Civil War: The Selected Diaries and Papers, 1858-1866, of Frances Adeline (Fanny) Seward. The first chapter is called "The Setting: Fanny Seward and Her Times." The rest of the dissertation contains excerpts from her diary and other writings. Unfortunately, the dissertation has not been published and is available at only a few libraries around the country.

http://www.worldcat.org/title/sensitivit...ef_results

Johnson also wrote an article called "'I Could Not be Well or Happy at Home. . .When Called to the Councils of My Country': Politics and the Seward Family" which is available here:

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=1018

Another article on Fanny is "Growing up with Books; Fanny Seward's book collecting, reading and writing in mid-nineteenth-century New York State," by Deirdre C. Stam. Libraries & Culture 41.2 (2006).

Fanny Seward was a "shy, gentle, affectionate young woman" whose life centered around her family. Her mother, who suffered from ill health, stayed in the family home in Auburn, NY while her father lived in Washington. Fanny spent time with both her parents. Seward bought an insurance policy when Fanny was born so that she would never have to marry if she chose not to. Her diary expresses her desire to live a productive life as a single woman and she thought of Dorothea Dix and Charlotte Cushman as role models.

The events of April 14 traumatized Fanny. She had suffered from "weak lungs" throughout her life and after Powell's attack and her mother's subsequent death nine weeks later, Fanny became ill, suffering from "fevers, chills, headaches, and severe, recurring chest pains." Her thoughts turned to God and she was baptized in the Episcopal church.

What amazes me is that I have seen nothing in her diary to indicate she harbored hatred or bitterness towards Powell. In the back of her last diary of 1866, she wrote a list of "Things to be desired," including "A soul, trustful, faithful and humble," and "A spirit, patient, preserving and hopeful."

Perhaps she forgave him.

---

(01-27-2013 03:43 PM)william l. richter Wrote:  I have a problem with Gilmor being described as CO of the First and Second Md Cav. He was a company commander in the First but raised the Second Md as Gilmor's Partisan Raiders, a separate unit. These men were distinct from the First Md, a more regular volunteer cavalry unit that served the war, at first as part of the First Va Cav. Late in the war, about the time of Gettysburg, Gilmor received permission to leave the First Md and raise his own independent btn of partisan raiders, which eventually became the Second Md Cav Btn. Gilmor's men were very informal in their command and discipline and this is how Powell found them, disorderly and, well, raiders.

Powell was a regular army man and used to the discipline of an infantry unit of the line, the 2 Fla Inf. Mosby suited Powell fine because he and his men of the 43 Va Btn were closer to the regular concept of discipline that Powell was used to in the Army of NVA. This had to be so or Gen RE Lee would not endorse their operations behind the US lines, and Lee told Mosby and CSA Sec'y of War Seddon this.

The point of all this is that Powell was no ordinary murderer but a soldier on detached duty during the attempt to kidnap Lincoln on Seventh Street and his attempt to assassinate USA Sec'y of State Seward during the night of April 14. He was picked because of his adhering to Mosby's discipline and his valuable service with him in 1864. He thus was a far cry from the dunce the Yankee prosecutors thought. He was a clever as a fox and played dumb to keep information from the enemy. He went to his death as a soldier, not a ruffian.

I think he might have become a victim to his own sense of honour and bravery, if that makes any sense. Sometimes, these virtues can dominate common sense. I think he just lost his way.

[BettyO]

Agreed, Wild Bill and Maddie - both very valid points - thanks!

[Rob Wick]

I'm curious, though, as to what the view here of Powell would have been if he had been a northern soldier riding with Ulric Dahlgren and had attacked Judah P. Benjamin instead of Seward? Somewhat different, I imagine.

Best
Rob

[My Name Is Kate]

Thanks for all the info and links to Fanny Seward info. It will keep me busy for awhile. From the little I know about her, she must have been a wonderful person. What a loss to the world.

Had Powell not been genuinely remorseful for what he did and accepted full responsibility for it, I doubt that I would have any interest in him. I don't know how he could have thought that stabbing a sick man in bed was an honorable thing to do, but I also think that he probably gave it very little thought. He just followed orders and wanted to impress his superiors, especially Mosby, etc.

[MaddieM]

(01-28-2013 02:12 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  I'm curious, though, as to what the view here of Powell would have been if he had been a northern soldier riding with Ulric Dahlgren and had attacked Judah P. Benjamin instead of Seward? Somewhat different, I imagine.

Best
Rob

View by whom?

[Rob Wick]

By anyone.

Best
Rob

[L Verge]

Rob,

Re-read some of these postings. I addressed the very same question in a previous post a few days ago when this argument was going around for the umpteenth time.

Personally, I gave up fighting and judging the rights and wrongs of both sides during the Civil War a long time ago. I try to judge on the basis of what was necessary at any time and any place in the mindset of those who were involved in the crisis - not as a Monday morning quarterback.

I know that everyone sees me as a die-hard Rebel because I tease about it so much. However, I have ancestors on both sides of that war who fought and died. Remember that I am a Marylander. My state and Missouri probably were the hardest hit because we did not secede.

[Rob Wick]

Laurie,

So it's Monday morning quarterbacking to ask a simple question? All I'm interested in knowing is what those who seem to think that Powell was a soldier following orders would think if those orders came from the north and not the south. That's all.

Best
Rob

[Jim Page]

Hey, Rob--

If it matters, whether Powell followed orders from the North or the South wouldn't make a dime's worth of difference to me. Whether he looked upon Booth as being his "cap" or someone else would be interesting to me, though.

Perhaps my greatest interest in the Lincoln assassination is whether the CSA was operationally involved, via Richmond or Canada. To me, that is something worth finding out if such a thing is even possible at this late date. Having worked with government folks and having read Richard II, I suspect that a person lower down the food chain could have divined the wishes of those above, or at least convinced himself that he had.

Just my thoughts; worth just what you paid for them!

--Jim