A Cycle of Adams Letters, 1861-1865

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER A CYCLE OF ADAJVIS LETTERS J^hiytieJ '^IHiAul/ jieUi^h^, A CYCLE OF ADAMS LETTERS 1861-1865 EDITED BY WORTHINGTON CHAUNCEY FORD WITH ILLUSTRATIONS VOLUME I BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MLFFLIN COMPANY Srj)e KiijerstUc press Caraliriliffe 1920 COPYRIGHT, 1Q20, BY WORTHINGTON C. FORD ALL RIGHTS RESERVED B V. / TO MARY OGDEN ADAMS Possum donata reporwre laetus. HOR. INTRODUCTORY NOTE The series of letters printed in these volumes, in- dividual in themselves, make an almost unique com- bination. The time of writing, the crisis through which not only the nation but republican institutions were passing, the inheritance and position of the writers, and the personal characteristics of each as shown in the letters and as developed in later days, unite to give interest to the subjects treated and the manner of presentation. They are family letters, writ- ten in all the freedom of family intercourse, selected from what would fill many volumes; they are much more than family letters, for the description of social conditions, the discussion of public questions, and the wide relations held by the writers, make them a con- tribution to the social, military and diplomatic history of the War of Secession, unequalled in scope and concentrated interest. For nearly a century the Adams family of Massa- chusetts had filled high public oflBce, a succession of students of government, of able administrators, whose independence and upright character commanded rec- ognition. The third generation had as its represent- ative Charles Francis Adams, the favored son of John Quincy Adams. On the election of Lincoln to the Presidency Mr. Adams was nominated to be Minister of the United States to Great Britain and was at once confirmed by the Senate. He sailed for his post in viii INTRODUCTORY NOTE May, 1861, and reached England only to be met by the Queen's proclamation recognizing the South as bellig- erents. The act, justified in international law, was interpreted as unfriendly, and seemed in fact to represent the feeling of suspicion and hostility of the rul- ing class in England towards the American republic, a feeling that found expression in sympathy for the South, in the wish for its success and in a hope that a divided people would remove anxiety on the growth of a democracy that could not be confined to present bounds, and the influence of which on old institutions of Europe was already felt. The almost complete isolation of the Minister for months after his arrival in London is a strange phe- nomenon. The requirements of official etiquette were fulfilled, but little beyond that came to welcome the strangers. Mr. Adams himself was, indeed, no stranger in England. When his father held the same office, immediately after the close of the War of 1812, the son had been in an English school. This experience served him well in 1861. He knew the English characteristics, he had been trained in their methods, he could divine how the English mind would think, and so forecast the resulting action. The English reserve and self-restraint were no greater than his own. He could anticipate the manner of expressing a difference of opinion, and provide against surprise by an unex- pected performance. He was thoroughly grounded in the history of the United States, in the relations which had subsisted between the United States and Great Britain, and in republican government, with its ever- INTRODUCTORY NOTE ix present longing to improve the world according to its own beliefs. No man in American public life was by inheritance, training and matured convictions, so well fitted to occupy this oflSce at so delicate and critical a time. The seven years of service in London mark the highest point of Mr. Adams' career. Facing perils where a misstep would have involved catastrophe, ruin to himself and destruction to his country, he made no mistake, no surrender to temporary advantage, no concession of right or principle. Against public clamor at home, at times against the instructions of his superior, the Secretary of State, and against the pres- siu-e of Americans and plotting Southerners in Europe, he calmly pursued his course. His abilities, prescience and acts have been fully justified by time and events. Never had American diplomacy in Europe been at as low an ebb as in 1861; never had American policy, domestic as well as foreign, stood as high as in 1868, and nowhere higher than in England. To Mr. Adams the country largely owed this change ; it was a great achieve- ment, the greater because of the difficulties overcome. The son, Charles Francis Adams, Jr., had graduated from Harvard College in 1856, and was now in the office of Richard Henry Dana studying law but grad- ually becoming aware that law was not his proper vocation. He had the same distaste for its practice that had repelled his grandfather, John Quincy Adams. He had grown up in an atmosphere of political discussion, had been accustomed to consider public questions, and was forming connections in journalism as a possible future field for public service. Already he X INTRODUCTORY NOTE showed the inquiring mind which took nothing for granted, discussed everything and recognized no lines of disciplined obedience to party or to creed. Restive under the inaction of a law office, he chafed under the idea of confinement, of wasted energy and little prom- ise of improvement. His father's service in Congress interested him far more than anything that Kent or Blackstone could offer, and in his communications to the newspapers he was no more blind to the rapidly ap- proaching crisis in the contest between the North and the South than were his older contemporaries. Con- scious of a certain capacity of expression he believed the career of publicist offered him better expectations than any other calling, and subsequent events proved him in this to have been correct. Thus situated when actual war began, only the responsibilities imposed by his father's absence pre- vented the son from at once entering the army. His older brother, John Quincy Adams, was on the staff of Governor Andrew, proving his capacity and aiding in despatching to the front the regiments so speed- ily sent from Massachusetts. He saw his college and social companions eagerly enrolling their names and as eagerly accepted for service. The most available member of the family for the army, his strong sense of duty to his father kept him back, until he felt that his duty to his country overshadowed all other calls. Of his service in the war he has given a bare outline in his "Autobiography"; but his letters are far more de- tailed, and describe, as is nowhere better described, the daily life of a cavalry officer. INTRODUCTORY NOTE xi The development of character under discipline and experience, the ripening of mind and opinions by close contact with his fellow men and with the questions of army administration, and the growing richness of observation and expression, appear in his letters. He entered the army a restive, unformed youth, without settled ambition or recognized powers; he left it a man of strengthened mind, of broadened views, and with a defined future and true calling. The younger Adams of 1865 was a far different being from the younger Adams of 1861, and he always looked back with interest on his mihtary service as contributing to his later success. It is rare to find a soldier capable of giving an interesting account of his routine duties, of narrating in a logical manner successive events, of speculating justly on a summary of facts, or of sketch- ing in a few words a man's character so as to present a vivid likeness. He is usually inarticulate, or expends the little gift he has in minor details without the needed binding relation. IVIr. Adams formed the exception. He could write and he had, though unknown to himself, the best qualities of the historian. In his "Education" Henry Adams has given a self- drawn representation of himself as a "failure," and in a manner that awakens astonishment and challenges examination. To have been successful in everything that he attempted — teaching, science, history, fiction and criticism — would have satisfied an ordinary mor- tal. But that was exactly what he was not, and the various readings given to his confessions prove how exceptional he was. He also passed through Harvard xii INTRODUCTORY NOTE College, had thoughts of studying law, but believed that some years in Europe would round out his education. What those years did for him may be traced in his later writings. Before their effects could be felt he passed the winter of 1860-61 in Washington, a keen observer of passing events, forming independent judg- ments upon them, while enjoying to the full the advantage of his father's opinions and relations with public men. The months thus spent trained his powers of observation and analysis, so fruitful when applied to his English experience. For he became confidential secretary to his father in London, a position unrecog- nized, as it was also unpaid, by the government. He used the opportunity wisely and with advantage to the father. His early letters are in tone very like his "Educa- tion." There is the same detachment, the same quality of critic under the guise of philosopher, the same per- sistent note of irony, the same apparent indifference to results, the same, though less defined, gift of expression.

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