The Fortunes of Providence: the Motivations and Experiences of a Rhode Island Family in the Civil War
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The Fortunes of Providence: The Motivations and Experiences of a Rhode Island Family in the Civil War The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:37945076 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Fortunes of Providence: The Motivations and Experiences of a Rhode Island Family in the Civil War Anne O. Wray A Thesis in the Field of History for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University November 2017 Abstract This thesis examines the original correspondence of John Talbot Pitman, a Rhode Islander serving in the Civil War (1861-1865), in an effort to contribute a greater understanding of Rhode Island Civil War History. While most soldiers in the Union Army participated in the war for ideals such as duty, honor, or emancipation, John Talbot Pitman was unusual in the fact that his overwhelming drive to enlist was one of personal ambition. Pitman utilized his social status, education, and rank to tirelessly pursue his goals in an effort to better his personal fortune and that of his family. Table of Contents! I: Introduction: A Family Separated by Ambition ...............................................................1 II: The Pitmans: an Industrious, Multi-Generational Rhode Island Family ........................5 The Reverend John Pitman……………………………………………………..…5 The Honorable John Pitman………………………………………………………6 John Talbot Pitman…………………………………………………………….…8 John and Caroline Pitman……………………………………………………..…11 III: Patriotic Fervor and Personal Opportunity: The Motivations for War ........................14 IV: Leadership, Lassitude, and Letters: The Experience of War .......................................23 V: In Search of Better Fortunes .........................................................................................33 VI: Undeterred Ambition ...................................................................................................44 VII: Conclusion: A Family Divided ..................................................................................49 VIII: Bibliography .............................................................................................................52 iv List of Figures and Table Fig. 1: John Talbot Pitman (1812-1882)……………………………………………...…2 Table 1: Pitman Family Tree………………………………………………………….…4 Fig. 2: Rev. John Pitman (1751-1822)………………………………………………...…6 Fig. 3: The Hon. John Pitman (1785-1865)…………………………………………...….7 Fig. 4: Signature of John Talbot Pitman…………………………………………………11 Fig. 5: Pitman’s sketch of his officer’s quarters…………………………………………24 Fig. 6: A sketch of Col. Pitman at Battalion Drill……………………………...……..…26 Fig. 7: Joseph Story Pitman, John Talbot Pitman’s younger brother……………………35 Fig. 8: John Jr.’s drawing of his mess tent…………………………………………….…36 Fig. 9: Rhode Island Governor William Sprague…………………………………….…40 Fig. 10: Lt. Colonel Nelson Viall……………………………………………………...…47 v I Introduction: A Family Separated by Ambition The American Civil War has been the subject of rigorous academic study and debate for the past 150 years. Countless books and journal articles have been published that explore all aspects of the war, from the political machinations that ultimately led to the war’s outbreak, to the military maneuvers of the armies, to the experiences of ordinary civilians, all of whose lives were touched by war. Together, these academic works make the Civil War the most written about period of American history.1 Despite the wealth of available sources, there still remain many aspects of the war that have not been investigated; one of the more neglected aspects is the state of Rhode Island. The smallest state in the Union, it is the least studied of any of the original thirteen British colonies, and of that research, most focuses on the period of its founding by Roger Williams in 1636 to the outbreak of the Dorr War in 1846. 2 The amount of published research about this state drops precipitously before the Civil War period. Despite its status as the smallest state, Rhode Island exceeded its federally mandated quota of 18,000 troops and sent over 23,000 men off to war to fight for the Union army. Rhode Islanders were present at every major engagement of the Civil War, from Bull Run to Appomattox. While the most famous of these soldiers was Ambrose E. 1 James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), ix. 2 Dr. Luther Spoehr, Senior Lecturer in education and history, Brown University, in a personal interview with the author, Nov. 2013 1 Burnside, who rose to prominence as the Head of the Union Army in 1863, thousands of ordinary Rhode Islanders wrote down their experience of war and imparted it to the historic record. One such Rhode Islander was John Talbot Pitman (1812-1882), an attorney and member of a distinguished multi-generational Providence family (Fig. 1). He and his son, John Jr. (1832-1933) left home to serve in the Union Army, leaving behind their family. The Pitmans wrote to each other throughout the Fig 1: John Talbot Pitman (1812- 1882) conflict and left behind a set of complete correspondence, one that serves to flesh out a distinct family portrait. By examining the correspondence of the Pitmans, this thesis aims to present a social history of this middle- class Rhode Island family in order to contribute to the greater understanding of the experiences of Rhode Islanders in the Civil War. The reasons soldiers enlisted and reenlisted to fight in the Civil War were myriad, but most were compelled by a sense of duty to their country, or to maintain honor in their community. John Talbot Pitman was not motivated by these sentiments; from the very start his driving force was one of ambition. As a Harvard educated attorney, and also a member of an established, respected Providence family, Pitman possessed educational and social advantages that afforded him leverage beyond the average Rhode Island recruit. His status as an officer in the army automatically granted him leadership and influence, and as a member of Providence society he was privy to personal relationships 2 with people in positions of power, including the governor of Rhode Island, William Sprague, and Rhode Island’s most famous soldier, General Ambrose Burnside. Pitman was cognizant of these advantages, and relied upon them frequently for personal gain in his unrelenting quest to better his fortunes. Pitman’s ambition geographically separated his family, drew his son into the conflict, and was the catalyst behind Pitman’s actions during the Civil War. 3 Table 1: Pitman Family Tree Pitman Family Tree Rev. John Pitman Rebecca Cox (1751-1822) (?-1792) Mary Talbot Hon. John Pitman Four additional (?-1863) (1785-1863) adult siblings Caroline Joseph Story Seven Richmond Pitman additonal adult (1818-1886) John Talbot (1819-1883) siblings Pitman (1812-1882) John Talbot Mary "Monna" Caroline Pitman Jr. Pitman "Callie" Pitman (1842-1933) (1845-1878) (1846-1922) 4 II The Pitmans: An Industrious, Multi-Generational Rhode Island Family “Citizens of America, we live in the only free republic on earth, and in a land highly favored of Heaven. The freedom, the soil we possess were purchased by the toil and blood of our fathers. They compose an inheritance too precious to be wasted, which we have no right to sacrifice, but are bound to transmit unencumbered to posterity.”3 -The Hon. John Pitman John Talbot Pitman was the product of generations of hard work coupled with scholastic aptitude. From his father and grandfather, Pitman inherited his name and a drive to better his lot in life. The Reverend John Pitman (Pitman’s grandfather) and the Honorable John Pitman (Pitman’s father) worked tirelessly to provide for their families, but they also strove to elevate their professional lives (Table 1). John Talbot Pitman, the third generation, was not doubt influenced by this legacy of personal ambition from his predecessors. The Reverend John Pitman The first John Pitman, (John Talbot Pitman’s grandfather), was born in Boston in 1751 (Fig. 2). As an adolescent he had been apprenticed to be a rope maker, but he experienced a spiritual conversion event and dedicated himself to Christian ministry. Starting in 1777, he traveled as an itinerant Baptist minister, and lived and worked in 3 John Pitman Jr, Esq, An Oration, Pronounced July 4, 1812, at the Request of the Republicans of the Town of Salem, in Commemoration of the Anniversary of American Independence. (Salem: Warwick Palfrey, 1812 ). 22-23 Accessed from https://books.google.com/books?id=ehJLAAAAYAAJ& printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false. 5 several northeastern states including New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It was in Pennsylvania that Pitman met his first wife, Rebecca Cox, and the two were married in 1778. By 1784 Rev. Pitman and Rebecca had settled down in Providence, Rhode Island, and by following year they had their first child, a son also named John (“Jacky”) Pitman (1785-1863). The Fig 2: Rev. John Pitman (1751- couple would go on to have four more children, before 1822) the elder Rebecca’s death in 1792.4 For the remainder of his life, John Pitman engaged in his dual professions: ministry and rope making. He was