Men of Renown: Civil War Remembrance in 1900

ECW welcomes back guest author Arie De Young.

Much modern discourse surrounding the American Civil War’s historiography is centered around how to view the leading figures of the era. These discussions are far from new, however. Essentially from the close of the conflict, people have been trying to shape the public’s memory of it. Politicians exhorting in speeches, soldiers refighting old battles in memoirs, and writers penning their tracts all worked to sway the populace to their vision.

The summation of all these “mystic chords of memory” eventually wove together in the populace’s mind to form their understanding of the conflict. One fascinating window into this from a time when the Civil War generation remained alive and active was a national survey conducted in 1900.

The story of this survey begins with New York University. Its chancellor, Henry M. MacCracken, hoped to beautify an unsightly portion of the campus with a structure that could be edifying and educational to the public. The solution he settled upon was a colonnade titled “The Hall of Fame for Great Americans,” which was to be a grand structure filled with busts of accomplished Americans serving as an inspiration to the public.^[1]

Rather than selecting these individuals himself, however, MacCracken sought public input. Thus, a survey was advertised in newspapers and via messages to social clubs across the country. It asked the public to submit lists of any Americans worthy of inclusion in the hall. The only caveats were that they had to have been born in the United States and been deceased for at least ten years, meaning 1890 at the time.^[2]

Once these lists were received, the university senate would determine the 100 most common names for automatic consideration. Additionally, the 100 members of the university senate were each allowed to select one more person from the lists for consideration, adding 100 more names. Finally, the judging committee comprised a national selection of 100 university presidents, professors, editors, authors, publicists, and judges. Each was allowed to select one more individual for inclusion. Eighteen chose to do so, producing a grand total of 218 historical figures under consideration.^[3]

With these chosen, the final step of the process was selection by the judging committee for inclusion in the hall of fame. Each judge could select any number of names from the list of nominated candidates for their vote to be included in the hall. Any figure who received a majority of votes of approval from the committee was selected for a bust in the hall. When all the votes were cast, 29 individuals made the cut.^[4]

Fortunately, all the data surrounding this process was published in a book in 1902. This allows for insight into how both the public and the academic world viewed the figures of the Civil War era, particularly who was worthy of emulation.

Among the public, the most admired figure primarily relating to the American Civil War was, unsurprisingly, Abraham Lincoln, who tied for first place overall with Benjamin Franklin. He was followed closely by Ulysses S. Grant in fourth and David G. Farragut in ninth. Horace Greeley took the twelfth spot, while the first Confederate didn’t appear until spot 29 with Robert E. Lee, who appeared right below William Lloyd Garrison at 28.^[5]

Rounding out the figures of the American Civil War in the public’s top 50 were William H. Seward at 32, Wendell Phillips at 34, Charles Sumner at 38, and Philip H. Sheridan at 46.^[6] The remaining public suggestions are given in no order of popularity, but included Charles F. Adams, Salmon P. Chase, Dorothea Dix, Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Frémont, George B. McClellan, George G. Meade, Winfield Scott, Edwin M. Stanton, George H. Thomas, James S. Wadsworth, and Henry Wilson for the Union and Stonewall Jackson, Albert S. Johnston, Matthew F. Maury, and Alexander H. Stephens for the Confederacy.^[7]

Some people who might have otherwise made the list were blocked due to the two stipulations. William T. Sherman, Clara Barton, and Frederick Douglass for the Union and Joseph E. Johnston, James Longstreet, and John S. Mosby for the Confederacy were blocked by their date of death, while others such as Carl Schurz and Thomas F. Meagher were held back by their foreign birth.

Despite this, there are still intriguing insights to be gleaned from this survey. All 218 of the nominated individuals were white, and 210 were male. This, of course, was a clear reflection of the social circumstances of the era. The public seems to have chosen to view the Civil War era, especially its personalities, through the lens of the military and political leaders of the conflict. Only Greeley, Garrison, and Phillips are included without having held any official military or political position. Even they, however, wielded unofficial political power and authority through their writings and personal connections.

The surprising inclusion of James S. Wadsworth points to the high degree of reverence for the fallen that moved through the culture, which could be referred to as National Remembrance. Wadsworth was not a particularly influential general and was a defeated political candidate, but his death at the battle of the Wilderness turned him into a martyr for the Union cause.^[8] Wadsworth and the university senate shared a New York heritage, which helps explain why he was chosen from the Union’s fallen heroes. A similar impulse to venerate the fallen can be seen among the Confederates with the nomination of Jackson and Albert S. Johnston.

Also worthy of notice is the relative sparsity of Confederates. The public chose 21 figures primarily associated with the cause of the Union, but only five primarily associated with the Confederacy. Especially glaring in omission is Jefferson Davis, even as his inveterate rival Stephens made the list.^[9] The heavily Northern composition of the university senate undoubtedly played a major role in this. Even among the public’s lists, however, Lee was the only Confederate in the top 50 names.

The spirit of reconciliation that began to solidify in this era can be held responsible for some of this. Furthermore, the Lost Cause tendency to deify Robert E. Lee to the exclusion of other Confederates likely played a role in him being the sole one to breach the top 50 in the public nominations as well as the sole Confederate among the twenty-nine selected by the judging committee.^[10]

The data from the judging committee paints a similar image. Out of the 100 members, 97 ultimately responded. Despite this, the university senate still decided to keep the 51-vote threshold for inclusion. Just as in America’s presidential elections, Washington was the only one selected unanimously by the judges, with Lincoln right behind him with 96 votes. Grant came in fifth with 93 votes, while Farragut came in fourteenth with 79 and Robert E. Lee took twentieth with 68. All the other above-mentioned individuals from the Civil War failed to reach the necessary 51 votes.^[11]

Greeley came the closest with 45, followed by Sumner with 26. Among the remaining Union figures, the tally was 25 for Seward, 24 for Thomas, 23 for Sheridan, 19 for Garrison, 19 for Phillips, 17 for Frémont, 16 for Scott, 13 for Chase, six for McClellan, six for Meade, six for Stanton, four for Adams, and three for Douglas. Among the Confederates, Jackson led with 23, followed by 20 for Maury, 12 for Johnston, and seven for Stephens. Dorothea Dix, James S. Wadsworth, and Henry Wilson all received no votes from the judging committee.^[12]

The members of the judging committee seem to have shared the same inclination of the public in how they chose to remember the greatest people of the American Civil War. Both groups viewed Lincoln, Grant, Farragut, and Lee as the great figures from the era, even as the public seemed to have much more enthusiasm for the populist Greeley than the intellectuals on the judging committee. The same social environment shows itself again, with the 29 having been narrowed into a list entirely of white males.

The survey for the “The Hall of Fame for Great Americans” does much to reveal how Americans viewed a conflict that was a mere 35 years in their past. They viewed the greatest men of the era to be the men at the top of the military and political hierarchy. Both Union and Confederate figures were seen as worthy of admiration and inspiration. The influence of movements such as National Remembrance, the Lost Cause, and Reconciliation can be seen pulsing through their choices. Ultimately, the survey serves as a fascinating freeze-frame in the development of the American Civil War’s memory.

 

Arie De Young has long been fascinated with the American Civil War, whether it is exploring battlefields, reading books, or attending roundtables. Currently attending Anderson University to achieve his bachelor’s degree, he plans to enter a doctorate program and academia. He has twice been a featured speaker at local Civil War roundtable events.

 

Endnotes:

^[1] Louis Albert Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, Including the Lives and Portraits of the Elect and of Those Who Barely Missed Election. Also a List of America’s Most Eligible Women. (New York: The Christian Herald, 1902), 13-14.

^[2] Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, 16-17.

^[3] Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, 16-17.

^[4] Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, 17.

^[5] Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, 356.

^[6] Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, 356-357.

^[7] Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, 360-366.

^[8] Ezra J. Warner, Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964), 532-533.

^[9] Davis’s death on December 6, 1889 potentially could have caused respondents to consider him disqualified under the date of death rule, although at least 15 lists from the public included his name.

^[10] Thomas L. Connelly and Barbara L. Bellows, God and General Longstreet: The Lost Cause and the Southern Mind. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1982), 25-27.

^[11] Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, 17-18.

^[12] Banks, The Story of the Hall of Fame, 369-374.