Our Man in Charleston, by Christopher Dickey

Review: This book, for me, took a bit of concentration and effort to keep all of the people and the timeline straight.  However, it was well worth the effort!  Not only did I gain knowledge and admiration for an unknown hero of the Civil War, I gained insight into the importance of unknown people to the outcome of major world events.   I also found interesting the author’s statement that the succession was solely about slavery and that the issue of state’s rights was only related to the right to own slaves.  One blurb on the back of my edition stated, ”A spicy historical beach read…”   I wouldn’t go that far, this book is certainly not a mindless read.  But it is well worth your time and effort.   I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for this review. 

People
United States	Britain
Robert Brunch, His Majesty’s Consul Emma Craig – wife Helen – daughter Helen – younger sister Daniel Blake – widowed, slave owner, married Helen (sister)   Southern men Brunch trusted: James Petigru – former state Attorney General Alfred Huger – postmaster Col. John Haarleston Read William Henry Trescot – lawyer, historian   Robert Barnwell Rhett – extremely pro slavery   John Russell – owned book store   Governors of South Carolina: John Manny General James Hopkins Adams   Newspapers: Charleston Mercury – unreasonable Charleston Courier – more balanced Editor Richard Yeadon Charleston Standard – proslavery Editor Leonidas Spratt   Senator William Seward   John Brown   Hugh Forbes – soldier of fortune   Confederate government’s representatives to Europe captured by the North: James Mason John Slidell	Henry John Temple – 3rd Viscount Palmerston 1859 – Prime Minister   Lord Clarendon   George William Frederick Villiers   Lord Napier – Washington D.C. minister   Richard Bickerton Pemell Lyons – 1859, new Minister in Washington D.C., felt Brunch over-stepping his boundaries   Lord John Russell – former PM, 1859 Foreign Secretary   Three trusted Consels: Robert Brunch William Mure Edward Mortimer Archibald   Prince of Wales – visited Canada and US in 1860

For discussion:

1. How difficult do you think it would be to lead a double life, never expressing your true feelings and always having to be on guard?  Do you think you could do that?
2. How do you think Bunch’s wife coped?
3. Was it fair to subject his wife and daughter to this lifestyle?
4. If you were in Brunch’s place, how would you decide who to trust?
5. On page 195 the author claims the South’s secession was solely about slavery and the states’ rights to own slaves.  Does this agree with what you had been taught in the past?
6. How would this country be different if there had been no Civil War and the southern states had formed an independent country?   What if there had been no war and no succession?

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.