November 4, 1910

Trinity at the Outbreak of the Civil War (Address by Lieut. Colonel William S. Cogswell, ’61 [class of 1861], on Founder’s Day, Nov. 1, 1910.)

I have been asked to speak to you of “Trinity during the war time.”  Although it is not quite fifty years since the close of that struggle, times have greatly changed.  Then events moved slowly; now dynasties are changed in a day without causing more than a passing comment.  Inventions and discoveries that worked revolutions in the fields of transportation and production, and projects once considered the idle dreams of visionaries, impossible of accomplishment, which changed the relations of mankind, are now accepted as matters of course in the feverish pursuit of the age “after pleasure, after gain”–so that it is impossible for you, all born years since the close of that war, to realize the conditions then existing, the all-absorbing interest taken in national politics, the appeals alike to passion and patriotism, to sorrows, devotion, and self-sacrifice with the resultant storm and stress that devoured our country like a flaming sword.  Looking back it seems like a frightful dream; then it was a stern reality that summoned everyone to take his part in the great drama being enacted.  Thanks God the healing hand of time has closed the wounds, discords are forgotten, and from the throes of that struggle has arisen an era of peace and prosperity, of friendly appreciation and good will that is fast making the legends of valor displayed its only memory.

During the fall of 1860 there were about fifty students at Trinity College, then located where the Capitol now stands, gathered from all sections of the country, some eight or ten of whom were from the Southern States.  The professors, with one exception, Professor Edward Graham Daves, were all Northern men.  We were all quartered in Jarvis and Brownell Halls, so you can readily understand that in such a small community the relations between us were very close.  And while of course the issues of the presidential campaign then pending were freely discussed, there was nothing like a separation into factions and no break in the ties which bound us to our Alma Mater and to each other.  None of us realized, in spite of the intense agitation and bitterness attending the election, that the result as determined at the polls would not be accepted.  For a long time after the election and even when in certain of the Southern States action was taken looking toward secession, we could not believe that war was possible.

At this time quite a military sentiment was prevalent in Hartford aroused by the fame attained by the Coly Guard for its proficiency in what was known as the Zouave drill, and, the students catching the fever, in the early Winter of 1860 a company was organized at the college, named, in honor of Professor Daves, the Daves Guard, of which he was a member drilling in the ranks, as did many of the students from the South.  Through the influence of ex-Governor Seymour, a citizen of Hartford, some cadet muskets were obtained from the State Arsenal and drills in the manual of arms and company movements were by permission of the faculty held regularly in the old Cabinet Room in Seabury Hall.  Fowler and Webster of the senior class, who had attended a military school before entering college, were the instructors, and Hardee’s tactics became a well known textbook. 

[This book is in the Watkinson: http://library.trincoll.edu/voyager/shortcut.cfm?BIBID=41198]

Fowler was Captain, Cogswell 1st Lieutenant, and Webster 2nd Lieutenant of the company.  I am afraid that if the truth were told these officers were entitled to higher marks for proficiency in tactics than in the prescribed studies of the senior class.  About February, 1861, in response to invitations from companies organized in the city, these officers acted as their instructors until sometime in May. 

Such were the conditions at the college when word came of the firing on Sumpter, followed by the President’s call for volunteers.  The change in the relations of the students was as sudden and complete as that between the North and the South.  Those from the Southern States left the College almost immediately, and sorrowful farewells were spoken between those who for years had walked together as friends.  Most of them entered the Confederate service, among them Graham, Eborn, Wooten, Bondurant, and the Derosetts.

Of course this was a time of wild excitement.  Probably the fact that a number of students were from the South and possibly some outspoken declaration of sympathy with rebellion in conversation with citizens made by some of them, gave rise to a rumor of threats made by the “Townies,” as they were called, against the College, and of their purpose to “clean it out,” but this was never taken seriously.  It was well known how the College stood.  All of the professors and a very large majority of the students were known to be staunch Unionists and when a meeting of the citizens of Hartford was called to rally the people to the support of the government President Eliot was invited to make the principle address.

The news of the fall of Sumpter and the President’s proclamation was followed by the immediate call for volunteers by the Governor, and Allen of the Seniors, and Huntington who afterwards commanded the Marines that made the landing at Guantanamo in the war with Spain, of the Freshman class at once enlisted in Hawley’s company of the 1st Regt. Connecticut Volunteers, being among the very first to volunteer from this State.  There was much discussion among the members of the Daves Guard about enlisting or tendering their services to the State, but the depletion in its ranks by the loss of its members going South, and the enlistment of others in the volunteers resulted in no action being taken, and before the close of the term it had ceased to exist.

The Sunday following the fall of Sumpter was marked by the passage through the city by train of the 6th Massachusetts volunteers on their way to the relief of Washington.  The railroad station was crowded with citizens, nearly all of the students were there, and the sight of those soldiers, the first to answer their country’s call, speeding to open up communication with the capital, created a profound impression, forcing home a realization of the fact that we were entering upon a contest, the extent and result of which no one could foretell. 

On Monday a meeting of the students was held on the Chapel porch, speeches were made and resolutions declaring the loyalty of the College, appointing a committee to procure a flag and to get permission to display it from the tower of Seabury Hall, were passed.  Then marching in a body the President and Professors were called upon.  They approved of the action taken and at once granted the permission asked for.

At this time when almost every house is furnished with one or more flags, you cannot appreciate how hard it was to procure one then.  There were but comparatively few flags in the country to supply the sudden demand, we could not find one for sale in the city and a like result attended attempts elsewhere.  Then we called on the girls we knew for help, and they did not fail us.  Soon we had the Stars and Stripes floating over Seabury Hall and never was a symbol bestowed by fair hands more heartily prized than that home-made flag presented to the College by the women of Hartford.

Such in brief outline is the story of the College when the war began.  I have not the data from which to give complete statistics of all “Ours” who served on land and sea during the war, nor is there time to follow their careers. 

“They went where duty seemed to call, / They did not stop to reason why, / They only knew they could but die / And death was not the worst of all. / And death was not the worst of all.”

The roll as I recall it is one of which Trinity may well be proud.  Pearce, Hugg, Broughton, Woodin and Mears from the class of 1858; Stedman, Conyngham and Leaver from 1859; Malory, Davies, Gazier and Stodart from 1860; Allyn, Birckhead, Cogswell, Hawley, James, Miller, Morse, Norris, Sumner and Webster from 1861; Penfield, Ellis and Smith from 1862; Clarke, Goodman, McCook from 1863; Huntington, Dewey, Hopson, Wells and Morris from 1864; with Strong, Vincent and Woodward from classes before my time.  Of these Vincent, Stedman, Norris, Smith, Dewey and Hugg sealed their devotion with their lives.

Vincent fell, like Wolfe, in the hour of victorywhile leading his command which saved the day at Gettysburg by capturing and holding Little Round Top in one of the deadliest hand-to-hand conflicts of the second day’s battle.  Stedman, considered one of the ablest officers in his Corps, was killed in front of Petersburg.  Smith yielded his life in the memorable charge made by the First Brigade of the First Division of the banks Corps at Cedar Mountain.  Norris received his death wound during the desperate fighting in the Wilderness.  Dewey fell in the battle at Irish Bend, La., and Hugg died in the hospital from the effect of exposure while a prisoner. 

It can be safely said that no son of Trinity failed to measure up to the full standard of accomplishment which our Alma Mater expects from the training she bestows.  They all quitted themselves like men, giving their best whether of service or of sacrifice.

Best Advertisement: 

“Clothes for College Fellows.  For Classroom. Fore Receptions.  For Romping.  For Motoring.”

The despatches of Hernando Cortés, the conqueror of Mexico, addressed to the emperor Charles V, written during the conquest, and containing a narrative of its events. New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1843.  This is the first translation into English from the original Spanish of the letters that Hernan Cortes wrote to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (King Charles I of Spain) recounting various stages of the conquest of Mexico.  As a first-hand account, these letters are a valuable for what they reveal of the conquistador mentality.   The translator was George Folsom (1802–69), and the work contains the second, third, and fourth letters.

The Introduction is interesting because of its implied sanction of Christin imperialism:

“The conquest of Mexico by Hernando Cortes, at the head of a few hundred Spaniards, forms one of the most romantic episodes in history that give color to the saying, ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ . . . like all conquests in war, it was doubtless stained by acts of gross injustice and cruelty towards the conquered, for which no substantial justification can be alleged.  Some palliation may be sought, however, in the spirit of the age, which not only excused but commended the summary destruction of the enemies of the Christian faith wherever they might be found.”

Purchased from a book dealer in Philadelphia.

October 25, 1910

“Alpha Delta Phi Entertains: Enjoyable Rarebit Party and Dance”

“Last Saturday night an informal rarebit [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rarebit] party was held at the Alpha Delta Phi house, 122 Vernon Street [lists chaperones and attendees] . . . After some time had been spent around the fire singing college songs, the whole party adjourned to the dining room, where several of the young ladies officiated at the chafing dishes.  The rugs and furniture were then removed from the rooms, and the remainder of the evening was spent in dancing.  Excellent music was furnished by Clark, ’11, on the violin; Moore, ’14, on the mandolin; and Adam, ’14, on the piano.”

Best advertisement:  Brown, Thompson & Co.  “For Hallowe’en / You will find in our Corner Store a line of Novelties, very appropriate in the way of Pumpkins, Ghosts, Witches, Cats, Pumpkin Lanterns, etc., for favors and the like.  For table decorations, we have a nice showing of fancy crepe papers and napkins, also Place cards, Tally cards, and everything you need in the way of Hallowe’en appointments.”

One of the most impressive illustrated travel books in the Watkinson is by Abbe Jean-Claude-Richard de Saint Non (1721-1791), entitled Voyage pittoresque ou Description des royaumes de Naples et de Sicile (Paris, 1781-1786), bound in five folio volumes.

According to Gordon Ray, The Art of the French Illustrated Book, 1700-1914, “Saint-Non is one of the most engaging figures in the chronicle of the French illustrated book.  A small, almost frail man, he was often referred to as ‘little Saint-Non.’ Unaffected, modest, and amiable, his generosity was prodigal, and his loyalty proverbial.”

“Forced by his prominent and wealthy family to accept the priesthood as a suitable occupation for a younger son, Saint-Non was soon embarked on a significant career as an ecclesiastical official.  Early in life, however, he had acquired a taste for music, drawing, and above all engraving, and when his career met a political check in 1753, he turned his thoughts towards the encouragement of the arts.  Aided by the considerable fortune of his family, he became one of the notable amateurs of history.”

Saint-Non became adept at etching, and on his first visit to Italy in 1759, which overwhelmed his sensibilities with its grandeur, he began furiously sketching, engraving, and painting what he saw.  He toured Naples, Vesuvius, Herculaneum, and Pompeii with the painters Jean-Honore Fragonard and Hubert Robert, and eventually published a set of etchings containing 89 designs on 19 sheets [Suite de nix-feuille d’apres l’antique (Paris, 1762)], which we do NOT have in the Watkinson.  The subjects, as with some in the present work, are classical remains discovered in recent excavations.

Shown here is a view of Naples, and a plan of same.

The Watkinson has two issues (vol. 1 numbers 3 & 4) of the first newspaper published in the colony of Liberia. From 1830 to 1834, its editor was John Brown Russwurm, a Jamaican-born mulatto who was educated in Canada, graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine, and then settled in New York where, in 1827, he and Samuel Cornish co-founded Freedom’s Journal, the first black newspaper in the United States. The Liberia Herald became the fifth oldest newspaper in Africa after the French-language periodicals published in Egypt during the Napoleonic occupation of 1797, the Cape Town Gazette of South Africa, 1800, The Royal Gazette and Sierra Leone Advertiser, 1801, and The Royal Gold Coast Gazette, 1822.

The library record is here: http://library.trincoll.edu/voyager/shortcut.cfm?BIBID=276493

Friday, October 21, 1910

“Freshman Rules Posted”

“Freshman!  Conduct yourselves always in a respectful and obedient manner towards your superiors.  Evidence of this respect must be shown by saluting al professors, graduates, and men of higher classes.  All throwing of water or calling out of windows, shouting on the campus or throwing snow-balls is strictly forbidden.  The placing of notices upon the bulletin-board is also prohibited.  Unless accompanied by a man of class, you are forbidden under any circumstances to appear at Heub’s, or in a box at any theatre.  The freshman cap must always be worn except on the Sabbath or when going down town.  The cap must not be disguised or defaced or altered.  In attending all college meetings, sings, and games, promptness is compulsory.  Obtrude not yourselves unbidden into the discussion of your superiors, nor offer advice unsolicited.  Neither make yourselves conspicuous by the display of loud haberdashery or clothing.  Never smoke pipe or cigar or wear school insignia of any sort in public.  Also the wearing of khaki and corduroy and the carrying of canes will not be tolerated.  Sitting upon the college fence is forbidden.  You are further required to step off the board walk at the approach of a superior, and in passing up and down Vernon Street to use the south side exclusively.”

Best advertisement:

FOR MEN’S EVENING DRESS WEAR.  Just received from Switzerland new importations of pure silk mufflers….

James Mullalla,  A View of Irish Affairs since the Revolution of 1688 (Dublin, 1795).

The first edition of this treatise on Irish politics, to which Washington subscribed (for fifty copies) in the year he ratified the Jay Treaty, the accord which began a decade of peace with Britain.  Mullalla, ‘patriot’ historian, Trinity (Ireland) scholar and Freemason, analyzes the ‘calamities of the nation invariably flowing from public misrule, barbarous manners, private interest, and the rage of parties’.  He cites archives and authors studied at Oxford and Cambridge, and discusses the effects of political actions undertaken at the Vatican, at Westminster and on Irish soil.  Mullalla achieved notoriety in 1792 when he produced “the most politically provocative [pamphlet] of all.”  His Compilation on the Slave Trade, respectfully addressed to the Irish People, with its “blunt assertion of the African’s right to revolt against his master was a highly unusual feature in the anti-slavery discourse” (Rodgers).  A View of Irish Affairs sees Mullalla revisit the theme of Irish manumission, as he discusses the “narrow and illiberal policy of Great-Britain.”  Despite this, he is on the whole optimistic about the future relationship between the nations.  SEE Nini Rodgers, “Ireland and the Black Atlantic in the Eighteenth Century,” Irish Historical Studies, 32:126 (2000), pp. 174-192.

Today is Columbus Day, and we librarians are busily working as the students are off visiting family, watching the game (whichever game is on in your part of the country), or sleeping off last night’s party.

Plumbing the depths of the Watkinson today, I drew up quite a nice nugget–Noviter historiarum omnium repercussiones, printed in Venice in 1506.  This is a chronicle that contains one of the earliest printed accounts of Columbus and his voyages.  The great Americana bibliographer Henry Harrisse gives us the following description in 1866:

“Many of the historians of the fifteenth century were mere chroniclers, who kept a historical register of events in the order of time, beginning a mundi incunabulis[i.e., the cradle or beginning of the world], and ending with the year when the manuscript was intrusted to the printer.  Every two or three years, additions were made and new new editions published under the name of the author who had given celebrity to the work, even after he was dead and buried within the walls of the monastery, which had often been his only sphere of action and personal influence.  The present chronicle is one of that character.”

The author was Jacopo Filippo Foresti da Bergamo (1434-1520), who “was of a noble family, and abandoned the world to become a monk of the Augustine order.”   The first edition of this work was printed in Venice in 1483, and it was reprinted with additions as late as 1581.  The first edition to mention Columbus was printed in Venice in 1503.  Aside from this 1506 edition, the Watkinson has an edition printed in 1492, which (of course) makes no mention of the world-changing event that happened that year (it only covers events up to 1490).

In the October 14, 1910 issue of the Tripod, the following books were among those reported as “additions to the library”:

An Account of Some of the Descendants of John Russell, the Emigrant, by the late Gurdon Wadsworth Russell (Trinity Class of 1835).  The book is still here:  http://library.trincoll.edu/voyager/shortcut.cfm?BIBID=564598

Shakespeare and His Critics, by Charles F. Johnson (gift of the author, and it was reviewed in the Tripod in 1909).  The book is still here:  http://library.trincoll.edu/voyager/shortcut.cfm?BIBID=401511

Music in the Church, by Peter Christian Lutkin.  The book is still here:  http://library.trincoll.edu/voyager/shortcut.cfm?BIBID=491463

Proceedings of the Second National Peace Congress, Chicago, 1909, ed. by Charles E. Beals.  The book is still here:  http://library.trincoll.edu/voyager/shortcut.cfm?BIBID=521362

 Best advertisement:  Promoting the various aspects of the college, including the library:  “The LIBRARY contains about 60,000 volumes, 30 per cent of which have been purchased within the last twelve years.  It is open daily for consultation and study.