American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles

by Thomas Keneally

Book Overview

Hero, adulterer, bon vivant, murderer and rogue, Dan Sickles led the kind of existence that was indeed stranger than fiction. Throughout his life he exhibited the kind of exuberant charm and lack of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385501390
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.4" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

A Heroic Rascal, or a Rascally Hero

You might not have heard of Daniel Sickles, but his accomplishments were impressive. A Union general in the Civil War who served at Gettysburg (a Medal of Honor winner who lost his leg there), an intimate of Abe and Mary Lincoln, a congressman, and an ambassador, Sickles was just the sort of hero you ought to know about. Except that he was a scoundrel, too. _In American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles_ (Nan A. Talese / Anchor Books), Thomas Keneally has given a full and amusing biography of this American, non-fiction Flashman. His many transgressions were public knowledge, and yet he dressed and spoke well so that he rose to heights of power without any precipitous fall except the natural one provided by old age and death. It is a story often hilarious and sometimes horrifying, and Keneally (who will always be known for _Schindler's List_) has depicted Sickles and the mood and manners of his age in an unforgettable portrait. Born in 1819, Sickles took to the law, and as a rascal, joined the other rascals of the Tammany political machine. He learned to cut financial corners, and would never be good at balancing the books, especially governmental ones. He eventually was appointed as a secretary to the American Legation in London, and took a favorite prostitute to his post instead of taking his wife; he even arranged for her to be introduced to Queen Victoria. When he was elected to Congress, he and his wife Teresa were a successful power couple, but he neglected her. Filling the void in Teresa's life came Philip Barton Key, who saw Teresa at parties, and in secret trysts in not-so-public places and at a house Key had rented for the purpose. Sickles eventually found Key on Lafayette Square and shot him. His trial was a sensation. The prosecution was poorly performed, and Sickles's hyper-competent lawyers led the jury to find him not guilty due to temporary insanity. It was the first time in American jurisprudence that such a plea resulted in acquittal. What rescued him from infamy was the Civil War. At Gettysburg Sickles made his greatest contribution. He precipitously led his men into battle, creating a controversy at the time that has continued to the present day; there are those who say his unilateral advance almost lost the battle, while others say it saved the Union. Early in the fight, however, his right leg was shattered by a cannonball. He coolly kept his cigar in his mouth (Keneally says it was "a moment of which the right sort of general could make a myth of his easy gallantry") and was carried to a field hospital where his leg was amputated. He stayed busy. He became an ambassador to Spain and began an affair with the deposed Queen Isabella II. Theresa had died of tuberculosis, and Sickles married a young lady from Isabella's court, but returned to America without her or the two children he had fathered. He had worked earnestly to develop Central Park in New York before he went to

Excellent read

about Dan Sickels, on of the most compelling figures in the United States of the second half of the 19th Century, probably one of the most important persons that many people have never heard of. Keneally presents his like with focus on his murder of Barton Key and the subsequent "Trial of the Century" and his Civil War career. It is history, but reads like a novel. As other reviewers, I found myself desparate for photos of the main characters and relevant Civil War battles.

A highly readable tale about Dan Sickles...

This book tells the story of the Congressman and Civil War General Dan Sickles, who was acquitted in the 1850's of murdering his wife's lover. ...(the son of the man who wrote the Star Spangled Banner), Sickles had many negative character traits which portray him in a less than positive light to modern Americans. That being sad, he was generally adored by many of his contemporaries, particularly by those who served under him in the Civil War. Highly readable, this book is difficult to put down once started. Some reviewers have given this book low rating, and perhaps that is because it does not read like a typical history book. Instead, the book almost reads like fiction and is highly enjoyable, instead of being the typical dates/places/events format of many history books. Highly recommended!

Keneally discovers "political correctness"

Keneally has offered us a roller coaster of a biography of one of the most controversial American figures of the 19th Century. Dan Sickles rose from Tammany Hall politics in New York through a London posting to Congress. While a representative his lovely, but often abandoned, wife Teresa became involved with the widower son of the composer of the Star Spangled Banner, America's national anthem. Ignoring this heritage, Sickles slew Barton Keys on a Washington Sunday in view of several witnesses. After a bizarre trial, in which the then novel plea of "temporary insanity" was invoked, Sickles left the courtroom free of guilt. Almost fortuitously, the onset of the War Between the States allowed Sickles to redeem whatever reputation he lost. As one of the Union's "political generals" Sickles proved to be a popular and capable leader. Gettysburg, that icon of American military history, proved his salvation or disgrace according to which account you follow. Did he risk another Union defeat by ignoring his superior's orders? Keneally uses Teresa's lonely existence as the focal point of this biography. Although Sickles was hardly a paragon of virtue, Keneally is perplexed at his long-standing avoidance of Teresa. He muses over why Sickles kept separate habitation after the killing when Teresa clearly would have welcomed his return. Later, he mourns the lack of her presence at Sickles' various Army encampments when other generals had their wives visit, if for no other reason than troop morale. Meagher, a favourite of Keneally's, is held up in contrast. This Irish ex-convict's wife "Libby" graced the camp frequently. Libby, however, hadn't taken any lovers to arouse her husband's ire. Even after a thorough analysis of the mores of the times, Keneally can't forgive Dan Sickles failure to forgive.This book is strangely structured. Keneally provides a long build-up to the murder, then dwells over the details of the trial. No particular is overlooked, from the courtroom temperature to the malodorous spectators. Forced to limit his description of one lawyer's two day long presentation to eight pages, Keneally manages to convey the role of oratory in the United States at mid-19th Century. Sickles' role as a general is well-presented, but is over-focussed. Sickles' ability to deal with Mary Lincoln is given more space than military engagements or the war environment. As a biography, there is some rationale for this, but the reader best consult some other works for a fuller picture. The post-war years, with Sickles postings to the Reconstruction South and his escapades in Europe slide past rapidly. His bizarre second marriage and later life could use some analysis, no matter how far-fetched, but Keneally simply rambles through the known information and leaves the reader to work out the motivations. At the end, he frankly states the book was written in honour of Teresa's memory. An unusual approach, but one likely to find favour with today's

Dan Sickles: Congressman, General. Ambassasor, Murderer

Sickles chose the beginning of his career with care by joining Tammany Hall. He worked with fervor in their behalf and gave substantial help towards the election of President Buchanan. While in New York, he stayed in the household of Lorenzo da Ponte and seduced his married daughter, Maria Bagioli. Thinking twice about it, he went after Maria?s more delicious daughter Teresa, age 15. The archbishop of New York married Dan and the visibly pregnant Teresa. The child was called Laura.Using his Tammany connections, Sickles got elected to the US Congress. There he was active as ever as well as successful in handing out favors, with the help of president Buchanan. He had a grand lifestyle in Washington and, when in need of funds, took them from money entrusted to him. Being so busy, Dan neglected his wife Teresa. And Teresa found herself a lover: Burton Key. When Sickles became aware of this liaison, he got hold of Key and shot him to death. During the ensuing court proceedings, he had the then novel ides of pleading ?temporary insanity? and was acquitted.And now the Civil War started, and Dan was truly in his element. He raised a brigade of Germans and Irishmen in New York,became a brigadier general and was off to do battle. His big moment came a few years later during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. He pulled his troops out of position against the orders of General Meade and got creamed, although the Union won the battle on the third day. Dan also caught a cannonball in his right leg, which was amputated and sent to Washington, where it can be seen nowadays at the Walter Reed Hospital.After the war, Dan was appointed Military Governor of North and South Carolina, and some years down the road ambassador to Spain. There he married a second time, Teresa having died of tuberculosis. At the same time, he made trips to Paris, to console the former Queen Isabella II of Spain.Returning to New York - without his new family - he was elected to one term of Congress and was then appointed chairman of the New York State Monuments Commission. And, again, money was missing from the till..Dan Sickles died in 1914 at the age of 95. His first love always was the army. On a parallel track, he loved women to his dying days. But he was disaster upon his family. He reconciled with Teresa, but never let her come close to him again. His daughter Laura died of neglect and alcoholism. He did not talk to his second wife for 27 years and hardly acknowledged the two sons from that marriage. Dan Sickles was a famous man, but certainly not a nice one.Keneally usually writes his historical books like novels, in a beautiful poetic style. But so many minute details are known about the life of Daniel Sickles that he had to write this book in a more reportorial style. Also, it would have been a very nice touch by the publishers to include some photographs that surely are available. It is a wonderful book and well worth reading.