Laurence Oliphant a Real/Fictional Life

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The Trans-Caucasian Campaign of The Turkish Army Under Omer Pasha
by Laurence Oliphant
1856

Oliphant's life was interesting enough while he was alive.   He traveled extensively, a friendly British eye in a suspiciously convenient number of political hot-spots, he was an early Zionist, and in later life became entangled with mysticism.

The Trans-Caucasian Campaign was fought as part of conflicts between Russia and the Ottoman empire, Oliphant's friendship with Omer Pasha allowed him to follow the General through the war.

Oliphant's biographer, A. Taylor, identifies him as a British Secret Agent and it is in this role he finds his way, along with Ada Lovelace and Kurt Godel,  into the award winning The Difference Engine,  a steampunk alternative history coauthored by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.  

- Helen Clarke

The Military Museum, Yugoslavia

As in the case of our Military Museums Library, many of the books in the Chicksands Collection were also gifts. Fourteen Centuries of Struggle for Freedom was published by The Military Museum (Vojni muzej Beograd) in Belgrade (in what was then Yugoslavia) in 1968.

In 1973, Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, visited the Museum in his role as Defence Minister of Great Britain. He went on to serve as British Foreign Secretary (1979-1982) and as the sixth Secretary of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) from 1984 to 1988.

A presentation copy of the book was formally inscribed to Carrington, using Olde English Texte calligraphy (thanks to Donna Zambory for that information) to commemorate his visit on November 28th 1973.

In turn, Carrington presented it to the Defence Library in January 1975.






As the history of a military past that has changed radically in the past quarter century this book is a fascinating remnant of the former Yugoslavian armed forces. It is also a lesson in documenting the formation and growth of a military museum.

The Museum, founded in 1878, holds weapons from the Greek and Roman periods, through the Middle Ages, to tanks liberated from both the Allied & Axis forces during World War II.

The Museum, which is now located in Serbia, continues to document military history. Recently, an exhibit featured remnants of a US stealth aircraft downed by the Serbians during the recent war.

Thanks to Allison Wagner for pointing out this title.

French Military Biographies

Among the many subjects covered by the Chicksands Collection is Military Biography and this volume is one of the more splendid in the French section.

Gaston de Raimes (1859-1917) wrote a number of military histories, his most famous being the 3-volume set of Soldats de France: Actions Heroiques and a single volumes of Les Marins de France. Soldats de France is illustrated by Henri Pille.

Charles Henri Pille (1844-1897), French painter and illustrator, was especially known for his line drawings and contributed to a number of volumes published during the late 19^th century. The first volume of Soldats, Generaux de la republique, demonstrates the wonderful pen and ink drawings of Pille and the binding is an excellent example of the gilt decorative binding of that time period.

The many generals and commanders in this volume present a wide range of French military persuasions. For instance, Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez (1739-1823), pictured above, shared the victory at Valmy with General Francois Christophe Kellermann. Later, however, Dumouriez deserted from the Revolutionary Army, after failing to prevent the execution of Louis XVI in 1793. He fled to the Austrians and served with various continental armies before settling in Britain. Years after his death, his role as an advisor to the British as they fought Napoleon was revealed.

Vietnam War Artist

Vietnam Sketchbook:

drawings from Delta to DMZ.

by Charles Waterhouse. Rutland Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle, 1968

The work of war artists is more commonly seen in art works but is occasionally compiled in books. Charles Waterhouse served as a Marine during World War II and despite being wounded (resulting in nerve damage to his left hand) he went on to a successful art career. In 1992, he became "USMC Artist in Residence" and was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Marine Reserves.

The sketches in this volume were completed during March 1967, midway through the Vietnam War. Waterhouse was deployed as a war artist in South Vietnam on three separate tours, documenting the activities of the US Navy and Marine Corps for their individual Combat Art Collections.

Waterhouse went on to produce works documenting Marine activities up to Desert Storm and the Iraq War.

The Rough Riders

The Story of the Rough Riders. Edward Marshall. New York: G.W. Dillingham Co., 1899.

This is a history of the 1^st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry in the Spanish-American War, fought in 1898 in Cuba. Teddy Roosevelt was the most famous Rough Rider and is quite possibly the inspiration for this cover. The illustrator, Richard F. Outcault, began his career as a technical illustrator for Thomas Edison and gained fame as the creator of “Yellow Kid”, the first colour cartoon strip.

Defense of New Guinea

During the Second World War, the conflict in the Pacific Theatre ranged over a wide area of the globe, from northern India and Burma to the Marshall Islands, south to the island of New Guinea.
The Australian Anti-Aircraft Artillery was posted to New Guinea in February 1941 and were joined by American forces after the United States entered the war. On Target with the American and Australian Anti-Aircraft Brigade in New Guinea was published in Sydney Australia by Angus & Robertson, in 1943.

"Written and illustrated by men of the Front Line Forces", it contains factual and historical accounts, photographs, poetry, doggerel, drawings, cartoons and many other works depicting the attitude of the time and the activities of the troops stationed on the island.








While the majority of the contributions centre on
war-time operations, some of the photographs in
particular are considered to be unique in
documenting the ethnography of areas and tribes
within what is now Papua New Guinea.

The Malakand Campaign of 1897

Winston Churchill’s first published work of non-fiction was The Story of the Malakand Field Force: An Episode of Frontier War published in 1898. It details a military campaign on the Northwest Frontier, in an area of what is now Pakiston, close to Afghanistan. Churchill took part as a young 2^nd Lieutenant in the cavalry, but also served as “war correspondent” to The Daily Telegraph during the campaign. His book was pulled together from the columns he submitted.

The Indian border was somewhat fluid at that time – Pashtun tribes were raiding on the plains and the Russians had advanced somewhat, leading to fears of a Cossack attack. Then, in late July of 1897, thousands of native tribesmen laid siege to Malakand, a British outpost. A relief force was assembled under Sir Bindon Blood to punish the aggressors, many of whom had come out of Swat and Bunerwal which had not felt the force of British power and were spoiling for a fight. Among the weapons assigned to Blood’s force were new breech loading weapons. The campaign is also credited with inspiring Churchill’s understanding of trench warfare in WW1 and his support for the development of the tank.

One of the narratives in the Chicksands collection which also details this campaign is A Frontier Campaign: a narrative of the operations of the Malakand and Buner Field Forces, 1897-1898, by the Viscount Fincastle, VC, Lt., 16^th Queen’s Lancers and P.C. Eliott-Lockhart, Lt., Queen’s Own Corps of Guides. [London: Methuen, 1898]

Fincastle was Alexander Edward Murray, 8th Earl of Dunmore; he received the Victoria Cross for a daring rescue in August 1897 in a continuation of the campaign. This volume is illustrated with sketches by other officers accompanying the expedition, namely, Major Biddulph of the 19^th Lancers, Captain Hewett of the Royal West Kent Regiment and Lieutenant Dixon of the 16^th Lancers.

A second volume on the Malakand Expedition, also in the Chicksands Collection, is Sketches on service during the Indian frontier campaigns of 1897, by Major E. A. P. Hobday, R.A., 1^st Brigade Malakand Field Force. [London: James Bowden, 1898]

Edmund Arthur Ponsonby Hobday, Royal Artillery, was the Quarter-Master of the Malakand Field Force. A skilled draughtsman/artist, he wrote and profusely illustrated this volume. He later went on to illustrate a number of other published memoirs by fellow officers, including Service and sport on the Tropical Nile by C.A. Sykes, [London: John Murray, 1903], another volume in the Chicksands Collection.

Scenes from Hobday's description of the campaign

War in Mysore

Chicksands covers a wide variety of historical material, and is especially strong concerning subjects like the American Civil War. Another area that continues to grow as boxes are opened is that of works on the Indian Subcontinent.

Not surprisingly, many of the works are about the Sepoy Rebellion, but there are also volumes on lesser known conflicts such as the Anglo-Mysore Wars. I came across the following book concerning the Third Anglo-Mysore war:

This narrative focuses on the culmination of the war: the siege of Seringapatam in 1792 that resulted in a treaty between the British East India Company, Mysore, and their respective allies. It features some very detailed plates and illustrations:


as well as exceptional maps and orders of battle. The book is in very good condition considering its age, and was probably rebound in the 1930s (thanks Jan!).

In addition to Dirom's narrative, I also discovered a personal account of British Officer David Price who participated in these conflicts:


Price dedicates this work to his good friend - another officer named 'Moor'. While searching for more information about these books, I found that both have been digitized by other libraries. This digitization allowed me to search for Price in Dirom's narrative, but he received no mention. However, his friend 'Moor' is mentioned once for an act of bravery in command and subsequent serious (but not fatal) wounding.

These digital copies of antiquarian works are most helpful in that one often gains the ability to search them for such specific information. On the other hand, one may lose something in the process...

Here you can see a comparison of one of the highly detailed maps that has been so well preserved in our Chicksands copy of the 1794 narrative:


While the digitized version unfortunately could not account for the fold-out pages:


It goes to show just how important these original (not just digitized!) copies are to preserve and make available for researchers.

A Short History of the Jewish People: 1600 B.C.-A.D. 1935

I came across this work and found it to be especially somber - not because of its content alone, but because of its date of publication - 1936. Cecil Roth, an Oxford-educated historian, completed this work during an era of rampant anti-Semitism in Europe, but prior to the most violent events of the Holocaust.

From the Oxford Chabad Society:

"As early as 1933, Roth penned a letter of protest to the London Times against Hitler's declaration to boycott Jewish establishments. Roth wrote numerous articles and also developed books such as 'Jewish Contribution to Civilization' that was written specifically because it had the potential to show the Germans and the world how the Jews have contributed greatly to society, and possibly have the side effect of mitigating mal treatment against the Jews."

While Roth noted the pogroms against European Jewish communities in 'A Short History', he was obviously unaware of the terror that would erupt so soon after his work was published. Nevertheless, he concluded his work speaking of "dangers [to the Jewish people] which, in any other case, might prove fatal" but believed that "[the Jewish people] can look the gravest dangers and difficulties of the moment in the face, in the calm confidence that each has been encountered, and surmounted, at least once before."

It is both ominous and tragic.

The First Five Hundred

Another gem in the Chicksands Collection is this regimental history, published in New York in 1921:

The first Five Hundred; being a historical sketch of the military operations of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in Gallipoli and on the Western Front during the Great War (1914-1918) together with the individual military records and photographs where obtainable of the men of the first contingent, known as "The First Five Hundred", or "The Blue Puttees", by Richard Cramm

The Royal Newfoundland Regiment was established in 1795 and, as a loyal Colonial unit, responded quickly when the British declared war on August 4, 1914. By the end of September, nearly 1000 volunteers had signed up; however, only half of these passed the medical examination, much more stringent in 1914 than later in the war. The First Five Hundred volunteers were composed of fishermen, loggers, clerks and more than 50% were from the city of St. John's cadet brigades. Officers came from the upper class and equipment and uniforms from various organizations, including the "Blue Puttees" which gave rise to the regimental nickname. By the end of the war, 6,241 Newfoundlanders had served in the regiment.
This book, ornately illustrated with photographs and maps, tells not only the story of the Regiment but also of each individual, one through five hundred. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment was the only North American unit that took part in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. From there, the Regiment travelled to the Western Front, where the Battle of Beaumont Hamel (July 1, 1916) resulted in 733 members of the regiment either killed or wounded.


This particular copy of the book was acquired by the Ministry of Defense Library (Central and Army) in 1972; however, it was originally a presentation copy to somebody (or some office), and is inscribed "With the compliments of R.A. Squires". Sir Richard Anderson Squires was the controversial Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1919 to 1923 and again from 1928 to 1932. It is likely this copy was an official presentation made during his first term of office.

Following the Civil War

One of the strengths of the Chicksands Collection is the American Civil War (1861-1865). This title was accessioned by the War Office in 1952. Originally published in 1884, according to the book plate and stamp on the inside of the cover, it has an adventurous past.


The Army and Navy Club of New York was formed in 1871 and it is probable that the Club received the book as a gift of a member. As with many organizations and businesses, the Club went bankrupt in 1933, during the Great Depression, and the assets were disposed to various places. This book apparently went across to the U.S. Army's Recruiting Publicity Bureau, one of many army offices located on Governors Island, a 172-acre island in Upper New York Bay. The Army occupied the island from 1783 to 1966. In 2003 the Federal government transferred the property to the City of New York. Obviously, sometime before the army left, they disbanded the library and this book made its way across the Atlantic to London. Now, it's again in North America, joining the ranks of the well-travelled volumes in the Chicksands Collection.

Fact or Fraud?

Compared to the vast majority of works that make up the Chicksands collection, this book is quite recent. Published in the 1980s, 'The Specialist' by 'Gayle Rivers' (a pseudonym) is supposedly an account of an SAS serviceman's exploits in counter-terrorism. Inside the front cover of this particular book is pasted a photocopied page of several newspaper articles that debunk 'Rivers' as a fraud. Nevertheless, a quick search online reveals the credibility of this work is still debated, and Amazon classifies the work under 'nonfiction' as well as 'biography' subject headings.

Often we may get lost in an exciting narrative, and forget to read critically - here, someone has kindly taken the time to make sure we do not forget our objective eye.

The Plains of Abraham: an eyewitness account

Found in the Chicksands Collection, a small pamphlet with a brown cardboard cover reading:

Lieutenant-Colonel

Alexander Murray

of

Cringletie

--

Ob. 1762

Inside on the first page is a handwritten note:

Presented by Lt. Genl Sir J. Wolfe Murray

The preface states that the letters in the booklet were compiled by an aunt for her nephew, Lt. (now Commander) Philip C.K. Wolfe Murray, R.N.

Her note, quoted, recounts that the letters were “all I have of your great-grandfather’s”. Philip’s older brother, James, had the letters printed privately “for family circulation” but apparently sent a presentation copy to the War Office, where it was accessioned in 1933.

The letters are those of Alexander Murray, Lieutenant-Colonel (1715-1762). The eldest son of Alexander Murray, Sheriff-Deputy of Peebles & MP, Alexander went into the army at an early age and rose steadily through the ranks. He commanded the Grenadiers at the Siege of Louisburg and at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. He enjoyed a close personal relationship with General James Wolfe and indeed, his second son James Wolfe, born in 1759 (d. 1836) was the General’s god-son.

The second James Wolfe Murray (1814-1890) was a Brigadier General and his son, James Wolfe the third (1853-1919) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Artillery – and responsible for the publication of this booklet.

The letters, written between 1749 and 1761, include a brief note written on the day of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (September 13^th 1759) and another more detailed account written the following week. Excerpts include:

“At about 8 o’clock, contrary to our expectation, the French Army advanced in a column to try and break our centre, and surrounded our left flank. We advanced very slowly and resolutely to receive them, the men being determined to conquer or die in their ranks rather than be scalped and hacked…” and later

“The 17^th they sent out to capitulate, and on the 18^th I took possession with the Granadiers [sic]”

James the 3^rd added a note saying “My father used to tell me that Alexander Murray was the officer in command of the troops to whom the keys of Quebec were handed over by the French on the formal capitulation”

A rare and little-known gem of Canada’s military history, with only one other copy listed in World Cat as belonging to the National Library of Scotland.

Back and Forth

This volume on John Graves Simcoe, part of 'The Makers of Canada Series' is not particularly unusual, aside from its bookplate.


The bookplate was applied two years after publication, and apparently refers to Howard Ferguson, the Premier of Ontario from 1923 to 1930 who also served as Minister of Education.

What I have not been able to ascertain is what school this book was presented to. Was it a Canadian school, and the book eventually found its way to the U.K. Ministry of Defence? If so, this book has traveled quite a ways to make it back home to Canada.

The Duration of the Next War

"Il s'agit d'une guerre entre l'Allemagne et la France" roughly translates as "This is a war between Germany and France"

This is another in our "outputting-ly accurate predictions about World War I" series. Published in 1912, two years before the outbreak of the Great War, it attempts to deduce the duration of the war and the factors that will affect it. The author makes clear at the beginning that what follows is opinion, and the chapters then survey the writings of military men, history, and rational analysis. The author conclude early on that Germany will fight a war allied with Austria against Russia, France, and England. They then review the manpower, materiel, munitions, finances, "morals", and political systems of each country to understand how important they might be in the coming conflict. It then reviews strategic considerations before making its conclusions. I'd comment on it, but instead I'll leave you with some choice translated quotes...

"[the war] between a united Germany and Austria will have to cope with Russia, France and England." (15)

"even after its best army is met with disaster, a nation that does not want to die has not lost." (18)

"One is forced to recognize that the coming war will not be limited to one big battle" (27)

It outlines that at some point the intensity of the war will totally undermine national economies, industry, and agriculture which will cause strong pressures on governments to end the war. "Will this critical moment come at the end of three, four, or five months?...we have no serious basis for knowing this" (31)

"We must fight the idea, within the populace, that the next war will be decided and will finish after the first large battle" (32)

"Final victory will certainly come to the people with the most tenacity" (32)


Prophetic stuff...

Cataloguer's Progress

This 'Catalogue of English Official Military Works' compiled by Basil Soulsby was, he believed, "the first of its kind." Soulsby, an assistant in the Department of Printed Books at the British Museum, inscribed a dedication on the cover of this particular copy. It reads:

"The Right Hon. H. Campbell-Bannerman M.P. with the compiler's compliments 16, Jan. 1894."

Soulsby and Campbell-Bannerman both achieved great success in their careers - Soulsby eventually became Director of the General Library at the Natural History Museum in London, and Campbell-Bannerman (who was Secretary of State for War at the time of this dedication) would go on to lead the Liberal government as Prime Minister from 1905 to 1908.

Official Secrets and Official History

We pulled three copies of this out of one box. You may notice that it has two "confidential" stamps on it. It was published in 1926 but the Foreign Office, India Office, and Government of India objected to it because it contained details of secret wartime negotiations with Persian authorities, particularly over oil. Efforts were made to expunge the objectionable material but the author, Brigadier-General Frederick Moberly, stood his ground. In the end 500 copies were printed with 350 kept in Britain and stamped "confidential" and 150 going to India and stamped "Secret". Nothing is known about the copies sent to India, and only a few of the original "confidential" British copies still exist.

We know all of this because someone pasted a copy of a Guardian newspaper clip detailing all of this when the volume was declassified, the article is dated 27 October 1987.



It says that the U.K. Government issued a reprint when it was declassified, but these copies are labeled "confidential" which means they were part of the original print! One of the copies has this sticker on the front with detailed instructions about returning it because it was confidential:


If that newspaper article wouldn't have been pasted in we never would have known, so thank you to whoever thought to put it in there! An interesting example of the perils of official history.

I'm off the project as I'm heading off to the National Archives in Ottawa for the summer to do research about Dollar-a-Year Men in WWII Canada, but I've drafted a number of posts and will throw them up over the next couple of weeks. All the best Project Chicksands!

Defenseless America

This work is about how the United States possesses an inferior defense network and is open to attack by foreign aggressors, and was published in 1915 while America remained neutral in the Great War. It was written by Hudson Maxim, the co-inventor of smokeless gunpowder, and brother of Hiram Maxim, the inventor of the Maxim Machine Gun, which makes the book interesting enough in itself.

But the copy we pulled out of the box when unpacking is signed by the author, take a look...



That's right! It was signed and sent to Lord Kitchener, yes...probably THAT Lord Kitchener. Kitchener died on 5 June 1916 when his ship hit a German mine. I can't make out the last number in the date of the dedication, it seems to be May 17, 191?...if that number is a 4 or a 5 as I suspect, then this is quite a piece of history!



It is first stamped into the War Office Library in 1917 which means that, assuming that the dedication date is in 1914 or 1915, it went into Lord Kitchener's library and was donated to the War Office Library after his death.

Anyone want to take a guess? What year is that!?

The London Blitz

They’ll Never Quit, by Harvey Klemmer. Wilfred Funk, New York, 1941

Right after the title page of this book is a Preliminary Note which pointedly reads:

This book has not been censored. I purposely waited until I had left England before writing it, as, although I sympathize with Britain in her struggle against the Nazis, I did not wish to be hampered in my efforts to present to the people of America a true picture of the Blitzkrieg.

No information contained in this book was secured as a result of my official connection with the American Embassy in London. The opinions expressed are, of course, my own.

The Author

Washington, D.C.

February 6, 1941

London during the Blitz of 1940

Behind this note, lies the story of a political viewpoint at war with a personal relationship. Klemmer served in the US Embassy in London as part of the Maritime Commission. He was personally recruited by then US Ambassador Joseph Kennedy. While the two remained friends throughout their lives, their political viewpoints were widely divergent. Kennedy, in common with Charles Lindbergh, admired Hitler and felt that Germany would easily win the European War. Klemmer, while careful to remain loyal personally to Kennedy, supported the British cause and felt that London and the British Commonwealth would persevere against the Nazi war machine and the Blitz – hence, the title of his book. Following Kennedy's 1940 recall to Washington, it was Klemmer who persuaded him not to support the Germans publicly and to, if grudgingly, endorse Franklin Roosevelt as a candidate for President. It is ironic that Kennedy’s two oldest sons, Joseph Jr. and John, both fought in the war and that Joe Jr. was killed in a mission against Germany.

After the war, Klemmer worked with Averell Harriman on the Lend-Lease programme implementation. Returning to his work in the US State Department, Klemmer officially retired in 1960 but remained active as US liaison with numerous Far East governments for many more years. He died in 1992, in his 92^nd year.

An advance in the Great Game

Bhotan and the story of the Doar War, by Dr. David Field Rennie. Published 1970 by Manjusri Publishing House in New Delhi, No. 695 of a limited edition of 1000 copies. The original was published in 1866 by John Murray in London, as Bhotan and the story of the Dooar War, including sketches of a three months’ residence in the Himalayas, and narrative of a visit to Bhotan in May 1865, by Surgeon Rennie, M.D., 20th Hussars.

From Wikipedia: Britain sent a peace mission to Bhutan in early 1864, in the wake of the recent conclusion of a civil war there. The dzongpon of Punakha—who had emerged victorious—had broken with the central government and set up a rival Druk Desi while the legitimate Druk Desi sought the protection of the ponlop of Paro and was later deposed. The British mission dealt alternately with the rival ponlop of Paro and the ponlop of Tongsa (the latter acted on behalf of the Druk Desi), but Bhutan rejected the peace and friendship treaty it offered. Britain declared war in November 1864. Bhutan had no regular army, and what forces existed were composed of dzong guards armed with matchlocks, bows and arrows, swords, knives, and catapults. Some of these dzong guards, carrying shields and wearing chainmail armor, engaged the well-equipped British forces.[13] The Duar War (1864–65) lasted only five months and, despite some battlefield victories by Bhutanese forces, resulted in Bhutan's defeat, loss of part of its sovereign territory, and forced cession of formerly occupied territories. Under the terms of the Treaty of Sinchula, signed on November 11, 1865, Bhutan ceded territories in the Assam Duars and Bengal Duars, as well as the eighty-three-square-kilometer territory of Dewangiri in southeastern Bhutan, in return for an annual subsidy of 50,000 rupees.[13]

The British were constantly trying to extend and consolidate their borders in and around India and the Himalayas and access into and through Bhutan was an important goal of the Great Game. Famous in espionage annals from Rudyard Kipling’s Kim to the 2010 publication, The Horse That Leaps Through Clouds: A Tale of Espionage, the Silk Road and the Rise of Modern China by Eric Enno Tamm, the Great Game was a see-saw battle of wits, one-upmanship, secret forays and behind-the-scenes alliances to decide whether the British or the Russians would control central Asia. A foothold in Bhutan was a strategic advance for the British, who maintained cordial relations with this independent Kingdom from that date on.


A view of the current Bhutanese cavalry heading towards a border patrol

An Interesting Dedication

Strange Fighters, We British! by Trevor Evans (Industrial Correspondent of the “Daily Express”) – published in 1941, about the events of 1941 – the dedication reads:

“This book is respectfully dedicated to all who work for the victory of Britain. It is disrespectfully presented as a token of contempt for those, whoever they may be, who by their inefficiency, their indifference, or their enmity interfere with the production of our factories or impede the toil of those who work therein.”

The American Civil War and the Grand Trunk Railway

There are numerous books on the American Civil War in the Chicksands Collection, written from both sides of the conflict. One of these is entitled Confederate view of the treatment of prisoners compiled from official records and other documents, by Rev. J. William Jones, D.D., Secretary Southern Historical society – published in Richmond Va by the Society in 1876.

The Chicksands copy is inscribed on the fly leaf: Sir Henry Tyler, with compliments of J. Wm. Jones. Secy. S.H.S. Richmond Oct 2nd 1877

According to an article by David S. Williams in the Georgia Encyclopedia, Jones (1836-1909) was known as "the evangelist of the Lost Cause". Jones, a native Virginian, belonged to the first class of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1860. During the war “the fighting parson” helped form the Chaplains Association of the Army of Northern Virginia, and served troops under Generals A. P. Hill, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and Robert E. Lee, with whom he had personal friendships.

After the war Jones became embroiled in Lost Cause apologetics, arguing that the South had waged a just and holy war, and that the Confederacy produced "the noblest army . . . that ever marched under any banner or fought for any cause in all the tide of time." He held the powerful position of secretary-treasurer of the Southern Historical Society for more than a decade (1875-87) and edited fourteen volumes of the society's Papers, the major organ for the dissemination of Lost Cause ideology.

In his final years Jones lectured and preached widely. His standard prayer opening wedded his two passions: "Oh, God! Our God, our help in years gone by, our hope for years to come—God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God of Israel, God of the centuries, God of our fathers, God of Jefferson Davis, Robert Edward Lee, and Stonewall Jackson, Lord of hosts and King of kings."
Jones’ connection with Tyler is problematic; the two men seem to have nothing in common but Tyler himself is an interesting figure with a Canadian connection.

Sir Henry Whatley Tyler (1827-1908) was a railway man, rising to the position of Inspector of Railways and Company director before turning to politics, sitting as a Conservative MP from 1880 to 1892. He attended the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich and joined the Royal Engineers. In 1851, at the rank of lieutenant, he assisted Henry Cole with organizing the Great Exhibition in London. Following his appointment to Chief Inspector of Railways he spent much time on travel and planning and in 1874 was in America, inspecting the Erie system. He was a member of the abortive Channel Tunnel Commission in 1875 to 1876.

Retiring from the civil service, Tyler became President of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada in 1877, the position he held when this book, one of the many Jones compiled, was presented to him.

The Probabilities of a Franco-German War

The Chicksands Collection has had quite a few French and German books mixed in, and since there is quite a bit of older material - by North American standards anyway - we come across a lot of material published in France and Germany during both World Wars. They give you a bit of a window into the issues of the day and the attitudes towards fighting another war. I've also seen quite a few books from just before the wars broke out speculating on the coming war. While there will always be voices that predict the next war - some will be right, some will be wrong - we've come across some surprisingly accurate predictions! For example...



"Les Probabilités d'une Guerre Franco-Allemande" translates as The Probability of a Franco-German War and notice it was published in 1913, about a year before the start of World War One. It could just be some wild speculation, but some of the conclusions are shockingly close to what would happen. The first chapter does a short survey of past Franco-German wars. The second chapter discusses how the next European war must include Germany, how England's "splendid isolation" will be broken and England will enter the war against Germany, and then goes on to look at the role of Austro-Hungary, the Balkans, and Russia with the chapter concluding that "An Austro-Russian war is a probable eventuality, perhaps very soon." The next chapter concludes that, "A Franco-German war will most likely result from a war between Austria and Russia."

While it is staggering how exact the future seems to be predicted, the most unsettling part of reading this work is that it doesn't talk about if a war between France and Germany will happen but when it will happen. It continually uses phrases like "the coming war" and "when war does finally happen." You get the sense from reading it that war was a foregone conclusion, everyone was instead focused on how to win it.

I'll try to find out more about the author and post about who he was at a later date!

The Occupation of Belgium

The German plan of attack in WWI called for a quick war to knock out France while the Russian army mobilized, thereby avoiding a two front war. To do this they created The Schlieffen Plan which called for the German Army to go around the main French defenses on the French-German border by marching through Belgium. When the major opening battles were finished the Germans were left in control of most of Belgium, and they installed the General Governorate of Belgium, a military system to administer the country. That's where this curious book comes in...

click to enlarge

The text on that page roughly translates as:

Law and Official Gazette of the occupied territories of Belgium

contains
the
laws, regulations and notices

from 1 january to march 31 1917

(from nr. including 295 to 327)

Brussel

published by the political department at the Governor General in Belgium. To be obtained in Belgium by the print shop of the Act and Official Gazette, Brussel, lowenerstr. 40 in Germany and in neutral countries by the German post offices

This is a journal of the "laws, regulations and notices" passed by the Germans controlling Belgium. If you look at the photo again you'll notice that there are two stamps in the top left corner by the General Staff Library in the War Office on 30 April and 17 October 1917, which means we know this books was printed and published during the war. This begs the question: How did the British manage to get a copy of this while the war was still being fought? Any ideas?