Civil War and Reconstruction in AlabamaFleming, Walter L. (Walter Lynwood)
History
Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama
Fleming, Walter L. (Walter Lynwood)
Alabama -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865; Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877) -- Alabama
Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, and Tuscaloosa were the headquarters of the
strongest newspapers. The _Mobile Tribune_ and the _Register and
Advertiser_ were suppressed when the city fell; the material of the latter
was confiscated. Both had been strong war papers. In April, 1865, the
_Montgomery Advertiser_ sent its material to Columbus, Georgia, to escape
destruction by the raiders, but Wilson's men burned it there. In
Montgomery the newspaper files were piled in the street by Wilson and
burned; and when Steele came, with the second army of invasion, the
_Advertiser_, which was coming out on a makeshift press, was suppressed,
and not until July was it permitted to appear again. The _Montgomery
Mail_, edited by Colonel J. J. Seibels, who had leanings toward peace,
began early in 1865 to prepare the people for the inevitable. Its attitude
was bitterly condemned by the _Advertiser_ and by many people, but it was
saved from destruction by this course.[608]
Publishing Houses
Most of the people of Alabama had but little time for reading, and those
who had the time and inclination were usually obliged to content
themselves with old books. The family Bible was in a great number of homes
almost the only book read. Most of the new books read were published in
Atlanta, Richmond, or Charleston, though during the last two years of the
war Mobile publishers sent out many thousand volumes. W. G. Clark and Co.,
of Mobile, confined their attention principally to text-books, but S. H.
Goetzel was more ambitious. His list includes text-books, works on
military science and tactics, fiction, translations, music, etc. The
best-selling southern novel published during the war was "Macaria," by
Augusta J. Evans of Mobile. It was printed by Goetzel, who also published
Mrs. Ford's "Exploits of Morgan and his Men," which was pirated or
reprinted by Richardson of New York. Evans and Cogswell of Charleston
published Miss Evans's "Beulah." Both "Macaria" and "Beulah" were
reprinted in the North. Goetzel bound his books in rotten pasteboard and
in wall-paper. Goetzel was also an enterprising publisher of translations.
In 1864 he published (on wrapping-paper) a four-volume translation, by
Adelaide de V. Chaudron, of Muhlbach's "Joseph II and His Court." He
published other translations of Miss Muhlbach's historical novels,--her
first American publisher. Owen Meredith's poem, "Tanhauser," was first
printed in America in Mobile. An opera of the same name was also
published. Hardee's "Rifle and Infantry Tactics," in two volumes, and
Wheeler's "Cavalry Tactics" were printed in large editions by Goetzel for
the use of Alabama troops.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account