Garibaldi and the American Civil War

Abstract

GARIBALDI AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR Edited by Herbert Zettl In the Forbes Collection at Harvard University's Baker Library there is a substantial and impressive set of letters, account books and invoices dealing with the nineteenth-century China trade and particularly with the activities of the House of Russell & Company and its subsidiaries, the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company and the Yangtze Insurance Association. Russell & Company had long been the source of many New England, and, more especially, Bostonian fortunes. John Murray Forbes, in fact, liked to refer to the House as the "milch cow" or the "golden goose" to which one need only attach himself for a period of time in order to return home a wealthy man. The House was controlled almost continuously by Forbes brothers, sons, nephews and cousins to the extent that they, themselves, liked to style their position in the House as the Forbes dynasty. Fortunately, they all had a sense of history and sedulously collected and saved nearly all their papers. The collection at Harvard is, in fact, only one part of the Forbes Papers, there being a massive companion collection at the Massachusetts Historical Society. One of the letters in the Harvard Collection was written to Paul Sieman Forbes in September, 1861, by N. M. Beckwith, a partner in Russell & Company from 1857-1860.1 After 1860, Beckwith won a position in the American diplomatic establishment in Paris. It may well be said that his training in China had prepared him for diplomacy , for, in addition to keeping the peace among the often fractious partners in Russell & Company, he was also charged with many of the financial affairs of young Houqua. Young Houqua was the son of one of the wealthiest merchants of that day, Wu Ping Ch'ien, better known in New England lore as Houqua, a man whose memory is kept alive at the Forbes Museum in Milton, Massachusetts. During Beckwith's days in China, the attacks of Great Britain's Lord Elgin from without and the T'ai P'ing rebels from within were threatening the stability and straining the fiscal nerves of the Ch'ing dynasty that had ruled in China since 1644. Continuous levies were 1 The author wishes to thank Professor Francis Carpenter, a former colleague, for bringing the letter to his attention. 70 visited upon China's wealthiest subjects, and it became Beckwith's task to save his Chinese client, young Houqua, from as much exploitation as possible. As it was, Houqua was forced to surrender $800,000.00 to the government. By the time he left for Paris, Nelson Marvin Beckwith was prepared for any task requiring political tact. Of course, Beckwith arrived in Paris at the beginning of the American Civil War. At about the same time someone in Washington had conceived the idea of soliciting Garibaldi's assistance in the military operations against the South. Beckwith's reactions to the proposal, his account of the negotiations, and his impressions of Garibaldi are entertaining reading which provides some additional insight into the complex nature of the mercurial Garibaldi. Beckwith's firstblush reactions are best told by himself. Paris, 15 Sept. 1861 My dear Forbes As the papers will talk about Garibaldi I may as well tell you what occurred: He intimated to the Govt at Washington that he would be disposed to take part in the contest if the condition of Italy would permit him to do so whereupon the Govt2 ordered Sanford to go and make him an offer. S. wanted me to go with him and I replied, "I do not wish to go— you will fail; he will be sure to raise the slavery question on which you must split; besides we don't want Garibaldi. He is a noble fellow but if we can't fight our own battles nobody can do it for us; I hope he will refuse to go—nevertheless since the Govt wants him or thinks it does—we ought to do what we can to carry out their plans and not criticize them—it is the only way in war or business—follow your leader and ask no questions—I will go if you say...