The Personal Observations of a Man of Intelligence

Late in 1861, Sir James Fergusson spent three months in Canada and the U.S. in the company of his friend Robert Bourke. Both men were socially and politically well-connected. Fergusson was a baronet, head of the Scottish Clan Fergus(s)on, and a Conservative M.P. Bourke was the son of the Earl of Mayo and later became a successful politician. Their backgrounds enabled them to meet the most prominent and military figures in Canada and on both sides of the Civil War. The ostensible objective of their trip was to investigate the state of Canadian defenses against possible invasion by the U.S. and to assess the likely outcome of the Civil War. In fact, Fergusson's real aim was to persuade Britain to enter the War on the side of the South. On his return he wrote a long letter to Lord Palmerston, then Prime Minister, in an obviously unsuccessful effort to achieve this end. (The full text of this letter is included in the book). He also wrote this account but had it privately printed in 1861 and given a quite limited distribution. Sir James evidently preferred to try to influence public policy directly rather than to mobilize public opinion. The book is here commercially published for the first time. A lengthy introduction and extensive annotations by an established Civil War scholar explain and comment upon the places, people, and situations encountered by Sir James. Despite its bias, the work is an important one in presenting the military and political observations of a shrewd and experienced ex-soldier who had distinguished himself in combat in the Crimea. The account is unique in documenting the sustained efforts of an influential British politician to change the policy of his country toward the American Civil War.