Pen of Fire: John Moncure Daniel (review)

Peter Bridges's Pen of Fire brings much needed attention to one of the most controversial, yet often overlooked, figures of antebellum and wartime America. As a diplomat, journalist, Confederate officer, and habitual duellist, John Moncure Daniel carved out a career of success and controversy in a life cut short by his own irascible nature. Although born into an esteemed Virginia family, Daniel struggled financially before achieving success in the newspaper business. While still in his early twenties, he became the chief editor of the Richmond Examiner in 1847 and proceeded to make it one of the most successful newspapers in the South. Preaching a fiery gospel of protecting slavery, states' rights, and Southern identity, Daniel took his place in the Richmond political and social arena, viciously attacking all those who stood in his way with both pen and dueling pistol. In spite of his hot temper and growing list of enemies, he made contributions to his trade by his professionalism and promotion of journalism as an academic discipline sixty years before it appeared in any college curriculum.

Daniel's patronage and support of Democratic President Franklin Pierce resulted in his appointment as U.S. envoy to the Italian Kingdom of Sardinia in 1852. During eight years in Turin, Daniel successfully reported on and monitored the unification of Italy while maintaining personal relationships with such key Italian figures as Giuseppe Garibaldi. The secession of South Carolina from the Union in December 1860 drew him back to the United States where he resumed his place as one of his state's most ardent fire-eaters. After two brief stints in the Confederate Army, Daniel returned to his lucrative editorship of the Examiner and quickly made it the sounding board for criticism of the Confederate government. His open feud with Jefferson Davis's administration led to the final duel of his life, with Confederate Treasurer Edward Elmore. The wound he received from Elmore contributed to his untimely death in March 1865, at age thirty-nine, just days before the Union army entered Richmond.

Among Pen of Fire's many strengths, none surpasses Peter Bridges's exceptional analysis of Daniel's role in U.S. foreign relations. Utilizing a vast array of both American and Italian sources, Bridges skillfully analyzes the savvy and pragmatism that surprisingly made Daniel one of the era's most efficient U.S. diplomats. He also succeeds in providing a unique political case study for Civil War historians, as Daniel continually lambasted the Confederate war effort but remained popular as a booster of Southern morale throughout the war.

However, Bridges's efforts to provide historical context to Daniel's life often prove inadequate, particularly when dealing with antebellum Virginia. An examination of his bibliography demonstrates commitment to his chapters on Italy and the Civil War, leaving contextual secondary source material for Daniel's early career noticeably thin. Regardless, this book is as an excellent resource and much needed contribution to both diplomatic and Confederate historiography.