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WORK TITLE: Soldier, Diplomat, Archeologist
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.peglamphier.com/
CITY:
STATE: CA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2003033233
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2003033233
HEADING: Lamphier, Peg A.
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100 1_ |a Lamphier, Peg A.
670 __ |a Lamphier, Peg A. Kate Chase and William Sprague, c2003: |b ECIP t.p. (Peg A. Lamphier)
670 __ |a Soldier, diplomat, archeologist, 2017: |b t.p. (Peg A. Lamphier) about the author (Peg A. Lamphier lives in the mountains of Southern California. She is a professor at California State Polytechic, Pomona, and Mount San Antonio Community College)
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PERSONAL
Married; children: one daughter.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, editor, historian, and educator. California State Polytechnic, Pomona, instructor in interdisciplinary general education; Mount San Antonio Community College, instructor in American history and women’s history.
AVOCATIONS:Renaissance Faires, farmers’ markets.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Peg Lamphier is a writer, editor historian, and educator. She is a college instructor in American history, writing, and literature, as well as an instructor in interdisciplinary general education at California State Polytechnic Pomona, and in American history and women’s history at Mount San Antonio Community College. On the Peg Lamphier website, she stated, “American history is full of fabulous stories, many of them with women at the center, but most of us don’t know them. That’s why I’ve spent my life writing women back into history.”
Women in American History
Lamphier is the editor, with Rosanne Welch, of Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection. The four-volume set “takes a comprehensive look at the many interconnected pieces of the history and culture of American women,” commented Kaela Casey, writing in Booklist. With a total of more than 750 entries, the books cover groups, movements, important concepts, and numerous individual women who had played a role in women’s history. The editors cover well-known individuals but are also earnest in their goal of reviving interest in women who may have been forgotten or overlooked.
The sections of each volume cover a specific period of time, and include themed essays that cover important subjects that are specific to the time period under consideration, such as gender roles, childbirth, political power, and more. The books include detailed bibliographies as well. “Those who wish to study women’s role in American history will find much to relish in this thorough and enlightening” set of books, commented Jason L. Steagall, writing in Library Journal.
Kate Chase and William Sprague and Soldier, Diplomat, Archaeologist
Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage, Lamphier’s earliest book, is a “fine account of a spectacularly troubled and ultimately failed marriage between Ohio born Kate Chase (1840-1899), daughter of President Lincoln’s cabinet member Salmon Chase, and William Sprague (1830-1915), politician, Civil War officer and scion of a wealthy Rhode Island manufacturing family,” commented Joan Waugh in an H-Net review.
Lamphier turns to fiction with Soldier, Diplomat, Archaeologist: A Novel Based on the Bold Life of Louis Palma di Cesnola. In this story, the author uses the real-life di Cesnola as inspiration. Lamphier dramatizes his lengthy military career, starting with his attendance at military school at age fourteen and shifting to stints in the Sardinian army, the Crimean War, and the U.S. Civil War, where he is captured and serves a brutal captivity as a prisoner of war in Confederate camps. He survives his ordeal, and later becomes a pioneer in the relatively new profession of archaeology. Lamphier’s “rousing narrative features much engrossing military and archaeological lore, generous helpings of mayhem . . . , and a piquant love story,” remarked a Kirkus Reviews writer. The Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded that the book is an “entertaining biographical novel rich in action and period details.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, June, 2017, Kaela Casey, review of Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection, p. 46.
Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2018, review of Soldier, Diplomat, Archaeologist.
Library Journal, April 1, 2017, Jason L. Steagall, review of Women in American History, p. 107.
ONLINE
California State Polytechnic University Pomona website, http://www.cpp.edu/ (October 24,2018), biography of Peg Lamphier.
H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online, https://networks.h-net.org (May 1, 2005), review of Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage.
Peg Lamphier website, http://www.peglamphier.com (October 24, 2018).
Hi! I'm Peg Lamphier. I'm a writer, a professor, wife and mother. Like you, I'm more than one thing.
I'm a 4th generation Montanan, living in Southern California because that's where the Professor jobs are. As an American Historian I teach an a Southern California University, teaching (for now) in an interdisciplinary program where I teach American History, writing, literature and more. I also teach sustainability stuff which is why in the photo above I'm out on the grass with my students and Ted, my favorite California Desert Tortoise (they're an endangered species).
American history is full of fabulous stories, many of them with women at the center, but most of us don't know them. That's why I've spent my life writing women back into history.
I live in the mountains above LA County with a Ruggedly Handsome Husband (he makes me say that), a Freakishly Smart Daughter and, at last count, 5 dogs, 8 tortoises, 2 canaries, a cat, a fish and some mayhem. I also write. A lot. Go see the stuff under Writing Wench Press at this page.
Spread the Love!
Peg
About Peg A. Lamphier
Once an earnest Professional American Historian, Peg A. Lamphier loves history, but not most history books. She currently teaches at California State Polytechnic, Pomona, happily allowing the state of California to pay her to talk about ideas and stuff with twenty-somethings in lieu of having a "real job" (you know, something with a cubicle and grumpy adults who live for meetings).
When she's not writing Peg likes to geek out at Renn Faires and haunt farmers markets for oddly colored produce. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her family and many dogs and tortoises.
Peg's currently working on a novel series featuring Kate Warne, the real life first female Pinkerton detective. The first novel in the series, The Lincoln Special, is out, as is the second in the series, The Great Show. A third and fourth novel are coming in 2018, Rebel Belles and The Iron Widow. Peg also has the first in a series of gaslamp fantasies (think Sherlock Holmes meets X-Files) out in December. Look for Deadly Delights & Vampires: The Perils of Petronella Crabtree. You can learn more or sign up for Peg's email newsletter at her web page: www.peglamphier.com
Dr. Peg Lamphier
lamphierDr. Peg Lamphier teaches Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE) at Cal Poly Pomona, as well as American History and Women's History at Mount San Antonio Community College. Her non-fiction books include Kate Chase and William Sprague: Gender and Politics in a Civil War Marriage (2003), Spur up Your Pegasus: The Family Letters of Salmon, Kate and Nettie Chase (2009), Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection (2017) and The Encyclopedia of Technology and Innovation (forthcoming) both of which she co-edited with her Cal Poly Pomona and IGE colleague Rosanne Welch. Peg's novels include The Lincoln Special (2017) and The Great Show (2017), both part of the Kate Warne Civil War Spy Series, as well as Deadly Delights & Vampires: The Perils of Petronella Crabtree (2017) and Soldier, Diplomat and Archaeologist: The Bold Life of Louis Cesnola (forthcoming). Peg lives in the mountains with a plethora of dogs, cats, chickens, tortoises, one husband and a collection of vintage ukuleles. For more about Peg, including her blog, see www.peglamphier.com.
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Print Marked Items
Lamphier, Peg A.: SOLDIER,
DIPLOMAT, ARCHAEOLOGIST
Kirkus Reviews.
(June 15, 2018):
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Lamphier, Peg A. SOLDIER, DIPLOMAT, ARCHAEOLOGIST Barbera Foundation (Indie Fiction) $14.99
1, 16 ISBN: 978-1-947431-06-5
An Italian-born adventurer battles Austrians, Russians, Confederates, and anti-immigrant bigotry in this
fictionalized saga of a real-life American hero.
Lamphier (The Great Show, 2017, etc.) novelizes the outlines of Louis Palma di Cesnola's busy life while
imaginatively fleshing out scenes of romance, combat, and trauma. The second son of an Italian count,
Cesnola bitterly ships out to military school at the age of 14 in 1846 after his true love marries his older
brother, the heir to the family title. His timing is great: He soon enlists in the Sardinian army to join Italy's
war of liberation against the Austrian Empire; he weathers endless boredom in camp punctuated by extreme
panic in a saber melee, for which he wins promotion to lieutenant. Cashiered after getting caught in bed
with a general's wife, he finds his way to the Crimean War, where he again sits around in squalid camps but
gets in a few wild hours slaughtering Russian soldiers. Then he's off to New York under the Americanized
name Louis P. di Cesnola to wed heiress Mary Reid and join the Union Army as a cavalry colonel in the
Civil War. Many battles with Confederate cavalry genius Jeb Stuart ensue until Cesnola is captured. His
story turns dark and harrowing as he and his fellow POWs face death from disease and semistarvation in
harsh Confederate camps. Cesnola survives and, after the war, serves as U.S. consul in Cyprus, where he
turns his hand to archaeology and excavates many ancient artifacts; that new profession eventually lands
him the directorship of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The real Cesnola led an iconic 19thcentury
life, and Lamphier's energetic novel deftly conveys the dizzying self-reinventions he undertook in
that bustling age. Her rousing narrative features much engrossing military and archaeological lore, generous
helpings of mayhem ("Parnell slashed at his opponent, sinking his saber deep in the man's neck"), and a
piquant love story, as Cesnola and Mary's initially pragmatic relationship--she's lonely; he's broke--deepens
into profound affection. The story's Italian-American pride theme is sometimes intrusive, with Cesnola
quick to blame slights and reversals on anti-Italian prejudice among the WASP establishment. Still, when
his blood is up, he's a plucky, appealing hero.
An entertaining biographical novel rich in action and period details.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Lamphier, Peg A.: SOLDIER, DIPLOMAT, ARCHAEOLOGIST." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2018. General
OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A543008732/ITOF?
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Reference
Library Journal.
142.6 (Apr. 1, 2017): p107+.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No
redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
HISTORY
Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection. 4
vets, ABC-CLIO. Jan. 2017. 1828p. ed. by Peg A. Lamphier & Rosanne Welch. iIIus. bibliog. index. ISBN
9781610696029. $415; ebk. ISBN 9781610696036. REF
Those who wish to study women's role in American history will find much to relish in this thorough and
enlightening four-volume set from Lamphier (intergenerational general education, California State
Polytechnic Univ., Pomona) and Welch (intergenerational general education, California State Polytechnic
Univ., Pomona). The first volume covers precolonial North America to the early Republic; Volume 2
examines antebellum America through the Gilded Age; Volume 3 moves on with the Progressive era
through World War II; and the concluding book starts with the Cold War and moves up to present day. Each
title is divided into three sections, with ten categories of thematic essays, including childbirth and child
rearing, clothing and fashion, courtship, marriage and divorce, and education. A multi page historical
overview at the beginning of each section provides general information on the time period and concludes
with a listing of further reading. Each entry ends with a "see also" reference, which will help readers access
related information within this set of books, and a listing of further reading, including scholarly articles,
titles, and websites. Each volume has a complete index. VERDICT Recommended for academic libraries
serving women's studies students who use print reference regularly. Public libraries with patrons interested
in women's and U.S. history may also want to purchase.--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coli. Lib.,
Elkhorn, WI
The World of the American West: ADaily Life Encyclopedia. 2 vols, Greenwood. Dec. 2016. 942p. ed. by
Gordon Morris Bakken. illus. bibliog. index, ISBN 9781440828591. $198; ebk. ISBN 9781440828607.
REF
Have you ever wondered what life was really like in the Old West? What people ate, drank, and wore? How
they raised their children or what they did for fun? This engaging and detailed encyclopedia answers those
questions while exploring a wide range of important aspects of the experience of Native Americans and
European Americans of the 19th-century trans-Mississippi River West. The volume contains approximately
230 entries divided into ten topical sections on various aspects of social history--including family, politics,
religion, economics, and recreation. A short introduction starts off each section, followed by alphabetically
arranged entries of several pages. All feature "see also" cross-references and a bibliography of relevant
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resources for further study. Some entries have sidebars, and some are illustrated. The set also includes a
lengthy chronology and 12 of the era's most important primary documents. Although a few maps and more
analysis would have enhanced the work, Bakken (history emeritus, California State Univ., Fullerton) and
the contributors write in an erudite and accessible manner that will simultaneously educate and entertain.
VERDICT Lots of sound information on a variety of fascinating topics for high school students, college
undergraduates, and nonspecialists with an interest in the social, political. intellectual, and material culture
of the 1800s American West.--Rob Tench, Old Dominion Univ. Lib., Norfolk, VA
PERFORMING ARTS
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of World Folk Dance. Rowman& Littlefield. Aug. 2016. 464p.
notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781442257481. $95; ebk. ISBN 9781442257498. REF
Snodgrass (Encyclopedia if World Ballet) examines "the placement offolk dances within world history" in
this useful reference. Each entry cites its source(s) at the end. Some summaries place folk dance within a
subject, as in "Art, Folk Dance In" or "Film, Folk Dance In." Examples of dances mentioned include the
czarda, the mazurka. the polonaise. the Highland fling. and the hula as well as Native American dances such
as the sun dance and the ghost dance. There arc general entries ("Greek Dance"; 'Jewish Dance"), along
with more intriguing ones (e.g., "Dragon Dance"; "Parasol Dance"). Rituals--coming-of-age, nuptials--are
covered as well. Shamanic dance, worship dance, and sacrificial dance give yet additional perspectives on
movement as ceremony. This resource is noteworthy for its interweaving of dances with information on
their respective countries/cultures and their purposes and meanings. Students doing reports will benefit
from the helpful bibliography, which separates primary and secondary sources, and from the glossary and
chronology. Color and black-and-white photographs provide examples. Often one has to research a country
to find out more about its traditions, but this book offers an overview that is subject specific, making it a
strong option for those seeking folk dance materials. VERDICT An excellent introduction for anyone
looking for information on world folk dance and its terminology--Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO
RELIGION
Great Events in Religion: An Encyclopedia of Pivotal Events in Religious History. 3 vols, ABC-CLIO. Nay.
2016. 1046p. ed. by Florin Curta & Andrew Holt. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781610695657. $310; ebk. ISBN
9781610695664. REf
Curta (medieval history, archaeology, Univ, of Florida) and Holt (history, Florida State Coil. at Jacksonville)
have compiled in-depth articles by almost 100 scholars of history. religion, anthropology, and literature,
covering prehistory to the present. The entries are mainly Western and Christian focused, but there are
selections by experts on selected Eastern topics. Though the title refers to "Events," people, ideas, places,
and structures are also included. The length of the articles reflects the relative significance of the topic. The
lack of images, especially of iconography and architecture, is regrettable. The index cites no entries for
Shinto or Druze: shamanism, animism, and information on indigenous religions (e.g, Maori, Navajo) is
largely absent, although there are articles on "Ghost Dance." "Cargo Cult," "Cao Dai," "Baha'i," and
"Sikhi." Apart from allusions to North African Islam. African religion is mentioned only in reference to its
influence upon Caribbean Catholic syncretic sects. Every volume includes 3 lucid period overview and
alphab etical- and volume-specific topics lists. There is a reliable index in Volume 3. The editing is solid
(despite many typos) and the language nontechnical: the bibliography is full of mostly recent sources.
VERDICT Flaws aside, this set contains up-to-date material appropriate for advanced secondary and
terriary students inte rested in the topic.-Patricia D, Lothrop, formerly of St.George's Sch., Newport, RI
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Reference." Library Journal, 1 Apr. 2017, p. 107+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A488260019/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7658b45b.
Accessed 29 Sept. 2018.
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Women in American History: A Social,
Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia
Kaela Casey
Booklist.
113.19-20 (June 2017): p46.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia. Ed. by Peg A. Lamphier and
Roseanne Welch. 4v. 2017.1,828p. ABC-CLIO, $415 (9781610696029). 973.082.
This four-volume set does more than simply provide biographical information on influential American
women. With more than 750 entries on individual women, groups, movements, and concepts--and nearly
200 primary documents--the set takes a comprehensive look at the many interconnected pieces of the
history and culture of American women. Each volume covers a wide span of time and begins with a
historical overview of the time period. Within each volume, there are three subsections that cover more
defined periods of time. These subsections all close with thematic-issues essays that provide time-periodspecific
information on topics such as childbirth, gender roles, and political powers, along with
bibliographies for further research.
Individual entries are brief, focused, and provide a thorough overview of the woman or topic. Each also
includes a useful see also section and a further-reading section, which includes mostly scholarly sources. In
addition, the index includes detailed cross-referencing to further assist readers with navigating through the
set. The editors make sure to mention two important things about the work: that it would not be possible to
include all women who have made a significant impact on American history and that the well-known
women throughout history tend to be heterosexual, white, and Protestant, so care was taken to include
women of color and LGBTQ women. As a result, the work is not all-encompassing but still touches on
subjects and women who may have been overlooked in American history. With applications for history,
gender studies, political science, sociology, and more, this would be a useful addition to high-school and
undergraduate libraries.--Kaela Casey
YA/C: Suitable for high-school research needs. RV.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Casey, Kaela. "Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia." Booklist, June
2017, p. 46. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A498582669/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4f1c01f1. Accessed 29 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A498582669
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Waugh on Lamphier, 'Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage'
Author:
Peg A. Lamphier
Reviewer:
Joan Waugh
Peg A. Lamphier. Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003. 315 pp. $55.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8032-2947-1.
Reviewed by Joan Waugh (Department of History, University of California at Los Angeles) Published on H-CivWar (May, 2005)
The Taming of Kate Chase Sprague
Peg Lamphier has written a fine account of a spectacularly troubled and ultimately failed marriage between Ohio born Kate Chase (1840-1899), daughter of President Lincoln's cabinet member Salmon Chase, and William Sprague (1830-1915), politician, Civil War officer and scion of a wealthy Rhode Island manufacturing family. Lamphier could hardly have selected a richer (or more notorious) "union," which she embeds in Victorian gender, political, economic, social, legal, medical and cultural history. Lamphier worked for the Salmon P. Chase Papers, edited by the late John Niven, and has an impressive command of those documents as well as the Sprague family papers. The letters, diaries, newspapers and divorce records provide solid evidence for her assertions regarding Kate's political acumen, as well as record the details of William's life and career. Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage is a good example of how feminist scholars have recast even the most familiar stories and in doing so offer fresh perspectives on the politically charged relationship between public power and private behavior.
Background on the two principal characters forms the early chapters of this eminently readable book. For the uninitiated, Katherine Chase was beautiful, smart, and the apple of her father's eye. Widowed three times, and haunted by the deaths of four children, Salmon Chase cherished his two surviving daughters--Kate and her younger sister Nettie--although his busy schedule guaranteed both would yearn for his attention into their adult lives. Well educated and politically precocious, Kate witnessed Chase's political rise in Ohio, where he established a reputation as an anti-slavery lawyer, and helped to found the Republican Party. In the 1850s, he was elected Ohio's governor and U.S. senator, and then, famously and with distinction, served as wartime secretary of the treasury and later as chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Happily for Salmon, the nineteen-year old Kate emerged as one of Washington's top hostesses, a talent she honed earlier in Columbus. Chase gave Kate carte blanche for decorating their elegant house on the corner of Sixth and E Streets. She combined dazzling physical endowments and political savvy to create and sustain support for her father's ceaseless presidential ambitions, thwarted in 1860, 1864, and 1868. Nevertheless, Kate's brilliant parties brought the Washington power elite together and kept both father and daughter in the public eye. After socializing, Kate plotted strategy and oversaw tactics to advance her father's career. She wrote letters, convened meetings, raised campaign funds, and in 1868 traveled to New York City to oversee his bid to become the Democratic nominee. As Lamphier argues persuasively, Kate Chase should not only be acknowledged as her father's "official hostess" but also as his "unofficial campaign manager" (p. 9). In 1862 at twenty-two, she was also eminently marriageable. Clad in designer gowns from Paris and adorned with sparkling jewelry and velvet ribbons, Kate had numerous suitors vying for her hand. Enter the dashing William Sprague.
Sprague came from a privileged, if troubled background. At age thirteen, his father was murdered; at twenty-six he inherited the family's prosperous business, including the manufacture of locomotives. Elected governor of Rhode Island in 1860, the boyish Sprague led one of the first regiments formed in response to the Union's call for volunteers in 1861. His able performance at Bull Run earned him a reputation as a hero. In 1862, the year he met and wooed Kate, William was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate. Their shockingly extravagant marriage on November 12, 1863 invited criticism but was attended by everybody who was anybody in Washington from the President on down.
At first glance, it seemed a charmed marriage, but events soon proved otherwise. Sprague's public accomplishments must be judged alongside his weakness for alcohol, his constant philandering, and his verbal and physical abuse of his wife. From the start the seventeen-year marriage was stormy, and divorce rumors circulated as early as 1866. Kate and William managed to spend more time apart than together with deliberately public reconciliations satisfying anxious parents and prying reporters. Kate's devotion to her father may have caused some of the early tension. After the honeymoon, the young couple returned to live in Chase's home, and Kate continued to serve as her father's chief political aide, even as she was pregnant with the first of four children. After Salmon failed to capture the presidential nod in 1868, he retired to his estate in Edgewood, just outside the capital, where Kate visited him frequently until his death in 1872.
Kate's evident marital unhappiness was somewhat assuaged by trips to Europe, where she spent huge amounts of money furnishing their sixty-room mansion, "Canonchet" in Rhode Island. After years of enduring William's unfaithfulness, in the 1870s Kate embarked on an indiscreet affair with one of the most powerful and charismatic Republican politicians of the era, New York Senator Roscoe Conkling. It utterly ruined Kate. The lovers met most often at Edgewood, but it was at Canonchet that Sprague surprised them together and ran Conkling off the property with a shotgun. A messy and scandalous divorce soon followed, finalized in 1882. Kate's subsequent downfall was as rapid as it was tragically emblematic of women's unequal vulnerability to the harsh consequences of scandalous behavior. Secluded and shunned in a decaying Edgewood, reduced to eking out extra money by selling eggs and milk door to door in Washington City, Kate Chase Sprague died in 1899 at fifty-eight of Bright's disease.
What happened to the dissolute husband? William's career continued apace, although never fulfilling his early potential. He was reelected as U.S. Senator, serving until 1875. The Sprague fortune took a serious blow in the depression of 1873, but William was still able to live well at Canonchet with his second wife. He died in Paris in 1915. The reader should be advised that Lamphier openly dislikes William, describing him as "an abusive and unrepentant drunkard who spectacularly failed his family" (p. 10). Her assessment may be accurate, but the result is a work skewed more favorably toward Kate. The account of their lives is laced with scholarly discussions on political ideology, Victorian family dynamics, romantic love, companionate marriage, the varieties of manhood, and domestic violence. This analytical context is necessary for making the book more than a lurid tale about sex, scandal, and corrupt politics. Lamphier explores and explains the restraints society imposed on women and illuminates the achievements of Kate Chase, who boldly challenged the standards of her era.
Importantly, Lamphier reverses earlier portraits of Kate Chase Sprague as a selfish, spoiled belle who sought power for power's sake through the manipulation of powerful men, although she does not shy from discussion of her subject's many character flaws. Rather, Lamphier suggests that "Kate's ambition for the men in her life was fundamentally partisan and political," thus broadening the definition of political behavior for women (p. 251). Kate, she insists, should be seen as a prominent figure within the Republican Party of the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Daughter, wife, and mistress to politicians, Chase Sprague imbibed the Republican ideology that emphasized free labor and personal autonomy. This set of beliefs explained Kate's commitment to, and influence in, the Party throughout the 1860s and 1870s. The Republican Party's ideology made it inherently more welcoming to women, and the author points out that one possible result of the emphasis on "self-ownership" was the rise of divorces initiated by women in the late nineteenth century. Indeed, Lamphier describes Kate's divorce as an act of political courage that struck a blow for "a powerful ideal of women's right to personal freedom" (p. 9).
In the end, Kate Chase Sprague commands respect as a complex, fascinating, and disturbingly tragic figure whose historical reputation deserved this thoughtful reconsideration. More broadly, Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage brings to light the importance of marriage as not only the most intimate of human relationships, but also as an institution with the most profound consequences for society.
Printable Version: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=10541
Citation: Joan Waugh. Review of Lamphier, Peg A., Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage. H-CivWar, H-Net Reviews. May, 2005. URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=10541
Copyright © 2005 by H-Net, all rights reserved. H-Net permits the redistribution and reprinting of this work for nonprofit, educational purposes, with full and accurate attribution to the author, web location, date of publication, originating list, and H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online. For any other proposed use, contact the Reviews editorial staff at hbooks@mail.h-net.msu.edu.