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The Diary of a Public Man
The Diary of a Public Man was first published anonymously in the ''North American Review'' in 1879.〔"The Diary of a Public Man: Unpublished Passages of the Secret History of the American Civil War", North American Review, 129 (Aug. 1879), 125-40; (Sept. 1879), 259-73; (Oct. 1879), 375-88; (Nov. 1879), 484-96.〕 Its entries are dated between December 28, 1860, and March 15, 1861, the desperate weeks just before the start of the American Civil War. The Diary appeared to offer verbatim accounts, penned by a long-time Washington insider, of behind-the-scenes discussions at the very highest levels during the greatest crisis the country had yet faced. Its pithy quotations attributed to the key principals -— Stephen A. Douglas, William H. Seward, and especially Abraham Lincoln —- have long been accepted by historians. David Potter, a leading specialist on 1860-61, said it contained "astonishing" revelations made by someone "who possessed an authoritative personal knowledge of affairs at the time of secession.”〔Potter in ''Journal of Southern History'' (Feb. 1947) 13#1 pp 118–19. 〕 In the 21st century historians concluded that the diary was written by journalist William Henry Hurlbert in 1879, and represents not a real diary but a memoir. It contains both valuable unique information as well as a few fictional elements.〔Daniel W. Crofts, "Tracking Down “The Public Man,” ''Journal of the Gilded Age & Progressive Era'' (2012) 11#4 pp 497-517.〕
==Contents of the Diary==
Douglas, the leading Northern Democrat who narrowly defeated Lincoln in 1858 to retain his Senate seat but who then lost to him in the 1860 presidential election, reached out to his former antagonist as the crisis deepened. Lincoln, who wanted to keep Northern Democrats "close to the Administration on the naked Union issue", proved receptive. Nothing better symbolized the rapport between the two Illinois rivals than an incident reported by the diarist on inauguration day. As Lincoln prepared to speak, he scarcely could find room for his hat on the "miserable little rickety table" that had been provided for the occasion. Douglas reached forward, "took it with a smile and held it during the delivery of the address". This spontaneous gesture "was a trifling act, but a symbolical one, and not to be forgotten, and it attracted much attention all around me".
The diarist and Douglas both pinned their hopes for a peaceful settlement on Seward, who emerged as Lincoln's Secretary of State after having lost the Republican presidential nomination in 1860. Although his long public career as governor and senator from New York earned him a somewhat undeserved reputation for stigmatizing the South, Seward attempted during the secession winter to find a middle ground that would preserve the peace and hold the Union together. He became, in the eyes of the diarist, "the one man in whose ability and moderation the conservative people at the North have most confidence".
From its first paragraph to its last, ''The Diary of a Public Man'' recounts the twists and turns as two successive presidents, the repudiated James Buchanan and the untested Lincoln, attempted to figure out what to do about Fort Sumter, the besieged federal fortress located on an artificial island at the mouth of Charleston harbor, South Carolina. The Diary conveys a strong sense of on-the-spot immediacy, reinforced by the diarist’s excellent ear. He wrote as if he were seated next to the principals and holding an audio recorder. Anyone who attempts to understand what was going through Lincoln’s mind as he took office and as he made the fateful decisions leading to war is bound to find the Diary intriguing.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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