A Secession Crisis Enigma : William Henry Hurlbert and 'The Diary of a Public Man'

"The Diary of a Public Man," published anonymously in several installments in the North American Review in 1879, claimed to offer verbatim accounts of secret conversations with Abraham Lincoln, William H. Seward, and Stephen A. Douglas -- among others -- in the desperate weeks just before the start of the Civil War. Despite repeated attempts to decipher the Diary, historians never have been able to pinpoint its author or determine its authenticity. In A Secession Crisis Enigma, Daniel W. Crofts solves these longstanding mysteries. He identifies the author, unravels the intriguing story behind the Diary, and deftly establishes its contents as largely genuine. According to Crofts, the Diary was not a diary at all but a memoir, probably written shortly before it appeared in print. The mastermind who created it, New York journalist William Henry Hurlbert (1827--1895), successfully perpetrated one of the most difficult feats of historical license -- he pretended to have been a diarist who never existed. Crofts contends, however, that Hurlbert's work was far from fictional. Time after time, the Diary introduces material virtually impossible to fabricate along with previously concealed information that was corroborated only after its publication. The Diary bristles with precise details regarding the struggle to shape Lincoln's cabinet and the composition of his inaugural address. Crofts's careful analysis, accompanied by the full text of the Diary in an appendix, offers a bold new perspective on the frantic scramble to reverse southern secession while avoiding the abyss of war. Hurlbert, a long-forgotten eccentric genius, emerges vividly here. Part detective story, part biography, and part a detailed narrative of events in early 1861, A Secession Crisis Enigma presents a compelling answer to an enduring mystery and brings "The Diary of a Public Man" back into the historical lexicon. "The diary of a public man," published anonymously in several installments in the North American Review in 1879, claimed to offer verbatim accounts of secret conversations with Abraham Lincoln, William H. Seward, and Stephen A. Douglas--among others--in the weeks just before the start of the Civil War. Despite repeated attempts to decipher the diary, historians never have been able to pinpoint its author or determine its authenticity. The author identifies the author, unravels the intriguing story behind the diary, and establishes its contents as largely genuine. According to the author, the diary was actually a memoir of New York journalist William Henry Hurlbert (1827-1895). He successfully perpetrated one of the most difficult feats of historical license--he pretended to have been a diarist who never existed. But Hurlbert's work was far from fictional. The diary introduces material impossible to fabricate along with previously concealed information that was corroborated only after its publication. It gives precise details regarding the struggle to shape Lincoln's cabinet and the composition of his inaugural address CONTENTS......Page 8 Preview......Page 10 1. Deciphering “The Diary of a Public Man”......Page 16 2. Proving Who Wrote the Diary......Page 29 3. Young Hurlbert......Page 43 4. Hurlbert the Journalist......Page 58 5. Hurlbert and the Secession Crisis......Page 73 6. A Fiction—Nothing More nor Less?......Page 84 7. The Lincoln Interviews......Page 108 8. Hurlbert and Ward......Page 128 9. Promoting the Diary......Page 144 10. Hurlbert and the World......Page 166 11. Connecting Past and Present......Page 193 12. Scandal and Summation......Page 209 Epilogue: “The Diary of a Public Man” and the Lincoln Legend......Page 221 APPENDIX: The Text of “The Diary of a Public Man”......Page 230 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 286 B......Page 290 C......Page 292 D......Page 293 F......Page 294 H......Page 295 L......Page 297 M......Page 298 N......Page 299 P......Page 300 R......Page 301 S......Page 302 W......Page 304 Y......Page 305 Illustrations......Page 162 Deciphering "The diary of a public man" Proving who wrote the diary Young Hurlbert Hurlbert the journalist Hurlbert and the secession crisis A fiction nothing more nor less? The Lincoln interviews Hurlbert and Ward Promoting the diary Hurlbert and the world Connecting past and present Scandal and summation Epilogue: "The diary of a public man" and the Lincoln legend Appendix: The text of "The diary of a public man."