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Description and Holding Information
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Anon., 1863, Toussaint Louverture, Bio. & Autobio., (Redpath)
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Toussaint Louverture: Biography and autobiography: editor unidentified, x+12-366p, Boston, James Redpath, 1863. (The editor is not identified, but
this title is sometimes referred to by the name of the publisher; i.e, “Redpath.” The compilation contains two main separate works. The first is a
reprint of the biography of Toussaint by James Beard published in 1853; see LLMC Title No. 31857. The second is an “autobiography” of Toussiant taken from
the text Memoires de la Vie de Toussiant L’Ouverture, by M.L.E. Morèau de Saint-Méry. A TOC starts on p. vii. Lacks index. Several interesting
exhibits are also appended to the compilation, namely: 1.) An account of the native resistance to Napoleon’s attempt to reconquer Saint-Domingue supposedly
penned by King Henri Christophe, pp. 331-336. 2.) An account of a visit to Fort de Joux by John Bigelow, a prominent abolitionist and associate of
President Lincoln who served as American consul in Paris during the Civil War; see pp. 347-357. Before the war Bigelow was one of the first Americans to
visit Haiti, after which he wrote The Wisdom of the Haitians, one of the very few American works which took a positive view of Haitian independence.
3.) The autopsy report of the French doctor, Tavernier, called to examine Toussiant the day after his death in Fort de Joux, included as part of the
Bigelow piece above; see pp. 353-4. 4.) The stirring peroration of a speech on Toussaint given by Wendell Philipps, American lawyer, brilliant orator and
fervid abolitionist, which testifies to the Haitian’s reputation in American liberal community; see p. 366. 5.) A lengthy poem in tribute to
Toussaint’s career and death by John Greenleaf Whittier; see pp.358-365. Only in part due to its excessive length, the poem is from a literary viewpoint far
inferior to the famous sonnet on Toussaint by William Wordsworth; see LLMC Title No. 31493. However, it does contain a few quotable lines, and serves
as a testament to the degree to which Toussaint’s heroism and integrity inspired the English of all classes. 6.) An account of a visit to the Fort de
Joux prison by the British writer Harriet Montineau, author of the historical romance The Hour and the Man, 1841, a novel based on Toussaint’s life, to
which this account served as a postscript; see pp. 337-346. A comparison of the Wordsworth poem with the novel by Montineu is made by the feminist
scholar Kristen Mahlis in an article in the “European Romantic Review”; V.22, #3, June 2011, p. 331-337
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Title:
Toussaint L'Ouverture, a biography and autobiography / editor, James Redpath.
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OCLC Number:
894116609
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Available Volumes
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| Name | Fiche Count | Online | Paper Backup |
| Volume 1 | | Yes | No |
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