The Source By Michael K. Shaffer
The Southern Bivouac Browsing through the various post-war publications containing accounts from former Federals and Confederates, one will usually land on the Southern Historical Society Papers, the Battles and Leaders of the Civil War series, or perhaps The Annals of the War. This column will explore each of these works, and others, in the future, but for this month, we turn to a lesser- known source – The Southern Bivouac. This monthly publication out of Louisville, Kentucky, started in September 1882 as an extension of the Southern Historical Society’s Kentucky contingent. Unlike the works mentioned above, the Bivouac offered more articles on the Western Theater, and as a later editor informed readers, the accounts in this magazine came from frontline soldiers, whose descriptions “…may be as valuable as that of a division or corps commander.” Working to accommodate the large number of submissions received in Louisville - stories submitted for consideration for use as papers during the society’s meetings - a group of former members of the famed Orphan Brigade developed the idea to collect the best of the various offerings and launch a new
The Southern Bivouac book cover.
September 2016
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publication. Certainly, the composition of this first editorial board influenced the resultant focus on the western theater. In just the second issue, October 1882, readers learned of action during the ‘Battle of Hartsville,’ perused an account of ‘Island No. 10,’ and read of ‘Columbia After Sherman’s Evacuation.’ Some things seem never to change, and the challenges modern magazine publishers face – increasing subscribers and attracting more advertisers – also confronted the Kentuckians. Struggling to attract advertisers outside the immediate area of Louisville, less than one year after starting the Bivouac, the Kentucky branch of the Southern Historical Society turned the publication over to editors W.M. Marriner and W.N. McDonald. These men continued publication until May 1885, when B.F. Avery & Sons took over the publishing role and brought Richard Knott and former Confederate Brigadier General Basil Duke in to serve as editors. Under their tutelage, the Bivouac refocused content to cover all things southern, including fiction and poetry. War stories remained, and the new publisher added various illustrations,
and the random map, to accompany military accounts. Regardless of the editorial version one reads, many accounts, not found elsewhere, exist in the pages of The Southern Bivouac. While under the purview of the first publisher, each issue contained three sections at the end. The first, ‘editorial,’ allowed musings on various subjects, as the May/June 1883 edition illustrated with a piece entitled ‘The Lesson of Decoration Day.’ Reading through the editorials will provide insight on societal thoughts during this part of the nineteenth century. Offering a special treat for those researching specific individuals, the ‘Query Box’ contained reader submissions inquiring about the location of different soldiers and officers. One example – “Question: An ex-Federal surgeon, Dr. E.R.C., New Albany, Ind., whose brother, while a prisoner, received many kindnesses at the hands of General, then Colonel Iverson, of the Fourth Georgia Cavalry, asks after the whereabouts of that gallant officer. Will some one be kind enough to answer? Answer: General Iverson died at Macon, Ga., March 4, 1873.” Closing the early editions, appropriately entitled ‘Taps,” a section containing various contemplations served to educate, enlighten, and perhaps even entertain readers. One instance, “When the news of the surrender of Lee was being communicated to Sherman’s army, a soldier who had been attentively listening cried out, ‘Thunder, why you’re the very man we’ve been looking for, for four years!” Many of the ‘Taps’ entries appeared with no author attached, while others provided the source of the quotation. Evolving as a publication, even though in existence for only five years (final edition May 1887), The Southern Bivouac expanded the scope of content, to also include details of battles in the Eastern Theater, although western accounts continued to dominate. Researchers will benefit from utilizing this resource; whether looking for personal anecdotes, accounts of little-known military action, or a glimpse into southern literature, the Bivouac will not disappoint. The editors, closing the final edition, informed subscribers of the Bivouac’s purchase. The new owner, the Century Company, would fill all remaining subscriptions with a copy of Century magazine, to include the “…forthcoming volumes, entitled, ‘Battles and Leaders of the Civil War.’” Ironically, given the struggles to obtain advertisers, the final issue carried a full-page ad on the back cover from a national company – Colgate. Thanks to the work of Broadfoot Publishing - http://www.broadfootpublishing.com, who published a five-volume set, complete with a very helpful index in the early 1990s, one can purchase this collection today. Also, remember to check WorldCat http://www.worldcat.org/ for help in finding the set in a local library. Next month, we will continue to examine other primary source materials, and please keep suggestions for future ‘The Source’ columns coming! Send them to the email address shown below. Good luck in your research!
Southern Bivouac cover page. Michael K. Shaffer: a Civil War historian, author, lecturer, and instructor, remains a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, Historians of the Civil War Western Theater, and the Georgia Association of Historians. Readers may contact
him at mkscdr11@gmail.com, or request speaking engagements via his website www.civilwarhistorian.net. Follow Michael on Facebook www. facebook.com/michael.k.shaffer and on Twitter @michaelkshaffer.
Map from an Avery published edition.