Littleton Washington's Journal

NOW AVAILABLE! THE NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED MEMOIRS OF THE CONFEDERATE SECRETARY OF STATES CHIEF AIDE!

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Born in the District of Columbia to one of the First Families of Virginia, Littleton Q. Washington attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, before securing a clerkship at the U.S. Treasury Department. In 1855, he joined the U.S. Customs House in San Francisco and became embroiled in that citys Vigilante Uprising. Dismissed from his patronage job during James Buchanans administration, Washington made a wild and dangerous journey home across Mexico, which was then entering a bloody reform war.

Returning to the District of Columbia, Littleton tried using his government connections to earn a living as a lobbyist but he was not financially successful. He also became more active in journalism and party politics.

An ardent secessionist, Washington helped send secret information to South Carolinas governor during the Fort Sumter crisis. In April 1861, he fled from the District of Columbia and traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, where he secured a lieutenants commission in the Confederate Army from Jefferson Davis. Washington served at the battle of First Bull Run. He then briefly edited the Richmond Examiner before joining the Confederate State Department where he worked as the chief aide to Judah Benjamin for the balance of the war. He also enlisted in the home guard called out to defend the Confederate capital in 1863 and 1864. Littleton was a close friend of Mary Chesnut and is mentioned frequently in her famous diary.

This book is a valuable reference as another first-person account of wartime Richmond. The journal offers a fascinating character study of one man caught up in the most turbulent period of American history.

About the Editor: Douglas Lee Gibboney is the author of several books, including "Stonewall Jackson at Gettysburg," "Murder at Cleaver Stadium" and "Tragic Glory." His CD of original songs, "Guitars, Girls & Motels," is available through Amazon.com.