A few days after arriving at Boston, I dined with Mr. Charles Francis Adams, who had for many years been the United States Minister in England. I had met him frequently at the house of Sir Charles Lyell in London. The conversation turned chiefly upon the conduct of the troops in the Civil War,[3] all the details of which were eagerly discussed.
An officer present, who had commanded a brigade with distinction throughout the campaign, gave us some information with regard to the behaviour of the troops of the Northern army under fire, from the point of view of their respective nationalities. Of the negroes he spoke highly from personal knowledge, for during a part of his service, a regiment of those troops was placed under his command. He said that they were not intelligent, but were easily disciplined and controlled. They were found to be useful in covering an assault as they did not appear to be shaken in their courage or firmness by any great slaughter in their ranks.
The Germans were expected to be cool and phlegmatic, but it was found that they were excitable and easily startled and unsettled. The Irish were always ready to fight, but they were soon depressed by any reverses. The Americans were excellent as cavalry, as infantry they were steady and deliberate.
I mentioned that, at West Point, I had met General Vogdes, who had commanded a negro regiment, and that he considered his men to have proved that they were reliable and obedient, and capable upon occasions of showing that they were not wanting in daring. In the operations around Nashville, a great proportion of the losses in the army fell upon the coloured troops in consequence, as the general commanding reported, of the brilliant manner in which they charged the enemy’s earthworks. This kind of dashing courage on the part of negroes, who had been bred in slavery, was surprising. I was deeply interested in hearing the details of the war, particularly such of them as related to the conduct of the black troops when under fire.
I had seen in the South, the emotional side of the character of the American born negroes, as shown in their political meetings and their religious services, but I had not been previously aware that these apparently lethargic people had by nature, the capacity for becoming brave and impulsive soldiers. It is obvious that they felt they were fighting for freedom, and for the emancipation of their wives and children, the most powerful incentives that could stimulate their actions. They were ready and willing to face the risk of death in order to obtain that freedom which, to those that have it not, must be the most coveted prize that this world can give.
One afternoon I went to Cambridge for the purpose of meeting Mr. Bartlett, a partner in the publishing firm of Messrs. Little and Brown. I was indebted to him for many kind acts in assisting me in visiting the museums, and we had arranged to go to the Harvard University together, in order to have an interview with Professor Agassiz, who had returned from Florida, where he had been engaged in the examination of the coral reefs.
After looking at the extensive collection of corals and shells which had been placed in the Museum, we walked across the college grounds to the Professor’s house. I delivered my letter of introduction, and was received with great courtesy. Agassiz for some time talked about his varied experiences in many parts of the world and his recent researches, but upon hearing that I was going to visit the prairies in the North-west, he showed much interest in the details of the journey that I proposed to take.
He said that he had been in many parts of those prairies, and had made several careful investigations with the object of establishing certain facts with regard to their formation, and had come to the conclusion that they were caused by glacial action. He thought that the theory that they were once sea beaches was erroneous, for he was convinced that the sea had never been in those regions. He also spoke about the consequences of the habits of the numerous herds of buffaloes that had roamed, in remote times, over those lands and had made their wallows there. These shallow depressions collected large quantities of water, and influenced the manner in which many of the streams originated.
After having drawn my attention to the chief objects of geological interest that might possibly come within my notice in the region to the south of Lake Superior, Agassiz mentioned his work in Florida. He had given much consideration to the outlying banks fringing the southern coasts of that promontory. The facts he had established were not in accordance with the views of Darwin and Lyell. “If,” he said, “the Pacific formations were as described by Darwin and others, those on the coast of Florida were entirely different. In no way could Darwin’s theory explain the Florida formations.” He had ascertained that the corals grew up from great depths, for he had dredged to a depth of eight hundred fathoms and had brought up live corallines; thus proving that they existed and worked in very deep waters. It was his opinion that Darwin’s coral theories had not had a sufficient study of evidence given to them.
In the evening, at Mr. Ticknor’s house, there were present at dinner Commodore Rogers, Superintendent of the Navy Yard; Mr. Francis Parkman, author of several historical works relating to the early European settlements in North America; Mr. Hillard, also an author of considerable reputation, and Mr. Frank Parker. Mr. Ticknor[4] told us anecdotes of his travels in Europe soon after the restoration of Louis XVIII. He had known many of the celebrities of that time, and spoke of Sir Walter Scott, Sir Humphrey Davy, Mrs. Siddons, Lord and Lady Byron, Talleyrand, Madame de Stael and Madame Récamier.