Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1911-08-02
Tale of War and Literature

nephew of President Theodore D
Woolsey of Yale college, and inherit
ed the fine literary capacity which
has distinguished members of the
Woolsey family, and which was later
best exemplif1ed by the writings OF
Sarah Susan Woolsey, Theodore Wool
sey's cousin, widely known by her pen
name, Susan Coolidge.
"Yet Theodore Winthrop was great
lover of outdoor life. I have some
times thought that it would have been
fortunate could he have been brought
in touch with Thoreau, the great ma
ture lover and poet-philosopher, at the
time Thoueau was living on Staten
island. Thoreau went there about the
time that Theodore Winthrop came to
my house on the island to live. I do
not think, however. that they ever
met.
Winthrop ha0 given up a mercan-
tile career, because the call to litera-
ture had mastered him. He felt that
he could make use of some o. his ex-
periences upon the Pacific coast and
at Panama in romantic fiction. He
wrote constantly, and he had the GUS
tomary experience of young and I'M
known Enthusiastically after
manuscript was refused by publishers
Still he persevered. And then came
the Civil war and he enlisted.
Il saw Theodore Winthrop on hil
way to the front with the Seventh
New York regiment as it passed down
Broadway to the steamboat. thought
him in his military uniform about the
fairest and handsomest young man I
ever had seen. He saw me and waved
his hand to me and to other members
of my party.
II never knew exactly how it hap
pened that Winthrop, after he reached
the front at Washington, was trans
ferred to the staff of Gen. Benjamin F.
Butler, who was at Fortress Monroe.
1t seemed a promotion, but it was the
cause Of his death We read of the
skirmish at Big Bethel, a few miles
west of Fortress Monroe, and then
came the benumbing announcement
that Major Theodore Winthrop had
been shot through the heart while raj
lying his command His body was
brought home and conveyed up Broad
way upon a gun carriage; and | re-
member that the universal comment
was that he was the first Union officer
in the east to be killed in action.
Nov, what might appear to be a
strange change Of sentiment on the
part of publishers took place. They
fairly besought me for manuscripts of
Theodore Winthrop's novels. These
were published one after another in
quick succession. OF course the wide
sale of them was explained by the
widespread popularity and prominence
which attached to the name Of Theo-
dore Winthrop, first officer killed in
the Union army.
"But the curious thing about it all
was this-the careful critics and the
best Judges all found in the postum
nous novels of Theodore Winthrop
merit which the publishers had not
discovered, excepting in one instance,
when those manuscripts were first
submitted to them during Winthrop's
life. And l have been accustomed.
when speaking to young and disap-
pointed would-be authors, to refer to
Theodore Winthrop-to tell them the
story of the rejection of his novels
by the publishers and eventually Of
the warm approval given to his stories
by the critics and the public alike.
approval of which he, OF course. never
had knC Wedge"
Copyright, 1911, by E. J. Edwards. All
Rights Reserved)