The Confederacy's Secret Weapon (SC): The Civil War Illustrations of Frank Vizetelly (Civil War Sesquicentennial Series) [Paperback]

Douglas W. Bostick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2009 | Series: Civil War Sesquicentennial

Sent to the United States as a war correspondent for the Illustrated London News, Frank Vizetelly quickly found himself in hot water with the Federal secretary of war when his depictions of Bull Run hit the papers. He was forbidden access to the Union army, so he took up with the Confederates instead, covering the Civil War from Charleston to the Mississippi and north to Virginia, becoming a favorite among the soldiers and even, at times, acting as a spy. His articles and sketches shaped the views of the English regarding the war, creating support for the Southern cause throughout Great Britain. Join Civil War historian Douglas W. Bostick as he relates the many engagements and battles covered by Vizetelly, including Charleston, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, the March on Richmond and the early Mississippi campaigns, all accompanied by the artist's engravings and reported in his own lively words. Vizetelly's remarkable story has never been properly told until now.

Other books in the Civil War Sesquicentennial Series include:The Battle of Antietam ♦ The Battle of Franklin ♦ The Chancellorsville Campaign ♦ The Battle of South Mountain ♦ Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign ♦ Charleston Under Siege ♦ Andersonville Civil War Prison ♦ The Civil War at Perryville ♦ The Battle of Okolona ♦ Fort Davidson and the Battle of Pilot Knobb ♦ The Two Civil War Battles of Newtonia ♦ The Battle of Port Royal ♦ Lee in the Lowcountry ♦ Defending South Carolina's Coast ♦ Facing Sherman in South Carolina ♦ The Battle of Brandy Station ♦ The Battle of Cedar Creek ♦ The Battle of Fredericksburg ♦ The Battle of Piedmont ♦ The Battle of New Market Heights ♦ Big Bethel ♦ The Battle of Mine Creek ♦ West Virginia in the Civil War ♦ Civil War Atlanta ♦ The Battle of Westport ♦ The Union is Dissolved ♦ The Battle of Fort Donelson

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: History Press (November 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596295929
• ISBN-13: 978-1596295926
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #978,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Known Civil War Artist and Reporter, June 12, 2010

By 

Robert Redd "Confederate Book Review" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Confederacy's Secret Weapon (SC): The Civil War Illustrations of Frank Vizetelly (Civil War Sesquicentennial Series) (Paperback)

I think we sometimes forget just how advanced our world has gotten. We can hear about, see photos of, or watch live video or events happening around the world. Just turn on CNN, Fox, or fire up your computer and news of the world is yours for the asking. It wasn't so easy during the 19th century. People had to rely on newspapers which could be notoriously slow and behind. That was especially true when it came to news from overseas locations. Such was the case of the Civil War as England and France were desperate for news.

To try and satisfy the cravings of it's readers the Illustrated London News sent war correspondent Frank Vizetelly to the States to cover the war. Vizetelly began covering the war from the Union side and travelled with various regiments until being barred by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Beginning in July 1862 Vizetelly began travelling with various Confederate brigades and began calling the war the "War Between the States".

Vizetelly was present at many important sites and battles including Fredericksburg, Second Manassas, Charleston, Chickamauga, Belle Isle Prison, and others. For Vizetelly the problem was not having access to the war but rather getting his reports and artwork home. As the Union blockade continued to strangle the Confederacy blockade runners were the only way for Vizetelly to file his reports. While many made it through many others did not with those either being intercepted or sunk. While the Illustrated London News was able to publish 133 of his engravings many were also used in Union newspapers. This was due to art being confiscated from blockade runners or also due to copying from the ILN.

After the war Vizetelly continued his reporting and after a brief "retirement" he was drawn to the Sudan to report on the Mahdist's insurrection against Egyptian rule. It is believed Vizetelly was killed during a massacre of British soldiers at the Battle of Kashgil in November 1883.

Douglas Bostwick has written a very interesting and easily read book. Due to it's size this is a quick read and an excellent introduction to the subject. The brief bibliography will lead interested readers to other related titles. I was not familiar with Frank Vizetelly but after reading the book and seeing many examples of his art I have a true appreciation for what he was able to do. This book is part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Series being issued by The History Press. Be sure to check their website for more titles. I personally look forward to discovering more of their work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, fun and informative read, February 15, 2010

By 

James W. Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Confederacy's Secret Weapon (SC): The Civil War Illustrations of Frank Vizetelly (Civil War Sesquicentennial Series) (Paperback)

Small books have a special set of delights unique to them. Unlike their huge detailed conspicuous footnoted brothers, another special set of delights, they are quick enjoyable reads. This book is one of the better small histories I have read.

Frank Vizetelly is not a common Civil War name but his illustrations are instantly recognized. This book introduces the man behind these illustrations. At the same time, the reader gets a glimpse of 1860s journalism and the cutthroat competition between the illustrated weekly papers. Toss in a look at living in the Confederacy, problems in sending material to England and being a war correspondent to spice the story. The result is a quick, fun and informative read that will please Civil War readers, students of journalism and history buffs.

The author has a clear narrative style that easily links Vizetelly's dispatches together. We get just enough of the author to place Vizetelly within the war and cover the problems he faces. However, Vizetelly's dispatches and illustrations tell the story. In 1860, four newspapers featured topical woodcut engravings. The Illustrated London News dispatched an experience war correspondent to cover the war in America. His reporting upset Washington and denied his accreditation. These circumstances caused him to cross into the Confederacy providing us with "pictures" of the Civil War from that viewpoint. He became a Southern supporter and at Chickamauga carried messages for Longstreet during the battle. Very well liked and trusted, he had access to the CSA high command. This extended to traveling with Jefferson Davis after the fall of Richmond and "loaning" him money to aid his escape.

The best part of the book might be the woodcuts. This is the war in the South as seen by a sympathizer of their cause. They range from portraits of Lee, Jackson and Stuart to battlefields and slave churches. Highly detailed, they stopped my reading to look at them and view the war as he saw it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank Vizetelly (1830 - 1883) was a genius - no doubt about it, April 26, 2011

By 

Geoffrey Woollard (South East Cambridgeshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Confederacy's Secret Weapon (SC): The Civil War Illustrations of Frank Vizetelly (Civil War Sesquicentennial Series) (Paperback)

Frank Vizetelly (1830 - 1883) was a genius - no doubt about it. I admit that I ought to have heard of him by name before, having seen a number of his brilliant drawings done during the American 'Civil War,' but I hadn't until I read Amanda Foreman's marvellous 'A World On Fire' (see my review). Vizetelly's drawings were superb and his reportage for The Illustrated London News, in which most of the drawings appeared, was just as good. Douglas W. Bostick has done a great service to us all by bringing together and reproducing many of the drawings and much of the reportage. It is greatly to Mr Bostick's credit that he pulled off this feat so successfully. As to Vizetelly himself, it is fascinating to note that this British-born artist went to America as a reporter and as a supporter of the North. Having seen much of the Northern army and the Northern government, he crossed the line and went South. He became a Southerner in his sympathies and, in 1862, wrote the following:

'The more I see of the Southern Army the more I am lost in admiration of its splendid patriotism, at its wonderful endurance, at its utter disregard for hardships which, probably, no modern army has been called up to bear up against. Surrounded as I am by the Southern people, living in their midst, associating with their soldiers, I emphatically assert that the South can never be subjugated.'

Stirring stuff: I love it.