This is riveting! There will be more coming on her, I hope?
I love how the Thackeray bits are woven in, and it was a delight to see the Gwen Raverat connection unexpectedly appear.
On the thing with the flag: there's a famous couplet in a US poem about a woman standing up for the flag: ““Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,/But spare your country’s flag,” she said.” (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45483/barbara-frietchie)
I had mistakenly remembered it as being from the Revolutionary War, and thought that Cara might have been semi-quoting it. But it seems that the poem was written in 1863, about a Civil War event, and now I wonder if the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, although basing the text on a real person (it seems the incident itself might or might not have happened) wasn't thinking back to Cara's line, if that was widely reported and discussed a few years earlier.
Thank you Maria, and yes I would love to write more on her! It's interesting, isn't it, how war narratives seem to need a symbolic woman heroine, usually youthful, brave and good-looking so it's interesting to see that poem! We don't know Caroline's exact words to the men, only what was reported and no doubt later embellished, but certainly that seems to have been the sense of it. It's great that her letter to Lincoln has been preserved. After that, I think the war really was less exciting for her - naturally - and she was quite bored playing the role of army wife. But it did give her stories to tell after she moved to Cambridge ten years or so later...
Ten years later — so still very young. What lives people live!
Women and war narratives — very interesting. This feels like a line of specifically women and war and flag narratives, and now I wonder if there are a bunch of them.
I mistakenly thought that the ”shoot if you must” lines (I had never read the whole poem) were from the revolutionary war because there is a third famous story there — Betsy Ross, the woman who is said to have sewn the first American flag.
Or it might all be coincidence 😊. In any case, I suspect that I will enjoy coming to know more of Gwen Raverat’s Great-Aunt Cara!
Ah yes, the flag is a clue - and I'm reminded of Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People of 1830. He wrote in a letter: "I've embarked on a modern subject—a barricade. And if I haven't fought for my country at least I'll paint for her." And of course it's fearless Marianne holding the flag...
My pleasure Laura - your post was inspiring, & made me think afresh about the actions women could & did take, even when so constrained by society's rules. Caroline did have the chance, later on, to marry a millionaire but (I suspect) valued her freedom more.
"That I cannot have the whole cake I realize acutely enough, but I can stay my hunger for happiness now and then, and I should be a fool not to do so… You say I resemble Becky Sharp, and in one or two things, I confess the ‘soft impeachment’, but her worst fault I am free of. She would do anything for money; I, nothing.’" Not least of her talents seems to have been a fluent and engaging writing style. A woman for all seasons, it seems. Thank you for telling this engaging story with such flair!
Many thanks, Jeffrey! Yes she was a very good speaker/writer and I've loved reading her letters. Smith College has been so generous is sending me digitised versions, though her sisters destroyed some of the later ones, at Caroline's request (shame).
Yes, indeed. Later on, Gwen Raverat was actually quite cynical about her Aunt Cara's interest, not in men, but rather in her power over them. I guess that's what comes of not having equality!
Ha, thanks Sarah! Life was probably less exciting after that for Caroline but it's interesting how she later ended up in Cambridge and the influence she had there.
Ann, this is so fascinating. Extraordinary to think of all those festivities while the Civil War was beginning. Yes, Becky Sharp would have been impressed. Interesting to know that Thackeray was so popular in America., although I fear Caroline would’ve found Henry Esmond rather dull after vanity fair.
Many thanks Lyn - absolutely! It shows how oblivious most people were. My sense is that Caroline and her sister were quite well read (& loved English novels because of their father), and it was also the time of pirated editions of Dickens & others! I suspect Caroline would have liked to write a novel herself, her letters are very lively.
I didn’t know any of this—thank you for sharing this corner of Civil War history! So did she have a second marriage that led her to Cambridge? Or was that her sister who went to Cambridge?
Thank you Sarah & yes - poor old Slemmer's heart wasn't good (the siege probably didn't help) and he died a few years later, as did their little son. She did indeed move to Cambridge for her second marriage to Richard Claverhouse Jebb - more on that from me in due course, but Raverat is very funny about it in her memoir Period Piece.
This is riveting! There will be more coming on her, I hope?
I love how the Thackeray bits are woven in, and it was a delight to see the Gwen Raverat connection unexpectedly appear.
On the thing with the flag: there's a famous couplet in a US poem about a woman standing up for the flag: ““Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,/But spare your country’s flag,” she said.” (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45483/barbara-frietchie)
I had mistakenly remembered it as being from the Revolutionary War, and thought that Cara might have been semi-quoting it. But it seems that the poem was written in 1863, about a Civil War event, and now I wonder if the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, although basing the text on a real person (it seems the incident itself might or might not have happened) wasn't thinking back to Cara's line, if that was widely reported and discussed a few years earlier.
Thank you Maria, and yes I would love to write more on her! It's interesting, isn't it, how war narratives seem to need a symbolic woman heroine, usually youthful, brave and good-looking so it's interesting to see that poem! We don't know Caroline's exact words to the men, only what was reported and no doubt later embellished, but certainly that seems to have been the sense of it. It's great that her letter to Lincoln has been preserved. After that, I think the war really was less exciting for her - naturally - and she was quite bored playing the role of army wife. But it did give her stories to tell after she moved to Cambridge ten years or so later...
Ten years later — so still very young. What lives people live!
Women and war narratives — very interesting. This feels like a line of specifically women and war and flag narratives, and now I wonder if there are a bunch of them.
I mistakenly thought that the ”shoot if you must” lines (I had never read the whole poem) were from the revolutionary war because there is a third famous story there — Betsy Ross, the woman who is said to have sewn the first American flag.
Or it might all be coincidence 😊. In any case, I suspect that I will enjoy coming to know more of Gwen Raverat’s Great-Aunt Cara!
Ah yes, the flag is a clue - and I'm reminded of Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People of 1830. He wrote in a letter: "I've embarked on a modern subject—a barricade. And if I haven't fought for my country at least I'll paint for her." And of course it's fearless Marianne holding the flag...
Ha, yes. Perfect!
I've just seen your incredibly kind mention of my recent post... thank you Ann! Very much appreciated.
Longing for more of these extraordinary back stories.
My pleasure Laura - your post was inspiring, & made me think afresh about the actions women could & did take, even when so constrained by society's rules. Caroline did have the chance, later on, to marry a millionaire but (I suspect) valued her freedom more.
I'm sure you're right. I really love Caroline!
"That I cannot have the whole cake I realize acutely enough, but I can stay my hunger for happiness now and then, and I should be a fool not to do so… You say I resemble Becky Sharp, and in one or two things, I confess the ‘soft impeachment’, but her worst fault I am free of. She would do anything for money; I, nothing.’" Not least of her talents seems to have been a fluent and engaging writing style. A woman for all seasons, it seems. Thank you for telling this engaging story with such flair!
Many thanks, Jeffrey! Yes she was a very good speaker/writer and I've loved reading her letters. Smith College has been so generous is sending me digitised versions, though her sisters destroyed some of the later ones, at Caroline's request (shame).
What an amazing woman. She was certainly one to have in your side and it seems no man was immune to her charms!
Yes, indeed. Later on, Gwen Raverat was actually quite cynical about her Aunt Cara's interest, not in men, but rather in her power over them. I guess that's what comes of not having equality!
Brilliant...I'm desperate to know what happens next!
Ha, thanks Sarah! Life was probably less exciting after that for Caroline but it's interesting how she later ended up in Cambridge and the influence she had there.
Ann, this is so fascinating. Extraordinary to think of all those festivities while the Civil War was beginning. Yes, Becky Sharp would have been impressed. Interesting to know that Thackeray was so popular in America., although I fear Caroline would’ve found Henry Esmond rather dull after vanity fair.
Many thanks Lyn - absolutely! It shows how oblivious most people were. My sense is that Caroline and her sister were quite well read (& loved English novels because of their father), and it was also the time of pirated editions of Dickens & others! I suspect Caroline would have liked to write a novel herself, her letters are very lively.
I didn’t know any of this—thank you for sharing this corner of Civil War history! So did she have a second marriage that led her to Cambridge? Or was that her sister who went to Cambridge?
Thank you Sarah & yes - poor old Slemmer's heart wasn't good (the siege probably didn't help) and he died a few years later, as did their little son. She did indeed move to Cambridge for her second marriage to Richard Claverhouse Jebb - more on that from me in due course, but Raverat is very funny about it in her memoir Period Piece.
Wow! Great story!
Thank you, Thomas. I think the rest of Caroline's life must have seemed a bit dull by comparison... not least Cambridge!