I've slowly dug up info on this phenomenon and its perpetuating legacy that Twain wrote about while in Washington, D.C. Here's an article from 1912... *Roy K. Moulton's letter from Washington* http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1912-02-23/ed-1/seq-4/ <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1912-02-23/ed-1/seq-4/> Has Twain's Feb. 1868 article escaped analysis by Twain scholars or have I missed the analysis? Thank you for your help. John -- John Muller 202.236.3413 [log in to unmask] Washington Syndicate / Capital Community News / Greater Greater Washington *Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C: The Lion of Anacostia<http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-Douglass-Washington-D-c-Anacostia/dp/1609495772/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=H42HP4SBZ8OA&coliid=I34OMAR1SV8L9G> * [The History Press, October 2012] Forthcoming: "Mark Twain in Washington, D.C.: The Adventures of a Capital Correspondent" [The History Press, Fall 2013] On Fri, Nov 23, 2012 at 12:27 PM, John H. Muller < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > Howard, > > Thank you for your reply. I apologize about the lack of clarity in my > inquiry. I have the text of "General Washington's Negro Body-Servant" but I > don't have much in terms of its genesis or context outside of the text > itself. I'd like to confirm or refute my suspicion that when Twain was in > D.C. he would have heard this story told and re-told on the streets, bars, > halls of Congress, etc. Being familiar with it as a frequent item in > newspapers, my speculation is Twain wrote "General Washington's Negro > Body-Servant" to show the silliness of the the frequently told story. > > In 1819 Charles Wilson Peale painted Yarrow Mamout in Georgetown who was > believed to be 140 years old. There's a recent book about Yarrow, *Slave > Ship to Harvard** -- * > http://www.amazon.com/Slave-Ship-Harvard-History-American/dp/0823239500 > * > * > With this said, I'm trying to over turn ever rock I can for more > information about this Twain piece. In *Runaway and Freed Missouri > Slaves and Those Who Helped Them, 1763 - 1865* there's a brief mention > of the story in context. http://bit.ly/10rQ02B. > > I have yet to dig into Twain's Notebooks & Journals which will hopefully > provide some insights. But overall it doesn't look like there has been much > independent study of this story or at least I haven't stumbled upon it yet. > > Appreciate your help and time. > > Thanks, > John > > On Fri, Nov 23, 2012 at 12:28 PM, Howard Harrelson < > [log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Hello John, >> >> This may be what you are looking for: >> http://etext.virginia.edu/washington/twain/servant/index.html >> >> Howard Harrelson, author >> *Twain's 21st Century Reader* >> >> >> >> >> On Thu, Nov 22, 2012 at 7:17 PM, John H. Muller < >> [log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> > Hello, all Twain scholars. >> > >> > I am a relative newcomer to the historiography of Twain. My first >> > book, *Frederick >> > Douglass in Washington, D.C.* was published in early October by The >> History >> > Press. I have recently begun research for "Mark Twain in Washington." >> I'm >> > looking for more information on Twain's February 1868 short story, >> "General >> > Washington's Negro Body-Servant" that he seemingly wrote while living in >> > Washington, D.C. >> > >> > I've reviewed Twain's D.C.-related journalism online at TwainQuotes.com >> as >> > well as the twenty-plus clips that David C. Mearns gathered that are now >> > held at the LOC's Manuscript Division. Many of the Mearns clips are >> > articles from the *Daily Evening Star *and *National Intelligence* that >> > report on Twain in D.C. as oppose to Twain's writings on D.C., with the >> > exception of a "Letter to the Editor." I've also done independent >> searches >> > of the *Star* and other Washington papers for Twain hits from November >> 1867 >> > - March 1868. This research has yielded insights into not only Twain's >> time >> > in Washington but how he interacted with the local city. >> > >> > My own speculation, which I would like to try to prove or disprove, is >> that >> > when Twain was in D.C. he would have regularly heard of the story of >> > General / President Washington's Negro Body Servant. (In D.C. today >> there >> > are many urban myths that are told over and over again, so this is >> where my >> > speculation comes from.) Following this speculation, my guess is Twain >> > heard it enough times, and had read about enough times that he grew >> tired >> > of it, and this inspired him to write the article in question. In George >> > Alfred Townsend's 1873 >> > book< >> > http://books.google.com/books?id=3DWHoFAAAAQAAJ&source=3Dgbs_navlinks_= >> > s> >> > he >> > writes, =93It was not uncommon as well for Congressmen, Bureau officers, >> > an= >> > d >> > the loitering gentry of Washington to so embarrass themselves at the >> gaming >> > tables as to be obliged to sell their body servants.=94 >> > >> > I've read through Twain's autobiographical sketches for the *North >> American >> > Review*, Justin Kaplan's Pulitzer-Prize winning work that details Twain >> in >> > Washington, Fishkin's work "Was Huck Black," Paine's Vol. 1 with a short >> > chapter on Twain in Washington, and other sources. I haven't found any >> > specific or substantive references to "General Washington's Negro Body >> > Servant" in these works, unless I have overlooked them which is >> possible. I >> > have checked JSTOR which hasn't turned up anything of consequence. >> > >> > A search of Twain's letters at the MT Project show up three annotation >> hits >> > on the story. In a Jan. 24, 1868 letter <http://bit.ly/RXSem3> from >> Twain >> > (SLC) to his mother and sister he mentions the story as "I have a stupid >> > article in the Galaxy, just issued." >> > >> > This is a synopsis of my research to this point which has yielded >> limited >> > success. If there is any existing scholarship on "General Washington's >> > Negro-Body Servant" that I have overlooked or missed I would appreciate >> any >> > advice or guidance. >> > >> > Thank you for your time and help. >> > >> > Sincerely, >> > John >> > >> > >> > --=20 >> > John Muller >> > 202.236.3413 >> > [log in to unmask] >> > Capital Community News >> > Greater Greater Washington >> > *Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C: The Lion of >> > Anacostia< >> > http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-Douglass-Washington-D-c-Anacostia= >> > >> > >> /dp/1609495772/ref=3Dwl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=3DUTF8&colid=3DH42HP4SBZ8OA&col= >> > iid=3DI34OMAR1SV8L9G> >> > * >> > Published by The History Press, October 2012 >> > http://thelionofanacostia.wordpress.com/ >> > Facebook: http://on.fb.me/uca9za >> > >> > > > > -- > John Muller > 202.236.3413 > [log in to unmask] > Capital Community News > Greater Greater Washington > *Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C: The Lion of Anacostia<http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-Douglass-Washington-D-c-Anacostia/dp/1609495772/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=H42HP4SBZ8OA&coliid=I34OMAR1SV8L9G> > * > Published by The History Press, October 2012 > http://thelionofanacostia.wordpress.com/ > Facebook: http://on.fb.me/uca9za > > > > -- John Muller 202.236.3413 [log in to unmask] Washington Syndicate / Capital Community News / Greater Greater Washington *Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C: The Lion of Anacostia<http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-Douglass-Washington-D-c-Anacostia/dp/1609495772/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=H42HP4SBZ8OA&coliid=I34OMAR1SV8L9G> * [The History Press, October 2012] Forthcoming: "Mark Twain in Washington, D.C.: The Adventures of a Capital Correspondent" [The History Press, Fall 2013]