The video and post by Civil War Scholars focus on the friendship between two congressmen from West Virginia, Henry Bedinger and Alec Boteler. Both men were lawyers with families, but also had a strong passion for the arts. Bedinger was a poet while Boteler loved drawing and painting. In fact, Boteler’s great-grandfather was Charles Willson Peale, a famous portrait painter who had painted General Washington.
Boteler’s passion for art was evident when he was a student at Princeton. A story that circulated about him was that he had thrown a farmer into the water to copy his expression of terror, which resulted in the farmer accidentally drowning. However, upon meeting Helen Stockton, Boteler was inspired to divert his artistic talent to something more productive.
Bedinger was a congressman and diplomat who was appointed as the first ambassador to Denmark. Before he left, he and Boteler, who succeeded him as Congressman, were close friends who enjoyed spending time with each other’s families. In fact, Bedinger wrote a limerick to invite Boteler over for a night of fun.
Due to a business calamity, Boteler had to pay $20,000, which prompted him to run for Congress. He succeeded Bedinger as Congressman and served until just before the Civil War broke out. Boteler also added a caption from Shakespeare’s Henry VI to one of his drawings, sensing dark times ahead.
Meanwhile, Bedinger served as ambassador to Denmark for most of the 1850s, where he was a favorite to King Frederick VII. He also became friends with Hans Christian Andersen, who would often come to play chess with him. Bedinger’s wife, Carrie, and their children brought the custom of decorated Christmas trees from Europe, which was a completely new notion in Shepherdstown.
Overall, the video and post demonstrate the personal and creative sides of two congressmen from West Virginia who shared a strong friendship.
Posted by Jim Surkamp on 2015-03-26 12:49:02