The content of the video and post on civilwarscholars.com discusses the lives of two Congressmen, Henry Bedinger and Alexander Boteler, who were friends in the mid-19th century. Both men were young lawyers with families who shared a love for art – Henry for poetry and Alec for drawing and painting. Alec was descended from a family of painters, including Charles Willson Peale, who painted General Washington.
Alec’s passion for drawing surfaced early in his life when he attended Princeton University. He even threw a farmer into the water to copy his expression of terror, resulting in the farmer accidentally drowning. However, Alec’s remorseful behavior changed when he met Helen Stockton, a beautiful girl whom he saw reading against the window of a large brick house. He quickly drew her profile and showed it to his friend, who lived in Jefferson County and would own the Bower. The friend, in turn, informed Alec that the girl was none other than Miss Helen Stockton.
Once married, Alec and Henry would get together with their families and treasure their times together. On one occasion, Henry invited Alec to a night of joy, inspired by his recent readings of Robert Burns. Henry left for Denmark in the mid-1850s with his family as he had been appointed the United States’ first ambassador. Alec, meanwhile, became the area’s Congressman in Washington, serving in Bedinger’s old Congressional seat from early 1859 until just before the outbreak of war.
In 1852, a business calamity overtook Alec when a merchant of Shepherdstown, Willoughby R. Webb, failed, and upon whose notes Alec had placed his name. Alec was thus called upon to pay nearly twenty thousand dollars, a large part of it his wife’s money. This woe may have propelled him into the field of elected office with a steady salary.
In November 1858, after serving most of the 1850s as the United States’ first ambassador to Denmark, Henry Bedinger finally returned home to his wife, Carrie, and their three children. During his time in Denmark, Henry became a favorite of King Frederick VII. Many evenings, Hans Christian Anderson, the famed children’s writer, would materialize from the shadows looking for Henry for a chess game.
Carrie and the children were fascinated by the widespread Christmas custom in Europe of decorating Christmas trees, which they brought back to Long Island and Shepherdstown. The custom caught on in Europe when Prince Albert and Queen Victoria had one. Henry’s homesickness was often eased by writing poetry, and he wrote a poem about his return home.
Overall, the content relates a charming story about two Congressmen who were friends and shared a passion for artistic pursuits. They navigated their personal and professional lives, which were vulnerable to some setbacks, with love for their families and friendships with one another.
Posted by Jim Surkamp on 2015-03-26 12:49:20