Augustus Caesar Buell (September 4, 1847 – May 23, 1904) was an American

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

who wrote several biographies of great Americans, following the success of a book about his experiences in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. A large amount of his material was alleged to be plagiarised or made up.

Biography

Buell was born in 1847 to Simon and Julia Buell near

Norwich, New York Norwich is a city and the county seat of Chenango County, New York, United States. Surrounded on all sides by the Town of Norwich, the city's name is taken from Norwich, England. Its population was 7,190 at the 2010 census. Norwich is best kn ...

. He was raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and is known to have enlisted in Company L of the 20th New York Cavalry, on August 21, 1863. He was promoted to corporal three months later, but was then demoted the following April, and he left the service in July 1865. He later claimed to have risen to the rank of colonel. For some years he lived in New York State, but his literary career began some time after he had moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, to work for the major shipbuilding and engineering firm of

William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company (also known as William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company) was an American shipbuilding company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1830 by William Cramp. During its heyday in late 19 ...

. In 1876 he was briefly arrested following an accusation of libel. In his Civil War memoir, ''The Cannoneer'', published in 1890, he vividly described his experiences at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, but that battle took place in July 1863, seven weeks before he enlisted, and two essays by Silas Felton reveal much of the hollow truth behind Buell's claims. He later claimed that a visit to

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

in Russia on behalf of Cramp's, a few years later, enabled him to find important material for his first biographical project, the life of

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

. The major demolition job on that work we owe to the far superior scholarship of Admiral

Samuel Eliot Morison Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and tau ...

, who devoted an appendix to Buell's supposed lies about Jones in his own

Pulitzer Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 19th century media magnate *Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) * Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-pro ...

-winning biography. The work of scholars like Morison, which should never have been necessary, reveals the full depth of Buell's alleged fraud. He died in 1904, and is buried at the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Legacy

Milton Hamilton, editor of the papers of colonial administrator

Sir William Johnson Major-General Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet ( – 11 July 1774), was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Ireland known for his military and governance work in British colonial America. As a young man, Johnson moved to t ...

, had to do the same sort of research as Morison to uncover the truth behind Buell's 1903 production. Two further biographies, of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

and

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

, were published in the months following Buell's death, by which time suspicions of his work were already growing rapidly. His last posthumous work may be his most truthful, the memoirs of his boss, Charles H. Cramp. About the same time as this was published, Mrs. Reginald de Koven produced the first detailed analysis of the fraudulent Buell technique, specifically his John Paul Jones biography.

Works

*"The Cannoneer. Recollections of Service in the Army of the Potomac By 'A Detached Volunteer' in the Regular Artillery", in ''The National Tribune'' (Washington, D.C., 1890). *''Paul Jones, Founder of the American Navy. A History'', New York, C. Scribner’s Sons, 1900, 2 vols. *''Sir William Johnson'', New York, D. Appleton and Company, 1903. *''William Penn as the founder of two commonwealths'', New York, D. Appleton and Co., 1904. *
"The memoirs of Charles H. Cramp"
Philadelphia and London, J.B. Lippincott Co., 1906. Buell's diary for 1867-68 still survives
in the Davidson Library
University of California, Santa Barbara.

Debunking

*De Koven, Mrs R. (an early Jones authority)

''The New York Times'' (Sunday magazine), 10 June 1906. *Hamilton, Milton W.
Augustus Buell: Fraudulent Historian
, ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', 80(4):478-492, Oct. 1956. *Hart, Albert Bushnell, "American Historical Liars", ''Harper's Magazine'', October, 1915, 726-735. * Morison, Samuel E. ''John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography'', Boston, Little Brown & Co., 1959. *Felton, Silas. "Pursuing the Elusive 'Cannoneer'", ''Gettysburg Magazine'', issue 9, July 1993. *Felton, Silas. "Postscript to: Pursuing the Elusive 'Cannoneer'", ''Gettysburg Magazine'', issue 19, July 1998. *Bogle, Lori Lyn and Holwitt, Joel L. "The Best Quote Jones Never Wrote", ''Naval History'', April 2004, 18-23.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buell, Augustus C. Pseudepigraphy 1904 deaths 1847 births People from Norwich, New York Writers from New York (state) Burials at Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia)