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Adam Badeau (December 29, 1831 – March 19, 1895) was an American author,
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
officer, and diplomat. He is most famous for his service on the staff of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
and his subsequent three-volume biography of Grant. Badeau enjoyed a successful career as a writer and assisted Grant with the research, fact checking, and editing when Grant authored '' Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant''.
A native of New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Badeau was raised and educated in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, and became clerk in the New York City Street Department while studying law. In addition to practicing after he was admitted to the bar, Badeau became a writer, and his early work as a theater critic
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or gov ...
was carried by ''Noah's Sunday Times''.
Badeau joined the Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
, and his abilities as a writer led to his prominence as a staff officer, first for Thomas W. Sherman, and later for Ulysses S. Grant. He took part in several campaigns, and rose from captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
to brevet brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...
. After the war, Badeau became the longtime U.S. Consul in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
(1870-1881), and turned down appointments as a U.S. Minister in order to remain in England. From 1882 to 1884, he was the U.S. Consul in Havana, Cuba
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
. Badeau continued to work as a writer, and was a prolific contributor of essays and articles to newspapers and magazines, in addition to being the author of several books, both fiction and non-fiction. In the mid-1880s, he worked with Grant during the preparation of Grant's memoirs, but left the project before it was complete after a dispute about how much Badeau would be paid, and how he would be credited in the book for his research, fact-checking, editing, and proofreading. He later successfully sued Grant's heirs to obtain payment.
Badeau died in Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow.
Adam Badeau was born in
Early life
Adam Badeau was born in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on December 29, 1831. He was first educated by private tutors Publishers Weekly, Vol 47, 1895, p. 492 before he moved to Tarrytown, where he attended boarding schools. Later he moved to North Tarrytown, now Sleepy Hollow, and became a clerk in New York City's Street Department
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt ...
. Cutter, 1918, p. 45 He also studied law, and attained admission to the bar in 1855.
In addition, Badeau was a writer, and his work as an essayist and theater critic
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or gov ...
was published in ''Noah's Sunday Times''.
Family
Badeau was married on April 29, 1875, to Marie Ely Niles. Her father, Dr. Nathaniel Niles (1791-1869) was a prominent physician who served as secretary of the U.S. legation and acting chargé d'affaires inParis
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, special diplomatic agent to the Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
, and chargé d'affaires in Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...
. Her grandfather, Nathaniel Niles (1741-1828) was a member of Congress from Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...
. Her cousin, also named Nathaniel Niles (1835-1917), served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
in 1872.
Civil War
left, 220px, Ulysses S. Grant & Adam Badeau In 1862, Badeau joined the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
and was commissioned as a captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. As a member of the staff of Thomas W. Sherman, he took part in the Siege of Corinth, Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, the defense of , and the Siege of Port Hudson. Cutter, 1918, p. 46 where he was severely wounded. Mcfeely, 1981, p. 497 After his recovery, in March 1864, on the personal recommendation of Grant's adjutant, General John A. Rawlins
John Aaron Rawlins (February 13, 1831 September 6, 1869) was a general officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a cabinet officer in the Grant administration. A longtime confidant of Ulysses S. Grant, Rawlins served on Grant's ...
, Fitch, 1916, p. 65 Badeau joined the staff of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
as a brevet lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...
and military secretary. During this time Badeau and Grant became close friends. Badeau took part in the Wilderness
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
and Appomattox campaigns, and received promotion to brevet colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
. He remained on Grant's staff until 1869, and left the Army for disability caused by his Port Hudson wound; he held the permanent rank of captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and the brevet rank of brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...
.
Post-Civil War
Badeau, still on the staff of General Grant, began the first volume of a military history of the general, who vetted the manuscript as it was being written. Soon after Grant assumed the Presidency, General Badeau was sent to London and served as Secretary of Legation in the United States embassy in London, England, from May to December 1869, where he could continue working on Grant's military history. Early in the next year he was made bearer of government dispatches to Madrid, then in May he was returned to London asConsul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
in 1870 and served in that capacity until September, 1881. and U.S. During that time he was granted a leave of absence from 1877 to 1878, when he accompanied Grant on a portion of Grant's trip around the world. While Badeau lived in England, he received Grant as a visitor on several occasions during the trip.
In 1875 Badeau was nominated as Minister to Belgium, and in 1881 he received appointment as Minister to Denmark, but he declined both. From 1882 to 1884 he was U.S. Consul in Havana, Cuba
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
. Badeau resigned this appointment after alleging that officials in the State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...
were corrupt in their dealings with Cuba and Spain, and stating that the department took no action after he made his charges.
Badeau then aided Grant in the preparation of Grant's memoirs, but Grant dismissed him before the book was finished after they argued over the details of the legal agreement specifying how much Badeau would be paid and how he would be credited for his editing, research and fact checking. Brands, 2012, p. 625 A bitter quarrel lay behind the creation of this agreement – one that would continue even after Grant's death. Grant was surprised when Badeau expressed his complaints and made demands of Grant. Among other concerns, Badeau had two main points of contention with Grant. The first, having committed much of his time and effort in assisting Grant, Badeau maintained that he had been detained from many of his other involvements for several months. The second, realizing that Grant's memoirs was going to be a monumental success, he feared that his multi-volume work on Grant would be obscured in the wake of their publication and release. Grant had earlier thought that it would be unfair to publish anything that would detract from Badeau's work.
:
Grant signed on 7 February 1885. A month later Badeau added his signature, and recorded the receipt of Grant's first payment: "Received of Genl. U. S. Grant $250, my share of $1,000 received by him this day on account of his book. 3 East 66th St. New York. March 2, 1885." As Grant's ''Memoirs'' approached completion, having benefited from Badeau's extensive rewriting and additions to its earlier sections, he became convinced that sales would likely go far higher than the $30,000 envisioned in this agreement. With Grant failing badly, Badeau proposed a new arrangement in April 1885: he would complete the work at the price of $1,000 a month, plus 10% of the profits. Grant thought the offer too advantageous to Badeau and was additionally annoyed by press leaks that painted Badeau as the true author of the forthcoming work. Grant broke off relations with his long-time aide and refused to pay him the $10,000 called for in their agreement. When the sales of the ''Memoirs'' skyrocketed past $30,000—they eventually brought $450,000—Badeau sued to get his money. Eventually Mrs. Grant paid him the originally agreed upon $10,000 plus interest of $1,200 (see Brooks D. Simpson article on Badeau in ''American National Biography''). (He subsequently settled with Grant's son Frederick for $10,000, or about $250,000 in 2012 dollars.)
Author and editorialist
Badeau was acquainted with many famous people and celebrities of his day, including Ulysses S. Grant andEdwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth (November 13, 1833 – June 7, 1893) was an American actor who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Theatre in New York. Some theatric ...
. He was a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction, and besides newspaper columns and magazine articles, his works included: ''The Vagabond'' (1859); a three volume ''Military History of Ulysses S. Grant'' (1881); ''Aristocracy in England'' (1885); ''Conspiracy: A Cuban Romance'' (1885); and ''Grant in Peace: From Appomattox to Mount McGregor'' (1887); It was subtitled ''A Personal Memoir'', a work that covered Grant's political and social involvements with such notable people as General Philip Sheridan
General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close a ...
, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of State Hamilton Fish
Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States Senator from New York from 1851 to 1857 and the 26th United States Secretary of State fro ...
, and others. Badeau wrote for the New York ''Sunday Times'' under the assumed name, "The Vagabond".
Final years
180px, Illustration of Adam Badeau in later years In his final years Badeau continued writing, frequently contributing to various magazines and periodicals and chronicled the various war time events he participated in. His frequent involvement as a writer caused strain on his eyes and he soon developed
cataracts
A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble ...
during the winter of 1894-1895 where he subsequently underwent successive operations for their removal, which undermined his physical strength. He finally succumbed to apoplexy
Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...
, and died suddenly on March 19, 1895, in Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, Section D, Lot 65.
Hunt & Brown, 1990, p. 23
See also
* Bibliography of the American Civil War * Bibliography of Ulysses S. Grant * List of Union generalsNotes
References
Bibliography
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Badeau, Adam 1831 births 1895 deaths American male writers 19th-century American diplomats Grant administration personnel People from Ridgewood, New Jersey People from Tarrytown, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Army officers 19th-century American writers New York (state) Republicans Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Writers from New York City