海角大神

Richard and William Howe, British commanders during the American Revolution, were celebrities in their time but were regarded by contemporaries as inscrutable and enigmatic, men of action and not words. Historians largely agreed, but until now, most hadn鈥檛 bothered to consult the copious correspondence of a less celebrated Howe sibling, their sister Caroline.

In her vivid and compelling new book, 鈥淭he Howe Dynasty: The Untold Story of a Military Family and the Women Behind Britain鈥檚 Wars for America,鈥� historian Julie Flavell pays overdue attention to Caroline, in turn enriching our understanding of the better-known brothers. Though the formidable hostess was excluded from the male domains where decisions were made, she invited people of influence into her drawing room, wielding a quiet but determined power behind the scenes.

The involvement of Caroline and other politically engaged women of her class in public affairs was tolerated as long as they were perceived to be operating on behalf of their families, not themselves. Flavell offers many examples of how Caroline, the de facto leader of 10 siblings after first-born brother Scrope died in childhood, exerted her influence. In Flavell鈥檚 words, women like Caroline, including her mother and her aunt before her, 鈥済athered and purveyed political intelligence, acted as go-betweens in requests for political favors, and protected the images and reputations of the men in their families.鈥澛�

Caroline鈥檚 most notable participation in political intrigues occurred in the lead-up to the American Revolution. Brothers George, William, and Richard were heroes of the Seven Years鈥� War (also known as the French and Indian War), a global conflict that began with Britain and France fighting over territory in North America. George died in battle alongside American provincial soldiers in 1758, and the colony of Massachusetts subsequently paid for a monument to the fallen general, which was installed in Westminster Abbey.

This gesture has long been regarded as having deepened the brothers鈥� pro-American sympathies. As the disagreements between the Colonies and the mother country worsened, Benjamin Franklin, over a period of three months in late 1774 and early 1775, regularly visited Caroline鈥檚 home to play chess. Franklin was in London as a representative of the Colonies, and the chess games, Flavell writes, were 鈥渁 front designed by Caroline to cover highly secret negotiations with the American in a last-minute quest for peace, negotiations that involved her brothers,鈥� Richard and William, both members of Parliament.

鈥淗istorians have long puzzled over how Admiral [Richard] Howe became involved in the secret negotiations鈥� with Benjamin Franklin, Flavell notes. Studying Caroline鈥檚 correspondence for clues, the author convincingly argues that the sister brought the men together. Howe鈥檚 letters to Lady Georgiana Spencer, in particular, prove to be a rich source. The two women were friends for 50 years, and their correspondence, Flavell writes, long overlooked by historians, is believed to be the largest single private collection of letters in the British Library.聽

The attempts at reconciliation, of course, went nowhere, and soon England and her Colonies were at war. William and Richard served together as British commanders-in-chief between 1776-78. 鈥淭he Howe Dynasty鈥� covers the brothers鈥� command of the war but also, with the help of Caroline鈥檚 letters, provides the home-front perspective from the British side. News from America reached England in a month with favorable winds but took twice as long if the winds were unfavorable. It is affecting to read of Caroline鈥檚 preoccupation with how the winds were blowing, so desperate was she to receive word of her beloved siblings in America. In one letter to Lady Spencer she mentions 鈥渁 little heart ache in the middle of the night listening to a high wind.鈥�

Most in England were certain the fighting would be brief, that the rebels stood little chance against the mighty British forces. As the war dragged on, public perception turned against the Howes. The British press was more enamored of the rebel Gen. George Washington than of its own commanders; 18th-century writer Horace Walpole, that keen observer of British society, flatly declared that the 鈥淗owes are not in fashion.鈥澛�

The assessment became even more damning over time. The author describes 鈥渁 legend that has clung to the Howe brothers,鈥� that in their hope for peace with the Colonies, and due to their warm feelings for the Americans, they sacrificed their best chance for a decisive military victory in New York at the start of the war in 1776.聽

Flavell, for her part, offers a robust defense of the brothers, rejecting what she calls 鈥渃onspiracy theories鈥� that hint at treason. Combining military analysis with an effective use of heretofore ignored sources, she brings together the domestic sphere and the聽 military sphere to form an original and more complete picture of a fascinating family.