Col. Sir Percy Wyndham

Years ago, when I attended my first Mont Alto Civil War Conference, I met an Englishman who was doing research on Percy. He was a former Greenjacket with the wonderful last name of Blood (I like to think he was a captain ;_)). I wonder if he ever did anything with that?

The Union Cavalry seemed to have a good many ‘furriners’ in it. But then, come to think of it, there were a good many ‘furriners’ in the whole army!

I know of a couple in the Confederate cavalry in northern Virginia – J.E.B. Stuart’s friend, the giant Hieros Von Bork, one Baron Von Massow and an English gentleman named Hoskins who refused to use anything but the saber (he believed that it was ‘unsporting’ to use pistols) and died for his eccentricities. Von Massow didn’t fare much better. In a small but hot contest, after accepting the surrender of a Union cavalry officer on the battlefield, Von Massow rode past the fellow without disarming him and was shot in the back for his trouble. Another Confederate, seeing the dastardly deed, shot the shooter.

“When he returned from a leave of absence in October 1863, he was charged with “absence without leave”, his leave having expired on September 5. He was relieved from all duty “and ordered to proceed to Washington, but not in arrest.” On October 3, 1863, Sec. of War Edwin M. Stanton issued an unusual order: “Information received at this Department indicates that Colonel Percy Wyndham should not be permitted to have a command or come within the lines of [the Army of the Potomac].” Historian Roger Hunt speculates that this order stemmed from rumors that Wyndham was involved in a plot to kidnap Lincoln and his cabinet. Sir Percy repeatedly applied for reinstatement, but was rebuffed.”

I did not notice this information when I first read the piece. Could you give some background on ‘Historian Hunt’s’ basis for believing that a Union cavalry officer would be involved in any such plot? It seems impossible to think that if Stanton actually BELIEVED such a thing that he would limit himself to keeping Wyndham unemployed. Rather, if in fact this was the case, I should have thought that Wyndham would have been placed under arrest and kept confined. God knows, at the time enough people were simply arrested and kept confined without being charged with ANY crime so I fail to see why Wyndham didn’t join the list.

If there had been ANY suspicions regarding Wyndham’s loyalty – never mind his being involved in such a plot – why was he not simply arrested? He had no family connections in the US which might have made such an action embarrassing for the government and he had not performed in such a way as to make his ‘heroic status’ problematic in the case of an arrest.

I am VERY curious as to how Mr. Hunt arrived at his conclusion. I’m sure that there is a book or article out there that covers the matter and I would appreciate that information when you find the time.

A man in a book on history makes a statement of that nature for which he presents no justification, verification or source material and he’s called an HISTORIAN?!

I guess the standards are not what they once were in this field as well.

I have written to Stackpole Books (the publisher of Mr. Hunt’s work) and they are sending my question on to him. There’s nothing more I can do unless he is kind enough to reply.

However, I did make known to the publisher’s representative that I could not imagine a serious author making such a comment without at least some credible source as a reference. Even if it is Mr. Hunt’s subjective opinion – and that may well be the case – only the terminally paranoid arrive at conclusions absent ANY foundation! Ergo, I hope to ‘pressure’ (however gently) Mr. Hunt into responding. If he does, perhaps we can get a bit more information to go on than a devastating opinion that was simply ‘tossed off’.

Mr. Hunt’s gracious and speedy reply:

Dear Ms. Protopapas,
From my book:

He was relieved from “regimental command, or other military duty, and ordered to proceed to Washington, but not in arrest,” Oct. 2, 1863, in response to the following mysterious order from Secretary of War Stanton to Maj. Gen. Meade, “Information received at this Department indicates that Colonel Percy Wyndham should not be permitted to have a command or come within the lines of your army at present.” The information referred to may have been allegations that Wyndham was connected with a plot to kidnap Lincoln and his Cabinet.

The speculation as to the reason for Stanton’s order is based on correspondence with the late Lincoln- assassination scholar James O. Hall, citing an article in the July 29, 1867 issue (p. 2) of the Philadelphia Inquirer. This source is listed in the book with my references for the Wyndham sketch.

Quoting from the newspaper article (of which I only have excerpts), which appeared at the time of the trial of John H. Surratt, “The parties mentioned, proceeding in their accounts, assert that it is very probable Surratt was engaged in the attempt to abduct Lincoln, as that scheme had first been started in 1863, as a legitimate piece of warfare. At that early date, Percy Wyndham, commanding at and around Washington, it is alleged, was to have delivered Mr. Lincoln and Cabinet to General Lee’s headquarters, and would, they say, have done so had he not been removed before the time fixed for carrying out the project.”

In my opinion the allegations of Wyndham’s involvement in the Lincoln conspiracy, although providing a convenient explanation for his treatment by the War Department, are just speculation and impossible to prove.

Best Wishes,
Roger D. Hunt

Speaking of Wyndham, one of the brief biographies on the Web closes with the suggestion that he may well have been the inspiration for George McDonald Fraser’s Flashman. For those unfamiliar with this fictional military hero/scoundrel, run don’t walk to the library and begin reading. As a long-time fan I was saddened to learn of Fraser’s death last January, which left unpublished the long-awaited packet of memoirs describing Flashy’s Civil War service (Major in the Union Army (Medal of Honor) AND a Colonel on the staff of R. E. Lee. While sipping my evening Famous Grouse I have periodically found myself listening to whispers from Fraser’s (or perhaps Flashman’s) shade; and after careful research in the existing Flashman canon, in the local library, and on Google, I have almost miraculously been able to track down the unlikely, but fully documentable, story/scenario. The players include Allan Pinkerton, Wyndham, Grenfell, von Borcke, two Scottish divines, Garnet Wolseley, and of course, JEB Stuart, R. E. and Fitz Lee, Grant, Sheridan and Flashy’s old friends Seward and Lincoln — not to mention several of Flashy’s old flames. I have even discovered how Flashy was able to learn Mandarin in the few months between his escape from Harper’s Ferry and his arrival in Hong Kong prior to the Anglo-French expedition of 1860. Civil War buffs like our host are invited to scan my scenario for lapses — but I am convinced that Fraser’s mind has successfully reached across the Great Beyond to mine. Here’s hoping the Estate of G. M. Fraser will be interested.

I am a transplanted Englishman living in Virginia, During a time that I was volunteering with the Brandy Station Foundation, Graffitti House and battlefield, I became fascinated with Percy. I embarked on “research” which, when time permits, continues today. I have a mass of material relating to Percy which includes, among other things, a letter sent to and annotated by President lincoln in which Percy is alleged to be in cahoots with a group of Condederate spies operating in Washington DC. The letter contains references to Percy being paid (or would be paid) by Judah Benjamin a certain sum of US currency to give up the defenses of Washington. Reference to the incident is also made in a book edited by a Mr David Donald “Inside Lincoln’s cabinet -The Civil war Diaries of Salmon P Chase -Longmans 1954. At pge 207 – diary date of Thursday Oct 1st. $3000 from Benjamin according to General de Alna to be used by CHs d Arnaud, formerly of Fremnonts Staff to corrupt Percy wyndham to induce him to betray his command to the enemy. This letter came to a Mrs Van camp, wife of Mr Vab camp, said to have the confidence of the president”. In the RT lincoln collection of Lib of Congress there sits a letter from De Alhna to Lincoln dated January 31 1864 in which he refers to the meeting with Chase and berates him for failing to follow up on the allegation that he, de ahna had been approached by an agent of the rebel government with an offer of $50,ooo to undertake negotioations with Percy and offer $100,000 to percy to allow him to be taken prisoner with the whle of his cav brigade. I have lots more and find percy quite fascinating ……………Best regards