Thanks to Dr. Douglas R. Egerton for taking the time to talk with me about his fantastic new biography of Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
Though he is little remembered today, Higginson was at the center of some of the most important events and interacted with some of the most notable poeple of the nineteenth century.
Known primarily as an abolitionist, Higginson was committed to a number of reform movements, including women’s rights and temperance. During the Civil War he was appointed colonel of the First South Carolina Volunteers in 1862 and saw action in a number of minor engagements before leaving the army in November 1864.
Following the war, he continued to advocate for women’s rights and assisted in the publication of Emily Dickinson’s poetry.
Higginson has long deserved a modern biography and Egerton covers it all in this fast moving and entertaining narrative.
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