Freedom’s Cap: The United States Capitol and the Coming of the Civil War
Guy Gugliotta; Hill and Wang
This fresh angle on the Civil War by award-winning journalist Guy Gugliotta provides a bounty of research insights, as his engaging prose and eye for detail combine to introduce us to a rich cast of characters and events spanning the decade before, as well as the war itself. His overview of the drama surrounding the construction of a new dome over the U.S. Capitol is meticulously researched, beautifully illustrated and free of “academese.” His vivid re-creation of the smoky chambers of Congress and the rough and tumble of contracts, engineering and construction spins a powerful yarn. Military men were engaged in symbolic battles as well, when the fate of the dome—as well as the nation—hung in the balance. From Lincoln’s cabinet room to Florentine studios, Gugliotta deftly assembles tales of intrigue; his literary scaffolding encircles the Capitol and its era, creating a secure perch for scholars and buffs alike.
It is a rare talent to be able to untangle the architectural issues and political melodramas while keeping historical events at a human scale, so as not to drown in minutiae. But Gugliotta keeps his pacing fluid, treating us to a cascade of wartime developments. For example, Montgomery Meigs photographed architectural plans to create portable blueprints to take drawings onto building sites—perhaps the first architectural project to have such an advantage.
Gugliotta highlights the intimate and richly ironic involvement of Jefferson Davis in the renovation and expansion of the Capitol, and he is particularly effective at placing Meigs’ roles at the core of his narrative—beginning as Davis’ protégé, then transformed into a bitter enemy. After the war’s end, the pleas of Varina Davis to help her husband fell on deaf ears. Meigs had no sympathy for the Rebels, and suggested that the South could take care of its own widows—as it had left the North with its hands full in this regard. As quartermaster general of the Union Army, he had supplied Sherman and Grant—but was proud to continue “the greatest work of a civil engineer in the country,” turning down lucrative offers along the way. Meigs despaired at sacrifices and delays as he tried not to get cheated during battles over quarries and columns, or dealt with anti-immigrant backlash while employing Italian artisans.
Washington, D.C., under siege is a familiar story, but Gugliotta’s readers are treated to a parade of colorful personalities and competing agendas, with lives, careers and especially budgets rent asunder—all in the shadow of a magisterial dome rising to herald America’s rebirth of freedom. The debates over the cap on the figure decorating the top of the dome contribute to an expanding appreciation of Civil War emancipation. Freedom’s Cap is sprinkled with haunting and beautiful photos that enhance a narrative showcasing engineers alongside ideologues, craftsmen as well as statesmen, the losers and winners within a forgotten arena. Gugliotta shines the spotlight on a new set of heroic warriors and contested terrain: restorers of the Capitol whose accomplishments still stand a century and a half later. These neglected figures emerge from the shadows with Gugliotta’s sweeping and accomplished contribution to Civil War literature.
Originally published in the October 2012 issue of Civil War Times. To subscribe, click here.
