Description
First edition of the Memoirs of a Nullifier, printed in 1832 in Columbia, South Carolina. This work is attributed to Algernon Sidney Johnston, the brother of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston.
Twelvemo, [3], 110pp, [errata]. Publisher’s green boards, rebacked in calf, title in gilt on spine. Occasional toning throughout, minimal impact to text. This work was originally atrributed to Dr. Thomas Cooper. The book was published at office of the Columbia Telescope, the most influentional of nullifcation newspapers in the state. (Howes J 121) (Sabin 47565) (American Imprints 13189) Includes an errata slip, not mentioned in Sabin or Howes.
Algernon Sidney “Syd” Johnston (1801-1852) was the younger brother of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston. He moved to South Carolina from the Virginias, where he was a bookseller and frequent contributor to local newspapers. His brother, General Joseph E. Johnston (1807-1891) was a senior Confederate commander during the Civil War. After leading forces to victory at the First Battle of Bull Run, Johnston became commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, but due to an injury during the Peninsula Campaign, Jefferson Davis turned command over to General Robert E. Lee for the remainder of the war. Johnston was later given command of the Department of the West in late 1862, and by 1864, in command of the Army of the Tennessee, he fought against Maj. General William Tecumseh Sherman in the Atlanta Campaign. After the war, Johnston received high praise from Generals Grant and Sherman, befriending both men, and serving as a pallbearer at Sherman’s funeral. (Eicher 257)
