Title: Historian Justin Winsor Writes to Historian John Fiske Sending Bibliographical Information Regarding the "Pocahontas Story".
Description: December 20, 1894. 1894. - Over 150 words penned on both sides of 9 inch high by 5-3/4 inch wide lightly ruled buff paper. Addressed to fellow historian John Fiske, the letter is signed in full "Justin Winsor" at the bottom of the second page. Folded once horizontally and once vertically there are short tears at both edges of the horizontal fold and a tiny tear at the top of the vertical fold. There is a tiny crease to the top left corner, a tiny chip to the top right corner and along the left edge. Very good.
A WONDERFUL ASSOCIATION OF TWO IMPORTANT AMERICAN HISTORIANS.
Justin Winsor writes to John Fiske providing him with citations regarding the veracity of the Pocahontas legend. Winsor cast doubt on the story in his History of America, vol. iii. Winsor states that William Wirt Henry, in his address on the "Early Settlement of Virginia", defends the controversial story. He writes that John Esten Cooke also took a positive view of the story "in his Virginia" and later enlarged upon his view. He mentions that Charles Deane answered him. In fact Deane was among the first historians to impugn Smith's account of his rescue by Pocahontas. Winsor notes that the most recent argument he has seen is in Charles Poindexter's "Captain John Smith and his Critics" (1893). Poindexter vouched for the veracity of the story.
The popular legend being discussed here is the one in which Pocahontas saved the life of Captain John Smith during an attack on him by the Algonquians. Most historians now doubt the accuracy of the account.
John Winsor (1831-1897) was an American historian and a librarian. His work focused on early American history and was rich in bibliographical references. Winsor succeeded George Bancroft as President of the American Historical Association.
John Fiske (1842-1901) was a lecturer in American history at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, and a lecturer on philosophy at Harvard. Very good .
Keywords: AMERICANA; HISTORY; JUSTIN WINSOR; JOHN FISKE; POCAHONTAS; CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH; AMERICAN HISTORY; ALGONQUIANS; AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED; SIGNATURE; ASSOCIATION; HISTORIANS; ALS; NINETEENTH CENTURY; 19TH CENTURY; W.W. HENRY; JOHN ESTEN COOKE; CHARLES DEANE;
- Book number: 97585
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