Andrew Low and the Sign of the Buck: Trade, Triumph, Tragedy at the House of Low [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Review of Andrew Low and the Sign of the Buck, Trade, Triumph, Tragedy at the House of Low, by Jennifer Guthrie Ryan and Hugh Stiles Golson. Frederic C. Beil, Savannah, 2011.
Well-written, lively, and interesting describe this book about a niche of history which, because it spans the Atlantic Pond, is seldom dealt with. That niche concerns the commercial relation between the United Kingdom and the United States during the nineteenth century through the lens of some of the ancestors of the authors. The narrative begins in the Scottish roots of the Low family where business skills were learned. The descriptions of the Scottish landscape are magnificent and take the reader right back to those places. We are brought forward to the War of 1812 and then into the issues of the slave trade and Indian wars as they were set in the booming seaport city of Savannah, Georgia. The issue of slavery in the American South was treated with respect, both from our modern perspective of its horrors, and the perspective of those living in that time of its economic necessity. The descriptions of lives of the extended Low family in Savannah and environs put a human face on the historical facts. How the American Civil War affected cotton manufacture in England is a little-known tale. Description of the deplorable chaos of reconstruction in the south following the conflict is largely avoided, as it was avoided by Andrew Low, Jr. himself, but moving the story back to England. It would have been interesting to hear more about Juliette Gordon Low and the founding of the Girl Scouts of America, but that was not the central focus of the book. I would have liked to have the family tree at the beginning of the book as I did not discover it (at the back of the narrative before the notes) until after reading it. This is small criticism for an outstanding book. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in this time period, and especially the relationship between the Confederate States and England before and during the War.
Robert J. Thomsen, Los Alamos, New Mexico

Review of Andrew Low and the Sign of the Buck--Trade, Triumph, Tragedy at the House of Low, by Jennifer Guthrie Ryan and Hugh Stiles Golson. Frederic C. Beil, Savannah, 2001.

The authors of this book are cousins and descendants of Andrew Low, Jr. and his second wife, Mary Cowper (Stiles) Low. Andrew Low, Jr. was a wealthy Cotton Factor who lived in Savannah, Georgia, before, during and after the American Civil War. Prior accounts of his life, as well as his uncle Andrew Low, Sr., have not always been complete, factual, or supported by adequate historical information. This book is the results of the co-authors' research, study and writing over the last ten years. The purpose of the book is to correct the historical record of these two men, and "to return them to their rightful position amongst the stories of the titans of their day, as two of the most innovative, courageous, and oft times reckless entrepreneurs of the nineteenth century". While pursuing their ultimate goal in their travels to England, Scotland, and the southeastern United States, the authors have surfaced new information (included in the book) regarding the Lows and Stiles as well as peripheral individuals and families that were part of the Low and Stiles stories. Members of the Low and Stiles families, students of history, family genealogist and Civil War buffs on both sides of the Atlantic should find this new information to be interesting and worthy of note.

As a side benefit the authors have cleverly overlaid the life and times of the two Lows with snap shots of historical events at the city, state and national levels that shaped their lives, business and country. Examples include: Settling of Savannah in 1733; Invention of the Cotton Gin; War of 1812; Slavery; SS Savannah; Missouri Compromise; Election of President Lincoln; American Civil War [including Union Blockade of Southern Ports; Confederate Purchasing Agents in England; Confederate Blockade Runners--SS Bermuda & SS Fingal; Relationship between Savannah and England; Emancipation Proclamation; Sherman's Invasion of Savannah; Sherman's "Christmas Gift" telegram to Lincoln; Forty Acres and a Mule; etc.]; Assassination of President Lincoln, Reconstruction after the War, Edwardian England, Juliette Gordon Low and the Girl Scouts; etc.

In 1928 The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia ("Georgia Dames" for short) purchased the Andrew Low House for their state headquarters. Today it is also an outstanding museum house, furnished with many family pieces and open seven (7) days a week.

I have been working with the Georgia Dames, on a voluntary basis, to research and prepare an up-to-date Historical Reference Handbook for the Andrew Low House that will contain authenticated existing information, and incorporate new information that has recently become available. This Handbook will be used by the docents to prepare for their tours, as well as others who are interested in the Andrew Low family and the antebellum South. Andrew Low and the Sign of the Buck--Trade, Triumph, Tragedy at the House of Low became publicly available just in time for us to include new-found "nuggets" of information in the handbook. We have found the book to be well researched, well organized, well written and well documented. The Family Tree, End Notes, Bibliography and Cross-Reference Index at the end of the book are valuable resources for the reader.

The book is highly recommended for anyone interested in American/English history during the 19th century.

James E. Harden (Jim), Savannah, Georgia. 19 Sep 2011