The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 109, November, 1866: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics

In Short

This volume is a curated collection of mid-19th-century American thought, blending domestic narrative fiction with rigorous essays on European history, social criticism, and the urgent political questions of the Reconstruction era. By offering a mix of creative prose and intellectual inquiry, it highlights the values and anxieties of a nation reconciling with its own violent transformation. Its enduring value lies in its role as a primary source for the cultural climate of the 1860s, documenting both the trivial social interactions of the day and the weightier debates surrounding democratic governance.

The Story

The volume opens with the domestic drama of "Rhoda," a story centered on the humble, overlooked members of a household. A well-meaning uncle attempts to bring a young, impoverished girl named Rhoda into his family’s service, sparking tension with the grandmother and the watchful, suspicious Miss Stackpole. The central conflict arises when a coral pin goes missing, and Miss Stackpole immediately targets the orphan as the thief. The narrative captures the quiet, often cruel biases of the period, as the grandmother and narrator defend the girl’s character against the rigid, judgmental guest. The resolution is both ironic and mundane: Miss Stackpole finds the pin stuck inside her own clothing, proving her accusations groundless, though Rhoda never learns of the near-ruin of her reputation.

Transitioning from domestic fiction, the magazine shifts into historical and analytical modes. It presents a series of sketches—literary "notes"—that propose allegorical ways of writing about life, death, and the nature of historical change. One passage explores the physical encroachment of the city on ancestral homes, while another examines the medieval Church, critiquing its corruption and the suffering of the peasantry. The magazine provides a grim, vivid depiction of the fourteenth-century ploughman, whose life is defined by hunger, rags, and the bitter cold of winter.

The intellectual scope then narrows to the shifting power dynamics of nineteenth-century Europe. There is a detailed critique of the rise of Prussia and the decline of the French Empire under Napoleon III, as well as a biographical portrait of the Polish revolutionary and exile Count Gurowski. The narrator recounts his final meeting with the abrasive, eccentric Count in Washington, D.C., where the man’s unfiltered, combative nature is on full display amidst the mud and confusion of the capital.

The final segments turn to the immediate American crisis: the aftermath of the Civil War. The magazine engages with the presidency of Andrew Johnson, arguing that he has betrayed the loyal voters who placed him in power. The text insists that Congress must hold the former Confederate states accountable, demanding suffrage for the formerly enslaved and preventing a system where the votes of former rebels carry more weight than those of loyal citizens. It concludes with a list of literary reviews, surveying a wide array of new publications ranging from theological sermons to poetry by Christina Rossetti, grounding the lofty political and historical debates in the tangible literary marketplace of the late 1860s.

How It Unfolds

The domestic trial The story of Rhoda introduces the quiet tensions of a household, where suspicion directed at a vulnerable orphan reveals the character of those in power. The resolution, found in the folds of a dress, serves as a sharp indictment of the casual prejudices that threaten the innocent.

The historical survey The narrative moves outward to consider the medieval Church and the extreme poverty of the laboring classes, using historical poetry to illustrate human suffering. These sections contrast the decadence of the powerful with the stark, freezing reality of the peasant’s daily existence.

The European shift The focus shifts to the geopolitical turbulence of the 1860s, analyzing the decline of French influence and the rise of the Prussian state. This transition highlights the fragility of national power when it relies on the unpredictable whims of individual leaders.

The political reckoning The magazine addresses the moral failures of the post-war American government, arguing that reconciliation must not be bought at the cost of justice. It asserts that the representation of states in Congress must be tied to the actual exercise of voting rights, warning against the continued disenfranchisement of the freed population.

The People

The characters in this volume range from the fictional to the historical, each serving as a lens through which to view the era's social dynamics.

Rhoda Breck is the central figure of the opening narrative. She is a girl of fifteen, an orphan who has known only harsh treatment from "the veriest vixen in the country." Her worth is contested by the adults around her, not for anything she does, but for what they project onto her status as a poor girl.

Miss Stackpole acts as the antagonist of the domestic sphere. She represents the rigid, class-conscious, and suspicious element of society, quick to assign guilt to those with less standing. Her transition from accuser to embarrassed owner of the missing pin illustrates the human capacity for self-deception.

Count Gurowski is the most colorful historical presence. A Polish exile living in America, he is defined by his uncontrollable tongue and his refusal to bow to the social niceties of Washington. His willingness to call Horace Greeley an "ass" in the middle of a muddy street captures his role as an outsider who speaks uncomfortable truths.

Andrew Johnson is depicted as the primary political villain. The text portrays him as a man who has betrayed the nation’s promise and the loyal citizens who brought him to power. He stands as the obstacle to a just reconstruction, favoring the political weight of former rebels over the rights of the newly liberated.

In Its Own Voice

"The peasant was a born thrall to the owner of the land, and could no charter make, Nor his cattle sell, Without leave of his lord."

This observation, rooted in the history of the fourteenth century, frames the magazine's broader concern with the dehumanizing effects of forced labor and unequal social structures.

"The very successes of the Emperor tell against him under existing circumstances. He has raised France so high, from a low condition, that a fall is unbearable to his subjects."

The author uses this analysis of Napoleon III to illustrate the precarious nature of regimes that rely on constant expansion and military prestige rather than stable domestic support.

What It's Really About

This volume is fundamentally concerned with the tension between individual agency and systemic injustice. It asks how a society—whether medieval, nineteenth-century European, or post-Civil War American—handles the "other." Whether the subject is the orphaned servant girl treated with suspicion, the peasant crushed by feudal law, or the formerly enslaved citizen denied the vote, the magazine consistently interrogates the misuse of power. It argues that silence, prejudice, and political expediency are the enemies of a truly moral state. The underlying question is one of accountability: how the powerful should answer for their treatment of the vulnerable and how a nation, once fractured, can hold itself together without sacrificing the foundational principles of justice and human equality.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate the granular detail of Victorian-era prose and the intellectual rigor of nineteenth-century political commentary will find this volume deeply rewarding. It offers a rare, unmediated look at how Americans understood their rapidly changing world in the immediate aftermath of their most devastating war. The experience of reading it is similar to stepping into a conversation between well-read, deeply opinionated, and intensely serious observers of their time.

However, potential readers should be prepared for the dense, often archaic prose style and the period-specific attitudes that reflect the mid-nineteenth-century worldview. The political arguments, while passionate and historically significant, require an understanding of the specific tensions of 1866 to fully grasp their force. Furthermore, the inclusion of lengthy excerpts from historical poems and complex diplomatic summaries can be challenging for those used to modern, fast-paced media. Yet, for those interested in the evolution of American identity, this volume remains a vital piece of the puzzle. It captures the exact moment when the nation was forced to define its future, balancing its lingering prejudices against its highest ideals. The final image of the count shouting in the street, like the image of the orphan girl unfairly accused, lingers as a reminder of the messy, human reality behind historical narratives.