"The last war fought between gentlemen"

[Garson O'Toole]

Stephen Goranson wrote:
> "Sir Winston Churchill said it was the last great war between gentlemen." No source given. p. 7
>         Street, James H. (James Howell), 1903-1954.
> Title    The Civil War; an unvarnished account of the late but still lively hostilities. As told by James Street; illustrated by John Alan Maxwell.
> Published       New York, Dial Press [1953]

Excellent work Stephen. I had planned to visit the library today to
examine and verify the quotation on paper in "The Civil War: An
Unvarnished Account of the Late but Still Lively Hostilities" by James
H. Street. But now you have already accomplished that task. At least
three book reviewers mentioned the saying and attributed the words to
Churchill.

Cite: 1953 November 22, Chicago Tribune, The Stupidity of Our 'Most
Glorious Hour' by Paul M. Angle, [Book Review of 'The Civil War' by
James Street], Page B3, Chicago, Illinois. (ProQuest)
[Begin excerpt]
When he points out that Winston Churchill spoke nonsense when he
called the Civil war the last great war between gentlemen, I salute a
realistic intelligence, ...
[End excerpt]

Cite: 1953 November 22, Los Angeles Times, "Books: Novelist Debunks
'The Civil War': James Street Pulls No Punches in Stripping Off the
Magnolias" by Paul Jordan-Smith, Page E6, Los Angeles, California.
(ProQuest)
[Begin excerpt]
Only one point offended my sense of right and justice. Street calls
attention to Winston Churchill's remark that it (the Civil War) was
the last great war between gentlemen. And this remark raised Street's
Mond pressure to the boiling point.
[End excerpt]

Cite: 1953, Newsweek, Volume 42, [Book Review of 'The Civil War' by
James Street], GB Page 94. (Google Books snippet view; Unverified data
may be inaccurate)
[Begin extracted text]
He makes short shrift of all previously assigned causes for the war,
and especially of Sir Winston Churchill's dictum that it was "the last
great war between gentlemen."
[End extracted text]

An article in the Chicago Tribune discussed the author Bruce Catton
and his book  "A Stillness at Appomattox". The words in the excerpt
below are attributed to Catton.

Cite: 1954 May 30, Chicago Tribune, The Literary Spotlight by Fanny
Butcher, Page B6, Chicago, Illinois. (ProQuest)
[Begin excerpt]
He declared that he denies the truth of Winston Churchill's
description of the Civil war as "the last war between gentlemen."
[End excerpt]

Here is an example in 1918 of a commentator based in the U.K.
referring to the Civil War as "a war between gentlemen."

Cite: 1918 August 8, Printers' Ink: A Journal for Advertisers,
Preparations for Peace in England  by Thomas Russell [Licensed by
Chief Postal Censor, London, England], Start Page 113, Quote Page 113,
Printers' Ink, New York. (Google Books full view)
[Begin excerpt]
I never heard of any ill-feeling between the North and South after
your Civil War; but that was the cleanest and most humane war ever
fought-—a war between gentlemen.
[End excerpt]

Here is an American commentator in 1918 referring to the Civil War as
"a war between gentlemen."

Cite: 1918, The American Boys' Book of Signs, Signals and Symbols by
Dan Beard, Chapter XXIX: Liberty Poles, Quote Page 241, J.B.
Lippincott Company, Philadelphia. (Google Books full view)
[Begin excerpt]
The War of the States was a family affair of our own. It was what
might be called a personal affair, and it was a war between GENTLEMEN.
There was none of the terrible deeds committed then that are of daily
occurrence now.
[End excerpt]

GB claims that the following words are on page 98 of "The Civil War"
by James H. Street. Oddly, GB cannot find "Churchill" in the book.
[Begin excerpt]
Romanticists can moon and mouth from here to eternity about the
glories of the Civil War, but "the last war between gentlemen" was a
nasty mess. Even most of the songs were pretty dreary. Oh, I know
there were a few fine ones.
[End excerpt]

Garson

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org