"The last war fought between gentlemen"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Get ready to laugh:

1987 Stephen Birmingham _America's Secret Aristocracy_   (Rpt. N.Y.:
Berkley 1989) 47 [GB snippet]: I like to think it is because World War One
was the last war that was fought by gentlemen.

Birmingham quotes the opinion from somone else.

JL



On Fri, Jun 22, 2012 at 8:38 AM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "The last war fought between gentlemen"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Charles C Doyle wrote:
> >
> > There's this remarkable statement from the clueless pen of another
> Englishman:
> >
> > <<  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.  >>
> >
> > From Thomas Russell, "Preparations for Peace in England," _Printers'
> Ink_ 104, no. 6 (8 Aug. 1918): 118.
> >
>
> Yes. We both found that interesting cite, Charlie. There is a similar
> remark from an American in the post that crossed paths with yours.
>
> The 1977 book below has a version of the quote, and it is footnoted
> with the number 86. I cannot read footnote 86 via the GB database. It
> might be useful to determine what the footnote says. Or it might be a
> dead end.
>
> Title: The marble man, Robert E. Lee and his image in American society
> Year: 1977
> Author: Connelly, Thomas Lawrence
> Published: New York : Knopf
> Page: 160
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> To Dabney, the war was also a fight for Virginia soil, and "the last
> war fought between gentlemen" ended at Appomattox Court House. 86
> [End excerpt]
>
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