The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

AUTHOR: Candice Millard
PUBLISHED: 2011
GENRE: American History

Say the name James Garfield to someone, and they are likely to stare back.  Unless you are talking to a history major, in which case you will very likely get this story: that when newly-elected President James Garfield was shot by an insane assassin, Alexander Graham Bell was brought in to use his newly-invented metal detector to find the bullet and save the president's life.  Only problem was, Garfield was lying on a metal table.  Stupid nineteenth century doctors, huh?

I'm not sure what is worse: that the entirety of what is commonly known about this man can be wrapped up in an embarrassing and sarcastic anecdote - or that the anecdote is this close to being true.

But let's go back.

James Garfield never wanted to be president.  A Civil War hero and long-time senator from Ohio, he was only at the 1880 Republican Convention to give a speech nominating Senator John Sherman as the Republican candidate.   But when the convention deadlocked over the most popular names, the one or two votes cast in his name suddenly began to grow, until - despite his protestations that he would not vote for himself, that he would not run - he was the Republican nominee.  A year later, he was the twentieth president. 

Alexander Graham Bell never wanted to be famous.  Despite his penchant for inventing, his first and true love had always been teaching the deaf.  But that required funding, so in 1876, Bell travelled to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia with a novel creation: the telephone.  Relegated to a small booth away from the main floor, the exposition judges would have passed Bell by - if not for, of all people, Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, who knew of Bell and forced the judges up the stairs to experience the telephone.  Almost overnight, Bell became the most well-known inventor of his time.  This fame and his newest invention -  the induction balance machine, better known as the metal detector -would bring him to the White House, in a last-ditch effort to save the president. 

Charles Guiteau, on the other hand, wanted to be famous.  And if not president, he wanted to be important - Ambassador to France would be fine, as he repeatedly wrote to Garfield's Secretary of State, James Blaine.  He had, after all, been instrumental in President Garfield's nomination - and Blaine's, and Vice-President Chester Arthur's - and would undoubtedly became a crucial figure in American history.  These accomplishments were, of course, solely in Guiteau's head.  He was in reality an utterly unaccomplished, sad-looking man, suffering from mental illness and living a life of graft and lies.  When Blaine, after months of incessant calls and visits, bluntly told Guiteau that he would not now and nor ever be receiving any sort of government posting, Guiteau snapped.  Garfield had been compromised by those around him, Guiteau decided.  It was, therefore, necessary for the survival of the nation that Garfield be removed.  On July 2, 1881, Guiteau shot Garfield twice, as the President waited for his train.

The intersection of these three men - the reluctant politician, the reclusive inventor, the insane megalomaniac - is a fascinating story, and one that is crucial to the development of an America still reeling from the Civil War.  Garfield himself is a tale onto himself - born into absolute poverty, he was nonetheless an avid scholar and devoted reader.  He was also an abolitionist who not only fought for an end to slavery but actively and vocally demanded real and tangible equal rights for African-Americans.  Between Garfield, Bell, and Guiteau - plus a whole host of other characters, from Vice-President Chester Arthur to Garfield's physician, Dr. Doctor Willard Bliss*, to Guiteau's beleaguered sister, Francis Scofield - the author had a toy box full of fascinating characters to draw from. 

But it's a lot to fit into one story, and at times, quite honesty, it starts to feel it's all never going to end.**  Millard could have removed entire portions - Bell's childhood and home life, or really, most everything about Chester Arthur - and still had more than enough information.  She could have even limited her story to Garfield, the shooting, and the results of his medical care - especially since it's this care that proves far more fatal than anything from Guiteau's gun.  I know why it's all in there: every one of these people deserves to have their story told, but it is the reality of the publishing world that the story of someone like  Chester Arthur - hell, even James Garfield - isn't going to get published unless it's a subplot to the assassination story.  It's one of those chronic problems of historical writing.  Unfortunately, this means all that fascinating information gets dumped on the reader at one time, which makes all the more unlikely for the non-obsessed history buff to even experience it. 

My point, to circle back around, is that there is a far greater story here than the silly tale usually remembered.  But since I brought it up: the President survived for three more months after being shot, time enough for Bell to invent his induction balance machine and test it on Garfield.  The test didn't work.  Part of the problem was Garfield's doctor was convinced the bullet was lodged near Garfield's liver, and thus had Bell scanning the wrong side of his body.  The other problem was that, underneath Garfield's normal horse-hair mattress, was a very new product: a box spring, with metal coils.  It was so new that no one thought of it when Bell said all metal needed to be removed from the room.  It was these coils that interfered with Bell's machine, and that gave rise to the gee-aren't-they-dumb metal bed story.  But if this is story that keeps Garfield's legacy alive, and gives authors like Millard the chance to get his story out there, then so be it. 

LENGTH: 432 pages
MAINSTREAM OR NOT?: Given that American students routinely fail their history exams - and claim it as their least favorite subject - I'm going to say no.
SO, SHOULD I READ IT?: Yes.  Garfield deserves more than to be remembered as the unfortunate victim of a sad joke.

*Yes, his parents named him Doctor Willard Bliss.  Talk about some serious career pressure.

**Horrible, I know, but my reaction when Garfield finally succumbs to his wounds was, "OH.  Finally.  He's been dying for like, TEN CHAPTERS", which I'm assuming is not what Millard was going for.