The Autobiography of Mark Twain · Chapter
New York, January 16th, Continued explained
Twichell recounts the story of General Sickles losing his leg at Gettysburg and his dramatic 'last words.' Twain reflects on Sickles's vanity, his museum-like home filled with animal skins, and the general's monotonous yet entertaining spee
What happens
Twichell recounts the story of General Sickles losing his leg at Gettysburg and his dramatic 'last words.' Twain reflects on Sickles's vanity, his museum-like home filled with animal skins, and the general's monotonous yet entertaining speech. Twain also discusses his idea for a magazine called 'The Back Number' and proposes the experiment to Mr. Paine.
Themes in this chapter
Character and Morality
Twain examines General Sickles's vanity, his preoccupation with 'last words,' and his courteous yet self-centered demeanor.
Mortality and Loss
The chapter centers on Sickles's lost leg, his near-death experience at Gettysburg, and the lingering effects of war wounds.
Characters to notice
- Mark Twain
Narrator and observer; reflects on General Sickles, Twichell's story, and proposes a magazine idea.
- Joe Twichell
Twichell recounts carrying General Sickles from battle and making a tourniquet; accompanies Twain to visit Sickles.
- General Sickles
Eighty-one-year-old general who lost a leg at Gettysburg; known for his vanity, monotonous talk, and museum-like home filled with animal skins.
- F. G. Whitmore
Mr. Paine, to whom Twain proposes the magazine experiment.
Key passages
“Twichell and Rev. Father O’Hagan, a Catholic priest, made a makeshift tourniquet and stopped the gush of blood— checked it, perhaps is the right term.”
Twichell and Father O'Hagan improvised a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from Sickles's leg.
Twichell's role in saving Sickles's life after the amputation.
“The late Bill Nye once said, 'I have been told that Wagner’s music is better than it sounds.' That felicitous description ... does seem to fit the general’s manner of speech exactly.”
Twain compares Sickles's monotonous but interesting speech to Wagner's music, which is said to be better than it sounds.
Twain's humorous observation on Sickles's speech style.