The Man Without a Country
Encyclopedia
"The Man Without a Country" is a short story
by American writer Edward Everett Hale
, first published anonymously in The Atlantic in December 1863. It is the story of American Army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who renounces his country during a trial for treason and is consequently sentenced to spend the rest of his days at sea without so much as a word of news about the United States
. Though the story is set in the early 19th century, it is an allegory
about the upheaval of the American Civil War
and was meant to promote the Union
cause.
lieutenant, Philip Nolan, who develops a friendship with the visiting Aaron Burr
. When Burr is tried for treason
(historically this occurred in 1807), Nolan is tried as an accomplice. During his testimony, he bitterly renounces his nation, angrily shouting, "Damn the United States! I wish I may never hear of the United States again!" The judge, on convicting him, icily grants him his wish: he is to spend the rest of his life aboard United States Navy warships, in exile, with no right ever again to set foot on U.S. soil, and with explicit orders that no one shall ever mention his country to him again.
The sentence is carried out to the letter. For the rest of his life, Nolan is transported from ship to ship, living out his life as a prisoner on the high seas, never once allowed back in a home port. None of the sailors in whose custody Nolan remains are allowed to speak to him about the U.S., and his newspapers are censored. Nolan is unrepentant at first, but over the years becomes sadder and wiser, and desperate for news. One day, as he is being transferred to another ship, he beseeches a young sailor never to make the same mistake that he had: "Remember, boy, that behind all these men... behind officers and government, and people even, there is the Country Herself, your Country, and that you belong to her as you belong to your own mother. Stand by her, boy, as you would stand by your mother...!"
Deprived of a homeland, Nolan slowly and painfully learns the true worth of his country. He misses it more than his friends or family, more than art or music or love or nature. Without it, he is nothing. Dying, he shows his room to an officer named Danforth; it is "a little shrine" of patriotism
. The Stars and Stripes
are draped around a picture of George Washington
. Over his bed, Nolan has painted an eagle
, with lightning "blazing from his beak" and claws grasping the globe. At the foot of his bed is a dated map of the old territories. Nolan smiles, "Here, you see, I have a country!" Nolan dies content after Danforth finally tells him all that has happened to the U.S. since his sentence was imposed. Nolan asks him to have them bury him in the sea and have a gravestone placed in memory of him, at Fort Adams, Mississippi
, or at New Orleans.
over the individual states, and thus pressuring readers to view Southern
secession negatively. In so doing, he convinced many individuals to join, or at least support the North's effort to, as Abraham Lincoln
put it, "preserve the Union."
In the story, Hale skillfully convinced many readers that Nolan was an actual figure, thus increasing the story's effectiveness as a piece of patriotic literature. He achieved this realism through verisimilitude, creating an "air" of reality. By frequently mentioning specific dates and places and using numerous contemporary references, Hale grounds his story in a firm foundation of history and makes the story seem like a record of actual events. Furthermore, Hale makes the narrator, Frederick Ingham, seem a strongly reliable individual. Throughout the text, Ingham often acknowledges his mistakes and identifies possible lapses in his memory. For this reason, readers believe Ingham's sense of honesty, and automatically deem him a trustworthy and, to some extent, an accurate narrator. Finally, Hale uses a plain style, maintaining an unstilted and almost colloquial feel. Thus he makes the story easy to relate to, and the patriotic moral accessible to readers.
was an actual historical figure on whom the tale is loosely based. "The Nolan House" is an antebellum structure located in Wilkinson County, Mississippi
, near the community of Pickneyville where Phillip Nolan once lived. There is also a Mississippi State Historical marker entitled "The Man Without a Country" at nearby Fort Adams where Nolan served in the U.S. Army under General James Wilkinson
. Mention is also made of Nolan in the museum at the Historic Jefferson College State Historic site near Natchez
in Adams County
, where Aaron Burr and his co-conspirators were first brought to trial.
In 1863, Democratic Congressman and Copperhead
leader Clement Vallandigham
was arrested by Major General Ambrose Burnside
, who was in charge of the Department of the Ohio
, for making seditious speeches against the war. Lincoln was faced with a dilemma due to the fact that the Congressman was doing what Burnside said he was doing, but that Burnside's actions made the Congressman a possible political martyr. Vallandigham spent a number of months in Toronto
, Canada West
before sneaking back into the U.S. It is believed that this incident led Hale to write the story, and late in it Vallandigham is mentioned with several contemporary Confederates in the story.
This bit of American history was documented by Robert Ripley
in his Believe it or Not comic strip some time after 1931 (Believe it or Not Omnibus) but before 1942 (Series 2 or Series 3). Ripley used existing documentation of the case—so it is possible that the US National Archive system may have been consulted in the process.
It is unclear whether this fictional story influenced the case of the officer.
Edward Everett Hale penned the book on Mackinac Island
at Mission House
.
starring Florence La Badie
, a 1918 film My Own United States
and another Man Without a Country
starring John Litel
and Gloria Holden
and released by Warner Brothers in 1937.
In 1973, a made-for-television movie titled The Man Without a Country was directed by Delbert Mann
and written by Sidney Carroll
. It featured Cliff Robertson
as Philip Nolan, Beau Bridges
as Frederick Ingham, Peter Strauss
as Arthur Danforth, Robert Ryan
as Lt. Cmdr. Vaughan, Walter Abel
as Col. A.B. Morgan, Geoffrey Holder
as one of the slaves on a slave ship, Shepperd Strudwick
as the Secretary of the Navy, John Cullum
as Aaron Burr and Patricia Elliott
as Mrs. Graff.
There were other movies made in 1925 and another slated for distribution in 2008.
An opera of the story, also entitled The Man Without a Country
, was composed by Walter Damrosch and premiered at the Metropolitan Opera
in 1937.
A four-part dramatization was recorded in June 1947 and issued by Decca on two coupled 12" 78 rpm discs. Bing Crosby
provided the narration and Frank Lovejoy
portrayed Philip Nolan.
On May 8, 1977, a three-act radio play was broadcast as an episode of famous radio man Himan Brown
's The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater
. The venerable Russell Horton performed the part of Nolan. Tom Bosley
, Howard Cunningham of TV's Happy Days
, was host of the series.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by American writer Edward Everett Hale
Edward Everett Hale
Edward Everett Hale was an American author, historian and Unitarian clergyman. He was a child prodigy who exhibited extraordinary literary skills and at age thirteen was enrolled at Harvard University where he graduated second in his class...
, first published anonymously in The Atlantic in December 1863. It is the story of American Army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who renounces his country during a trial for treason and is consequently sentenced to spend the rest of his days at sea without so much as a word of news about the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Though the story is set in the early 19th century, it is an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
about the upheaval of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and was meant to promote the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
cause.
Plot summary
The protagonist is a young United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
lieutenant, Philip Nolan, who develops a friendship with the visiting Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
. When Burr is tried for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
(historically this occurred in 1807), Nolan is tried as an accomplice. During his testimony, he bitterly renounces his nation, angrily shouting, "Damn the United States! I wish I may never hear of the United States again!" The judge, on convicting him, icily grants him his wish: he is to spend the rest of his life aboard United States Navy warships, in exile, with no right ever again to set foot on U.S. soil, and with explicit orders that no one shall ever mention his country to him again.
The sentence is carried out to the letter. For the rest of his life, Nolan is transported from ship to ship, living out his life as a prisoner on the high seas, never once allowed back in a home port. None of the sailors in whose custody Nolan remains are allowed to speak to him about the U.S., and his newspapers are censored. Nolan is unrepentant at first, but over the years becomes sadder and wiser, and desperate for news. One day, as he is being transferred to another ship, he beseeches a young sailor never to make the same mistake that he had: "Remember, boy, that behind all these men... behind officers and government, and people even, there is the Country Herself, your Country, and that you belong to her as you belong to your own mother. Stand by her, boy, as you would stand by your mother...!"
Deprived of a homeland, Nolan slowly and painfully learns the true worth of his country. He misses it more than his friends or family, more than art or music or love or nature. Without it, he is nothing. Dying, he shows his room to an officer named Danforth; it is "a little shrine" of patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
. The Stars and Stripes
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
are draped around a picture of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Over his bed, Nolan has painted an eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
, with lightning "blazing from his beak" and claws grasping the globe. At the foot of his bed is a dated map of the old territories. Nolan smiles, "Here, you see, I have a country!" Nolan dies content after Danforth finally tells him all that has happened to the U.S. since his sentence was imposed. Nolan asks him to have them bury him in the sea and have a gravestone placed in memory of him, at Fort Adams, Mississippi
Fort Adams, Mississippi
Fort Adams is a small, abandoned riverport in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States, about 40 miles south of Natchez. It is notable for being the United States' port of entry on the Mississippi River before the acquisition of New Orleans. It was the site of an early fort by that name. The...
, or at New Orleans.
Effectiveness
As Hale had intended, the short story created substantial support for the US as a country, identifying the priority of the UnionUnion (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
over the individual states, and thus pressuring readers to view Southern
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
secession negatively. In so doing, he convinced many individuals to join, or at least support the North's effort to, as Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
put it, "preserve the Union."
In the story, Hale skillfully convinced many readers that Nolan was an actual figure, thus increasing the story's effectiveness as a piece of patriotic literature. He achieved this realism through verisimilitude, creating an "air" of reality. By frequently mentioning specific dates and places and using numerous contemporary references, Hale grounds his story in a firm foundation of history and makes the story seem like a record of actual events. Furthermore, Hale makes the narrator, Frederick Ingham, seem a strongly reliable individual. Throughout the text, Ingham often acknowledges his mistakes and identifies possible lapses in his memory. For this reason, readers believe Ingham's sense of honesty, and automatically deem him a trustworthy and, to some extent, an accurate narrator. Finally, Hale uses a plain style, maintaining an unstilted and almost colloquial feel. Thus he makes the story easy to relate to, and the patriotic moral accessible to readers.
Background
Though "The Man Without a Country" is considered historical fiction, like many tales within the genre, it is based on historical events. Philip NolanPhilip Nolan
Philip Nolan was a horse-trader and freebooter in Natchez, on the Mississippi River, and the Spanish province of Texas....
was an actual historical figure on whom the tale is loosely based. "The Nolan House" is an antebellum structure located in Wilkinson County, Mississippi
Wilkinson County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,312 people, 3,578 households, and 2,511 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 5,106 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, near the community of Pickneyville where Phillip Nolan once lived. There is also a Mississippi State Historical marker entitled "The Man Without a Country" at nearby Fort Adams where Nolan served in the U.S. Army under General James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson was an American soldier and statesman, who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, but was twice compelled to resign...
. Mention is also made of Nolan in the museum at the Historic Jefferson College State Historic site near Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
in Adams County
Adams County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,340 people, 13,677 households, and 9,409 families residing in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile . There were 15,175 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
, where Aaron Burr and his co-conspirators were first brought to trial.
In 1863, Democratic Congressman and Copperhead
Copperheads (politics)
The Copperheads were a vocal group of Democrats in the Northern United States who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. Republicans started calling anti-war Democrats "Copperheads," likening them to the venomous snake...
leader Clement Vallandigham
Clement Vallandigham
Clement Laird Vallandigham was an Ohio resident of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats during the American Civil War. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:...
was arrested by Major General Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
, who was in charge of the Department of the Ohio
Department of the Ohio
The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.General Orders No...
, for making seditious speeches against the war. Lincoln was faced with a dilemma due to the fact that the Congressman was doing what Burnside said he was doing, but that Burnside's actions made the Congressman a possible political martyr. Vallandigham spent a number of months in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada West
Province of Canada
The Province of Canada, United Province of Canada, or the United Canadas was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of...
before sneaking back into the U.S. It is believed that this incident led Hale to write the story, and late in it Vallandigham is mentioned with several contemporary Confederates in the story.
This bit of American history was documented by Robert Ripley
Robert Ripley
Robert LeRoy Ripley was an American cartoonist, entrepreneur and amateur anthropologist, who created the world famous Ripley's Believe It or Not! newspaper panel series, radio show, and television show which feature odd 'facts' from around the world.Subjects covered in Ripley's cartoons and text...
in his Believe it or Not comic strip some time after 1931 (Believe it or Not Omnibus) but before 1942 (Series 2 or Series 3). Ripley used existing documentation of the case—so it is possible that the US National Archive system may have been consulted in the process.
It is unclear whether this fictional story influenced the case of the officer.
Edward Everett Hale penned the book on Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
at Mission House
Mission House (Mackinac Island)
The Mission House on Mackinac Island is a historic structure owned by the state of Michigan. Built in 1825, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is operated as part of the Mackinac Island State Park.-History:...
.
Adaptations
"The Man Without a Country" has been adapted for film several times, starting in 1917 with The Man Without a CountryThe Man Without a Country (1917 film)
The Man Without a Country is an American silent film adaptation of Edward Everett Hale's The Man Without a Country. It was directed by Ernest C. Warde, and starred Florence La Badie, Holmes Herbert, and J. H. Gilmour, and released by Thanhouser Film Corporation...
starring Florence La Badie
Florence La Badie
Florence La Badie was an American actress in the early days of the silent film era. Though little known today, she was a major star between 1911 and 1917, her career was at its height and climbing when she died unexpectedly due to injuries sustained during an automobile accident.-Early life:While...
, a 1918 film My Own United States
My Own United States
My Own United States is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by John W. Noble and starring Arnold Daly, Charles Graham and Duncan McRae. It is based on the short story The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale.-Partial cast:...
and another Man Without a Country
The Man Without a Country (1937 film)
The Man Without a Country is a 1937 short drama film directed by Crane Wilbur in Technicolor. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1937 for Best Short Subject . It is a remake of the 1917 film of the same name, based on the story by Edward Everett Hale. Actor Holmes Herbert appeared in both...
starring John Litel
John Litel
John Litel was an American film actor. During World War I, Litel enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery....
and Gloria Holden
Gloria Holden
-Early life:Gloria Holden came to America as a child. She attended school in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and later studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.-Theater:...
and released by Warner Brothers in 1937.
In 1973, a made-for-television movie titled The Man Without a Country was directed by Delbert Mann
Delbert Mann
Delbert Martin Mann, Jr. was an American television and film director. He won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Director for the film Marty...
and written by Sidney Carroll
Sidney Carroll
Sidney Carroll was a film and television screenwriter. Although Carroll wrote most frequently for television, he is perhaps best remembered today for writing the screenplay for The Hustler for which he was nominated for an Academy Award...
. It featured Cliff Robertson
Cliff Robertson
Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson III was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned half of a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film PT 109, and won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly...
as Philip Nolan, Beau Bridges
Beau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
as Frederick Ingham, Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
as Arthur Danforth, Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan
Robert Bushnell Ryan was an American actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains.-Early life and career:...
as Lt. Cmdr. Vaughan, Walter Abel
Walter Abel
Walter Abel was an American stage and film character actor. His eyes were brown and his height was five foot ten inches....
as Col. A.B. Morgan, Geoffrey Holder
Geoffrey Holder
Geoffrey Richard Holder is a Trinidadian actor, choreographer, director, dancer, painter, costume designer, singer and voice-over artist.-Early life:...
as one of the slaves on a slave ship, Shepperd Strudwick
Shepperd Strudwick
Shepperd Strudwick was an American actor of film, television, and stage....
as the Secretary of the Navy, John Cullum
John Cullum
John Cullum is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including On the Twentieth Century and Shenandoah , winning the Tony Awards for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for each...
as Aaron Burr and Patricia Elliott
Patricia Elliott
Patricia Elliott is an American actress. She graduated from South High School in Denver.With many appearances on television, film and stage, Elliott currently portrays Renee Divine Buchanan on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, a role she has played on-and-off since 1987...
as Mrs. Graff.
There were other movies made in 1925 and another slated for distribution in 2008.
An opera of the story, also entitled The Man Without a Country
The Man Without a Country (opera)
The Man Without a Country is an opera in 2 acts by composer Walter Damrosch. Arthur Guiterman wrote the English language libretto which was based on Edward Everett Hale's 1863 short story of the same name. The work premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on May 12, 1937.-Roles:...
, was composed by Walter Damrosch and premiered at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in 1937.
A four-part dramatization was recorded in June 1947 and issued by Decca on two coupled 12" 78 rpm discs. Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
provided the narration and Frank Lovejoy
Frank Lovejoy
Frank Lovejoy was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He was born Frank Lovejoy Jr. in Bronx, New York, but grew up in New Jersey. His father, Frank Lovejoy Sr., was a furniture salesman from Maine...
portrayed Philip Nolan.
On May 8, 1977, a three-act radio play was broadcast as an episode of famous radio man Himan Brown
Himan Brown
Himan Brown , also known as Hi Brown and Mende Brown, was an American producer of radio programs. Producing for the major radio networks and also for syndication, Brown worked with such actors as Helen Hayes, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra and Orson Welles while creating...
's The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater
The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater
The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater was a 1977 anthology radio drama series with Tom Bosley as host. Himan Brown, already producing the CBS Radio Mystery Theater for the network, added this twice-weekly anthology radio drama series to his workload in 1977...
. The venerable Russell Horton performed the part of Nolan. Tom Bosley
Tom Bosley
Thomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
, Howard Cunningham of TV's Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, was host of the series.