John Bailey (4) (1944–)

Having read John Bailey's excellent book Mr Stuart's Track, I was eager to read his latest book. Again he has chosen an Australian explorer, this time the famous and enigmatic Ludwig Leichhardt., and again he has done a masterful job.

The disappearance without trace of Leichhardt's 1848 expedition is one of the enduring mysteries of Australian history,and the author is clever in beginning the book with a brief account of that expedition. Read it and you will find it difficult not to carry on show more reading the whole book, such is the skill behind the kind of narrative history John Bailey writes.

Of course, the greatest event of Leichhardt's life was not that final ill-fated expedition of 1848, but his triumphant overland journey of1844-45. Making extensive use of diaries and published accounts, Bailey recreates all the struggles, setbacks, infighting and sheer exhausting hard work of that trip. The decision to rely so heavily on Leicchardt's words is a wise one, since Leichhardt himself is an observant and passionate writer. This is a full account of a life, not just the expeditions in Australia, and what emerges from this study of Leichhardt's life is that the character of the man is just as great a mystery as his fate. Although highly intelligent, widely read and a skilled scientist, Leichhardt clearly had great difficulties being a leader of men on the three expeditions he led. So it is no surprise that Bailey focuses as much attention on the interpersonal problems that plagued the expeditions as he does on the physical challenges, such as heat, hunger and disease.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a clear picture of just how epic the challenges were for men of determination such as Leichhardt. Seemingly simple setbacks such as horses or cattle wandering off during the night could become interminably long sagas as the expeditioners tracked their lost animals for days or even weeks, halting all progress on their journey, all the while consuming supplies and succumbing to ill health and sickness. I was almost nauseous when reading the detailed accounts of the failed second expedition's encounter with constant rain and sickness, to which all men on the journey succumbed at one time or another.The author surmises such sickness was caused by unsanitary slaughtering and cooking practices, as the following graphic passage illustrates -
"Leichhardt's party was camped on a patch of mud surrounded by the strewn bones and rotting flesh of slaughtered animals. Over time the carcasses mounted up into what Leichhardt described at Charleys Creek as a 'charnel house of killed goats and sheep'. Flies and maggots swarmed over strips of exposed meat. Dogs roamed the camp and nearby was a diarrhoea-ridden latrine. The entrails of sheep and goats, resrved for the dogs, were packed in sacks ans stored next to meat for human consumption. At the call for supper men often walked directly from the toilet or from tending their horses and cattle without a thought to washing their hands. preparing food over an open fire meant the meat was often undercooked. Flies were a constant accompaniment to any meal. In short, the camp was a perfect breeding environment for the salmonella bacteria." (p.286) show less

This was quite the story with many twists and turns. Learned a lot about laws regarding slavery, which for the most part was interesting although at times it did make the story drag. I was impressed when I read the author was a lawyer. He did a great job of breaking down what was pertinent to the average reader or lay person and making that information easy to understand as well. Recommended for those looking for a different take on a story of slavery.

The Lost German Slave Girl by John Bailey tells the incredible true story of Sally Miller and her fight for freedom in New Orleans of the 1840's. While in her 20's Sally Miller was discovered by a local German woman who recognized her as Salome Mueller, a German redemptioner last seen some 20 years prior when a ship load of German immigrants arrived in New Orleans and were sold into bondage in order to repay their passage.

The local German community is horrified that his girl ended up living show more in slavery. Convinced that a great injustice has been done, they take up her cause and hire lawyers to sue not only for her freedom, but for legal recognization that she is white. Her owners, convinced by long years of ownership during which Sally Miller had four children who were also slaves hire their own lawyers and a trial ensues.

The bulk of the book is based on surviving transcripts, there was one witness who diligently wrote down every answer to every question though he did not write down the actual questions. Both the initial trial and the inevitable appeal make for fascinating and suspenseful reading. Fans of shows like Law and Order will find much to enjoy in The Lost German Slave Girl. The story truly is stranger than fiction and the surprises keep on coming right up to the end of the book. John Bailey does his homework; he presents all of the evidence and makes us both believe the story and root for Sally Miller.

John Bailey provides enough general and specific background that we don't ever completely lose sight of slavery in America itself. I did ask myself why we should be so compelled to read about how this one white woman suffered when so many millions of black men and women suffered far worse with no hope of ever gaining freedom. The author answers this question in the end of the book, but I cannot give it away here. Mr. Bailey saves his final surprise twist for the last page of The Lost German Slave Girl. show less

The author, John Bailey who is a lawyer, started out writing a book on the legalities of slavery in the Southern states running up to the Civil War, and in the course of his research came across the story of the lost German slave girl. That historical woman took over his imagination and his book and this is the result. It's a fascinating and bittersweet story, and has much of the writer's research results all through it. No one could do that research or read this book and ever again claim show more that slaves had any legal rightss, any dignity, or even humanity under Southern slavery, where slaveowners were protected to the nth. Many a twist and turn in this narrative. show less