author
Wickham Hoffman
1821–1900
A Union Army officer, diplomat, and memoirist, he wrote from lived experience rather than a distance. His books capture the Civil War and life in Europe with the eye of someone who moved through both military and diplomatic worlds.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in New York City in 1821, Wickham Hoffman built a career that crossed public service, war, and writing. He served on the Union side during the American Civil War, including staff work and field service, and later moved into diplomacy.
Hoffman held posts in major European capitals, serving with the United States legation in places including Paris, London, and St. Petersburg. He was later appointed U.S. minister to Denmark, a role that capped a long career in international service.
As an author, he is best remembered for Camp, Court and Siege, a memoir drawn from his experiences during the Civil War and during the upheavals in France in 1870–1871. That mix of soldier, observer, and diplomat gives his writing a direct, practical quality that still makes it interesting to readers of history.