Trivia 8-8-19 Who Said That?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Trivia Master

The Keeper of Knowledge
Forum Host
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
".....the only way in which I can speak now is through the mouths of my cannon."
In a speech he did not give, who said that? And what was the cause of his difficulty in speaking?

credit: @lelliott19
 
The he was: Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (1818 -1893)
The reason: He was sick with (according to the newspaper article posted in post #3 - typhoid fever or sore throat. various papers have different published dates - but 1862 is the year.
 
Because of a resent illness P. G. T. Beauregard said ".....the only way in which I can speak now is through the mouths of my cannon."

Edit - A more specific answer was called for here. Many Civil War officers were able to speak even though they had recently been ill.

hoosier
 
Last edited by a moderator:
General PGT Beauregard
Sore Throat.
"But, my friends, I do not appear before you to-night to make a speech, and for several reasons -- first, It is a time for action, not speaking; and secondly, my throat has been been left in such a condition by recent illness, that the only way in which I can speak now is through the mouths of my cannon."

"Beauregard suffered from a chronic throat ailment since his boyhood; and during the Mexican War is believed to have contracted a mosquito-borne disease (then known as 'ague.') This combination of ailments resulted in Beauregard suffering from a "weak constitution" for the rest of his life"...…
http://shilohdiscussiongroup.com/topic/1847-beauregards-elephant/
 
He was Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard.


According to numerous sources, he had a chronic sore thought.

One source said this stating his threat issues dated back to childhood.
However, what is true is that 'Gus' Beauregard suffered from a chronic throat ailment since his boyhood; and during the Mexican War is believed to have contracted a mosquito-borne disease (then known as 'ague.') This combination of ailments resulted in Beauregard suffering from a "weak constitution" for the rest of his life... although he soldiered on and did his best to perform his duties without others even being aware that he was unwell.

Reported to have been ill during the Battle of First Manassas, Beauregard's throat affliction became so pronounced with the onset of Winter 1861 that he consented to throat surgery [perhaps something akin to a tonsillectomy, and making use of the device at top... although I have never yet seen it labelled as such -- Ozzy.] General Beauregard then left Richmond for Bowling Green, but suffered complications and became bedridden for a week, soon after arrival. Then in process of fleeing from Bowling Green, Beauregard was forced to stop at Jackson, Tennessee (because of illness) and ordered the evacuation of Fort Columbus from there.



Maybe the best newspaper quote on rebel necks is found below.
IMG_0275.PNG

Laura's CWT subject post

Above quote source with photo of surgical device
 
1) Who said that?
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard

2) Why had he difficulties in speaking
He had been ill with some kind of inflammation of the throat that must have affected his ability to speak.
As @lelliott19 told us in a former post, the complete quote is:
But, my friends, I do not appear before you to-night to make a speech, and for several reasons -- first, It is a time for action, not speaking; and secondly, my throat has been been left in such a condition by recent illness, that the only way in which I can speak now is through the mouths of my cannon." [New York Times,November 19, 1862, page 2.]

Thanks, Laura!!
 
P.G.T. Beauregard possibly suffered from chronic tonsillitis. During the Mexican War he probably contracted typhoid that made it worse. The issue was so bad in the Winter 1861 that he had throat surgery.

Source - https://civilwartalk.com/threads/what-was-wrong-with-beauregards-throat.158552

Edit - Your source supports your answer, so you get credit for a correct response, Mary_Ellen_Woods. Welcome to the trivia game and to CivilWarTalk. It looks like you joined a couple of years ago but are only now getting around to posting.

If you haven't done so already, you're invited to stop by the New Recruits Meet & Greet forum and introduce yourself to some more CivilWarTalkers.

Hope you'll come back and play again.

hoosier
 
Last edited by a moderator:
In a speech he did not give, who said that? P. G. T. Beauregard.
And what was the cause of his difficulty in speaking? Sore throat (throat ailment).
 
General Beauregard. "But, my friends, I do not appear before you to-night to make a speech, and for several reasons -- first, It is a time for action, not speaking; and secondly, my throat has been been left in such a condition by recent illness, that the only way in which I can speak now is through the mouths of my cannon."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top