The Man Without a Country by Edward Hale [Classics](1863)
By canyonIsland933880
I just went through “The Man without a Country,” and it felt like one of those short stories that sticks with you. It follows Lieutenant Philip Nolan, who ends up getting mixed up with Aaron Burr back in 1807, and then during his treason trial he basically shuts down and says he doesn’t want to hear anything about the United States ever again. The judge keeps trying to get him to take it back, but Nolan won’t, so after that he spends the rest of his life serving on Navy ships all over the world, and they’re not even allowed to mention the U.S. It also came out right in the middle of the Civil War (1863), and I guess it was meant to help the Union get more people on their side. And then I noticed it’s tied to Edward Everett Hale’s uncle, Edward Everett, who gave that long speech at Gettysburg right before Lincoln’s shorter one that people still talk about all the time. The whole thing with Everett praising Lincoln right after is kind of wild to read. Overall it was a quiet, calm read, but it still lets the story do the talking.