Watchfires by Louis Auchincloss
"Watchfires" by Louis Auchincloss is a novel set against the backdrop of the Civil War in New York, exploring the life of Dexter Fairchild, a lawyer grappling with personal and societal moral dilemmas. The story begins with Dexter's troubled past, marked by his father's abandonment of the family for a married woman, which led him to replace his lost faith with a stringent ethical code. At forty, Dexter faces mounting tensions in both his family and the nation, as debates over abolitionism intensify within his household, particularly between his wife, Rosalie, and their two sons.
The narrative takes a complex turn when Dexter becomes embroiled in a scandal involving his sister-in-law, leading to an affair with Annie Bleeker, which reflects his struggle with hypocrisy and self-control. As the war unfolds, both Dexter and Rosalie engage in meaningful efforts to support the troops, yet their differing beliefs about social causes, particularly women's rights, create further discord. The novel captures their contrasting approaches to morality and purpose, ultimately highlighting the pervasive influence of power and greed in their era. The story concludes in 1895, with Dexter reflecting on the legacies of his wife and son, providing a poignant exploration of human relationships and the impact of historical events on personal lives.
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Watchfires by Louis Auchincloss
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1982
Type of work: Novel
The Work
Watchfires is set in New York during the Civil War period. When the protagonist of the novel, Dexter Fairchild, was sixteen, his father, a prominent Episcopal clergyman, left his wife, his children, and his parish to run off to Italy with a married woman. As a result, Dexter lost his faith, but he replaced it with a strict ethical code. Now a lawyer, Dexter Fairchild considers himself a model of probity and self-control.
As the novel begins, Fairchild, now forty, is deeply troubled. It seems increasingly unlikely that a compromise between the fire-eating Southerners and the fanatical abolitionists will be reached, even to save the Union. The conflict has reached into his own household: Fairchild’s wife, Rosalie, has espoused the cause of the abolitionists, and the two Fairchild boys, Fred and Selby, have taken to debating the issues loudly all over the house.
However, Dexter has a more immediate problem. His cousin, Charles Fairchild, has discovered an amorous note that his wife, Annie, received from Jules Bleeker, a journalist. Since Annie is Rosalie’s younger sister, Dexter considers it his moral obligation to put Bleeker in his place. He has Bleeker fired by the newspaper where he works and ousted from society. Rosalie is furious; her husband, she says, is like a self-ordained priest, a watchman over everyone else’s conduct. Ironically, like his father, Dexter proves unable to practice what he preaches. When Annie throws herself at him, they become involved in a passionate affair, which continues until she dismisses him for being too possessive.
The Civil War ends the political debates in the Fairchild household and gives both Dexter and Rosalie an opportunity to live purposeful lives. Dexter works with his father-in-law to raise money and acquire supplies for the troops. Rosalie nurses wounded soldiers until Dexter becomes ill from overwork, and then she cares for him. They do become closer. However, Rosalie needs another cause, and she finds it in women’s rights. Again, Dexter is appalled, but by now the two of them have learned to ignore their basic incompatibility, which in their youth was not considered an impediment to marriage.
After the war, Fred seeks his fortune by becoming involved with the speculators around Cornelius Vanderbilt. When Selby is killed in a train wreck that was the direct result of their machinations, Fred is devastated. However, he recovers, marries a Vanderbilt, and succeeds in the field of law. The book ends in 1895 with Dexter Fairchild at the graves of his wife and his son Selby, who, he says, are still trying to keep him from making a fool of himself.
In Watchfires, Auchincloss tells the story of a past era through the eyes of two well-meaning but very different people who lived through it. As the story progresses, Dexter keeps trying to reason out what is right and then to do it, only to find himself in the wrong. By contrast, Rosalie lets her heart lead her but too often is disappointed in the people who share her beliefs. Throughout the book, Auchincloss never lets his readers forget that power and wealth can accomplish anything. During the war, there is some honest patriotism. Before the war, however, men such as Rosalie’s powerful father and his friends own everyone around them, and after it the gospel of greed engulfs the nation.
Sources for Further Study
Library Journal. CVII, April 1, 1982, p. 824.
Los Angeles Times Book Review. May 30, 1982, p. 8.
The New York Times Book Review. LXXXVII, May 2, 1982, p. 12.
The New Yorker. LVIII, May 24, 1982, p. 133.
Newsweek. XCIX, April 26, 1982, p. 78.
Publishers Weekly. CCXXI, March 19, 1982, p. 53.
Saturday Review. IX, June, 1982, p. 93.
West Coast Review of Books. VIII, May, 1982, p. 23.