# Aeneas Mackintosh — South! character guide

> Aeneas Mackintosh in South! by Ernest Shackleton.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Captain Aeneas Mackintosh, Captain Mackintosh, July Mackintosh

**First appearance:** 0015-xiii-the-ross-sea-party

## Snapshot

Commander of the Aurora and the Ross Sea party, tasked with laying the depots that could save Shackleton's crossing party from starvation.

## Who they are

Mackintosh leads the expedition's forgotten half, sailing into McMurdo Sound to cache supplies across the Great Ice Barrier while Shackleton attempts the Pole from the other side. His mission demands everything and offers no glory, and the dearth of stores and equipment forces his men to travel slowly and suffer greatly. His decisions in these early depot journeys set the terms of the ordeal that will test every quality of endurance and self-sacrifice his party possesses.

## Relationships

### [Frank Wild](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/frank_wild)

_professional_

Mackintosh relied heavily on Wild's experience and authority as second-in-command, creating a respectful but strained working relationship.

### [Hayward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/hayward)

_professional_

Mackintosh relied on Hayward as a subordinate crew member, with interactions centered on orders and logistics.

### [Richards](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/richards)

_professional_

Mackintosh delegated tasks to Richards, maintaining a hierarchical but functional working relationship.

### [Lionel Stenhouse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/lionel_stenhouse)

_professional_

Mackintosh and Stenhouse had a formal captain-first officer relationship, with Stenhouse commanding the Aurora in Mackintosh's absence.

### [Gaze](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/gaze)

_professional_

Mackintosh directed Gaze as a crew member, with interactions limited to expedition tasks and orders.

### [Frank Wild](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/frank_wild)

_professional_

Mackintosh relied heavily on Wild's experience and authority as second-in-command, creating a respectful but strained working relationship.

### [Frank Wild](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/frank_wild)

_professional_

Mackintosh relied heavily on Wild's experience and authority as second-in-command, creating a respectful but strained working relationship.

### [Lionel Stenhouse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/lionel_stenhouse)

_professional_

Mackintosh and Stenhouse had a formal captain-first officer relationship, with Stenhouse commanding the Aurora in Mackintosh's absence.

### [Richards](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/richards)

_professional_

Mackintosh delegated tasks to Richards, maintaining a hierarchical but functional working relationship.

### [Hayward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/hayward)

_professional_

Mackintosh relied on Hayward as a subordinate crew member, with interactions centered on orders and logistics.

### [Richards](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/richards)

_professional_

Mackintosh delegated tasks to Richards, maintaining a hierarchical but functional working relationship.

## In the story

### [XIII: The Ross Sea Party](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/chapters/xiii-the-ross-sea-party)

Captain of the Ross Sea Party; led the depot-laying journey despite severe difficulties and was later lost.

### [Wintering in McMurdo Sound](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/chapters/xiv-wintering-in-mcmurdo-sound)

Leads the shore party, organizes depot-laying plans, and oversees sledging preparations despite the loss of the Aurora.

### [XV: Laying the Depots](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/chapters/xv-laying-the-depots)

Leader of the depot-laying parties; made decisions on sledging arrangements and pushed forward with Wild and Spencer-Smith.

### [The Last Relief](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/chapters/xvii-the-last-relief)

Presumed dead; search for his body proves fruitless.

### [XVIII: The Final Phase](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/chapters/xviii-the-final-phase)

Died for his country as surely as any who gave their lives on the fields of France and Flanders.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters/aeneas_mackintosh
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/south_se/characters