My Weblog

Revision

After a nice long break from Herndon and the Central America I finally got down to business towards the end of last week. Once I fixed all the nuts and blots mistakes in my writing, I moved on to strengthening the overall argument. The first draft of my paper lacked both a strong thesis and powerful conclusion, so these sections were first to be remodeled. The paper became about historical memory rather than somewhat idealistic notions about tradition at the Naval Academy. Once completed, I set to work on fixing the big transitional sentences of my paper. I hope all these changes make the paper better, and look forward to hearing about the final result in a few weeks.

Delinquint... But Good News

I know that I am terribly tardy with this blog post, but I wanted to have something really significant to say before posting. I have finished my paper and have about 29 pages of just text. I have a number of pictures that I can add, but am not quite sure how I want to incorporate them. I am contemplating removing a section of my paper because I'm not sure it furthers my argument. For now I am planning on leaving it until it gets nixed by Professor Petrik. The section in question tries to bring my topic into the realm of social history by incorporating gender, but I believe that it could be an entire research paper in and of itself. I look forward to handing my work in on Monday, but somewhat dread having the paper bleed a river of red when its returned after Thanksgiving. See you all on Monday, and good luck!

Status Report

I know that this post is a bit late, but I was putting the finishing touches on an outline that I feel works best with the wide variety of evidence that go into my research project. The topic of William Lewis Herndon is untraditional in that it spans three different centuries. I have reports on the sinking of the S.S. Central America from 1858, a proposal to build a monument from the same time period.  In the twentieth century I have court cases and secondary sources that cover the rediscovery of the lost gold, as well as the battle over rights to the treasure. Covering both twentieth and twenty-first century are images and documents relating to the monument and its place at the Naval Academy. I thought a great deal about this variety of evidence and how it all fits together, and now feel ready to really begin writing this story.  Also a plus is that if I am completely off base, Professor Petrik will let me know with her red pen.  Good luck everyone.

EXCERPT FROM GARRETT MATTINLGY'S THE ARMADA, PAGE 402.

Meanwhile, as the episode of the Armada receded into the past, it influenced history in another way. Its story, magnified and distorted by a golden mist, became a heroic apologue of the defense of freedom against tyranny, an eternal myth of the victory of the weak over the strong, of the triumph of David over Goliath. It raised men’s hearts in dark hours, and led them to say to one another, “What we have done once, we can do again.” In so far as it did this, the legend of the defeat of the Spanish Armada became as important as the actual event ─ perhaps even more important.

 
Nouns are in red. (Pronouns and subjective nouns were not included) There are twenty-three in this paragraph.

Verbs are in yellow. (Infinitives were not included) There are eight.

 

Adjectives and adverbs are in green.

 

MY PARAGRAPH IN MATTINGLY'S PROSE

As the story of William Lewis Herndon faded into the past, its physical reminders influenced history in another way.  Its origins, largely forgotten and mostly unknown by an institution otherwise aware of the value of the past, remain entombed in a monument bearing the hero’s name.  Through the actions of bold young men the Herndon Monument became a symbol of the right of passage that encompasses “plebe” year at the Naval Academy. Located prominently on the grounds at Annapolis, the monument possessed eternal meaning to all who endured the rigors of this academy. It gave hope to those yet to climb and bittersweet memories to those already beyond the pinnacle. In so far as it did this, the heroics of William Lewis Herndon aboard the S.S. Central America while sadly ignored established a monument that became as valuable as a ship of gold─ perhaps even more valuable.

NOTES

All of Mattingly's sentences were compound, usually including one independent and  one dependent clause.   He avoided all use of the passive voice and kept his sentences in the past tense which is appropriate for history and his topic.  I found difficulty staying in the past tense as my topic began in the past, exists in the present and will continue into the future.  Does anybody have any suggestions for dealing with this problem?

Barrow's Investment

I believe Barrow’s plantation to be mostly in Oglethorpe County, GA very near to the town of Philomath.  Parts of the plantation may extend into neighboring Tafliero County, but this is difficult to say due to the absence of any useful scale on the original Barrow’s plantation map.  The way I located the plantation was first by locating Syl’s Fork using a topographical map similar to those we use in the Marine Corps for land navigation.  I found that Merle Punty’s 1955 article “The Renaissance of the Southern Plantation” which was printed in Geographical Review was of tremendous assistance.  The critical piece of information was that the article pointed me to the original use of the maps, which mentioned that the name of the church on the map was the Spring Hill Baptist Church.  From there I came to the realization that no modern map of the area labeled all of the geographical terrain features that were on the Barrow original.  I next located the Little River on a Georgia Department of Transportation map, and by piecing all of this information together now have a fairly confident understanding of where the Barrow Plantation is located. 

Frankly, I believe that there are several errors with the plantation maps.  They are in no way oriented along the conventional North-South plane.  Most of the terrain features are at best a poor imitation of how they really lie.  The original plantation maps have the appearance of something drawn from memory.  The drawings have the feel of something drawn I would draw on a paper napkin when giving someone directions.  Obviously, David Crenshaw Barrow was not a cartographer.  However, Barrow was neither a sociologist, nor a historian and lacked the credentials to write the article which originally featured the Barrow Plantation Maps, “A Georgia Plantation” which was published in March 1881 in Scribner’s Monthly.  Barrow was a plantation owner, but before the Civil War the property had been managed by an overseer.  David Crenshaw Barrow was eight years old in 1860, twenty-one years before he published the map which featured the plantation at that time period.  At the time of the publication of the article and the date of the 1881 map, Barrow was teaching at the University of Georgia in the Mathematics Department and had very little to do with the plantation other than renting it out.  Frankly, if the former slaves who became his tenants had not taken his last name or that of his mother’s maiden name of Pope, Barrow would probably not have even known them at all. This certainly places some doubt as to the validity of the maps at all, and when combined with the imprecision of the drawing and the fact that Barrow was a mathematician and not a historian, I find it hard to believe that the map is valid at all.  The major error is that this map has been reprinted so many times, and has helped to shape America’s understanding of the Reconstruction at all. 

I was able to find a few pictures of the Barrow/Pope Plantation, and thanks to T. Carter I have been able to get them up in a photo album along with some pictures of military uniforms to go along with my “Quilting Frolic” post.  These photos and modern satellite imagery makes me believe that the Barrow Plantation is even less developed now than it was in the nineteenth century.  What all this goes to show is that many maps are as unreliable as they are useful.  Barrow may be completely right in his argument about the changes to the southern plantation between the Civil War and Reconstruction, but his maps are the work of an untrained historian and are completely invalid scholarship.  The rest of the documents support his story, and he should have used photographs and other evidence to tell it rather than inventing these maps.

Download oglethorpeDOTmap.pdf

Military/Hunting Gear

I felt that I could not properly analyze the military/hunting equipment without knowing more about the painter and time period of the work.  With military uniforms like that found on the wall in The Quilting Frolic the time of the painting is key to determining who might have owned the uniform and when they might have served in the U.S. Army.  From historical pictures I have located on the U.S. Army history website and provided in a photo album, I have determined that the uniform belonged to a post-revolutionary war enlisted man.  The absence of a saber and lack of gold embroidery on the cover are the evidence I use to make this assertion.  An officer would generally not carry a rifle into battle, and would therefore have no use for a bayonet.
    Beyond the simple military implications of these items I feel that they tell us quite a bit about conventional civilian life in the early nineteenth century.  They show that Alexis de Tocqueville was right in his observation of the American citizen-soldier.  The uniform may not be used daily, but is    within an easy arms reach should the need arise.  The placement of the breech loaded rifle above the doorway sets a similar tone.  While the rifle can be used in civilian life for hunts, its placement shows that the owner desires to keep it out of reach of those who might use it inappropriately.  This conveys a great deal about parental and societal views on children, firearms, and warfare.

For further reading on this topic I recommend that you check out the following:

Ekirch, Arthur A. “The Idea of a Citizen Army” Military Affairs, Vol. 17, No. 1. (Spring, 1953), pp. 30-36. 

 

Coffman, Edward M. “The Long Shadow of The Soldier and the State”
The Journal of Military History, Vol. 55, No. 1. (Jan., 1991), pp. 69-82.

McChristian, Douglas C. The U.S. Army in the West, 1870-1880: Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995.

Download 1827.jpg
Download 1814.jpg

Annotated Bibliography

Primary:

Columbus-America Discovery Group V. Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company, (2000).

Columbus-America Discovery Group, Inc. V. Unidentified, Wrecked, and Abandoned Sailing Vessel, (1989).

Columbus-America Discovery Group, Inc. V. Unidentified, Wrecked, and Abandoned Sailing Vessel, (1990).

I have chosen these three cases to represent the beginning and end of the court battle over the gold rediscovered by the Columbus-America Discovery Group in the late 1980s.  They provide extensive information on the find, and will serve as a profound contrast to period documents from the time of William Lewis Herndon’s death.  There are several other hearings that may or may not be used, but at this time I feel that these cases will be more than sufficient to cover this portion of the Herndon story.

Herndon Monument Fund: Report of the Committee to Collect Funds, and Procure and Erect a Monument to the Memory of the Late Commander Wm. Lewis Herndon, U.S. Navy. Washington: Printed by Cornelius Wendell, 1858.

This report marks the beginning of the movement to establish a monument in the memory of Commander William Lewis Herndon.  It ultimately proved successful, and is relevant in that it highlights the reasons why Herndon deserved a monument, and what young Midshipmen should learn from this hero.  The document also is a window into the values of the mid-nineteenth century United States Navy.

Maury, Matthew Fontaine. "Report on the Loss of the Mail Steamer Central America under the Command of William Lewis Herndon ", 1857, 1884.

This report was written by the brother-in-law of William Lewis Herndon, Matthew Fontaine Maury, who was also a naval officer.  The document offers a more personal look into the life of Commander Herndon and the story behind the sinking of the S.S. Central America.  This document further explains the values of the nineteenth century Navy and is a contrast to the twentieth century court battle over “buried treasure.”

Secondary:

McCormack, Howard M. "Finders Keepers--Losers Weepers: Underwriters' Problems with Deep Sea and Other Salvage Operations." Federation of Insurance & Corporate Counsel Quarterly Fall (1998).

This journal article offers a twentieth century look into the world of insurers who fought for their share of the S.S. Central America’s precious cargo.  An unflattering, especially from the perspective of an outsider, depiction of insurance and the legal system.

Kinder, Gary. Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. 1st Vintage Books ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1999.

Kinder’s book is the only secondary volume on the S.S. Central America or William Lewis Herndon that I have located thus far.  I have not read it thoroughly at this juncture but from my limited examination I feel that it will be a valuable addition to my own analysis.

State V. Rehburg

    The case of State vs. Rehburg appears to be a fairly straightforward incident of domestic abuse.  The primary historical actors of the document were the women of the Rehburg family, as well as the attorneys who argued the case.  The case is historically enlightening as it touches on nineteenth century class and gender relations.  The treatment of the Rehburg family by the members of the court depicts social relationships that hardly embrace traditional notions of American equality.  The constant use of the address of “sir” in responding to questions by family members and workers of the ranch highlight the inequality of the social relationships. 
    Aside from the social implications of the expert testimony provided in the case, I feel that it lent a great deal of weight to the defense’s argument.  Their professional expertise made apparent that it was highly unlikely that Mr. Rehburg was directly at fault for his daughter’s death.  While hardly innocent, I felt that prosecution had no case in proving Rehburg guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  He was responsible for bringing Louisa into his family.  What I am amazed at is why Louisa was not allowed to testify, or was tried as the defendant.  This highlights the fact that the testimony of a child was not held in high regard, and that the position of women was not much better.  Although I am still surprised that Louisa was not put on the stand simply because she was the wife of the defendant.  I believe that this surprise stems solely from my present ideas about courtroom procedures rather than thinking in nineteenth century terms.
    While the deposition would have affected me greatly had I been a member of the jury, I feel that this is simply because society has taught me to put great faith in the words of women and children.  In 1886, the United States was a much more patriarchal society and just as men enjoyed more freedom than women, they also bore more responsibility.  Although unaware of the final decision of this case I believe that Edward Rehburg will be found guilty my “a jury of his betters.”  He had control of the ranch, and anything that happens was his responsibility.  My guess is that his negligence in maintaining order would be enough to convict in that time period.  The one concern I have in making this guess is that deathbed depositions were more readily accepted in the nineteenth century than today.  This stems from the lack of technical ability to gather evidence that modern investigators enjoy.  Potentially, there is also a moral factor in that people would more readily take another’s word “on their honor” than in contemporary courtrooms.

Research Statement

I have recently changed my topic and have spent the last week getting my bearings.  I have decided to take on the subject of William Lewis Herndon and the S.S. Central America that Professor Petrik mentioned in last week’s class. This is a great story from its very origins. Herndon, in the middle of an exceptional naval career took command of the mail ship S.S. Central America. His ship was struck by a powerful storm that disabled the ship’s boilers.  Captain Herndon went down with his ship and about 3 tons of California “49er” gold. The gold was rediscovered by treasure hunters in the late 1980s, leading to a decade long court battle with insurers. I believe that the contrast between the ravenous court battle over the gold and the relative anonymity of Captain Herndon, his heroism and the tragic deaths of hundreds of passengers may represent a change in American values over time. I have already begun examining the court records, and have also discovered the existence of a report on the sinking of the S.S. Central America in the Library of Congress.  Lastly, there are several tributes to William Lewis Herndon including the naming of the town of Herndon, VA and a monument at the U.S. Naval Academy.  As for a provisional thesis, I am simply not at that point yet.  Moral, scientific and legal questions abound in this topic and I am simply not sure where the research will take me at this early juncture.

Wills and Probates (Post 2)

Uncovering the persona of Louise Courselle from her will and probate involved a tremendous amount of guesswork.  The difficult cursive combined with the already grainy digital images of this document ensured some inaccuracy in simply reading the pages.  The process of trying to produce a reasonable analysis of the life of Louise Courselle from this shaky evidence was a great experience as it showed the combination of creativity, patience, and contextual knowledge required of historians.  With this in mind my interpretation is that Louise Courselle was a successful and adventurous woman.  Her presence at the end of her life in the territory of Montana rather than in Brooklyn, New York with her family highlights her potentially adventurous nature.  My interpretation is that she was a widow as her surname differed from that of her brother and there is no mention of a husband in the will.  Her largest source of income appears to be rents paid to her for her properties in Brooklyn which provided a per annum income of $900.  This is where my lack of contextual knowledge is a liability as I am forced to make an educated guess that this was a fairly large income for the late nineteenth century.  This guess is furthered by the account of the possessions of Louise Courselle appraised and sold at auction.  The presence of items like a chandelier, a piano and no less than three diamond rings supports this assertion.
    Although Louise Courselle was very successful financially, I feel that her family life was a great source of unhappiness.  Her daughter was not with her at her death, and her brother and executor of her will was in Georgia.  Courselle’s daughter was a minor and had to be provided for and be appointed with a guardian after her mother’s death.  The distance between mother and daughter was both noteworthy and disturbing.  Additionally, there were several beneficiaries of the will aside from her daughter which is interesting considering that a mother’s first priority would be to absolutely ensure the welfare of her child.  A final comment of the family side of Courselle’s life pertains to her brother and daughter’s guardian who in the will was a man with the last name of Langley.  In the guardianship documents later examined the last name of the guardian had the last name of Eastman.  Is it possible that Louise Courselle and her brother had such a bad relationship that he refused his sister’s wishes that he serve as her daughter’s guardian?
    These documents were very useful and great primary sources despite their limitations.  The will gives insight into the most personal thoughts of a person.  Whereas the probate gives an in depth analysis of that person’s financial health.  From these documents alone we would have a fairly well rounded but still incomplete picture of Louise Courselle.  There are several possible supplements to these wills as primary sources.  Ideally Louise Courselle would have kept a diary or journal, but absent that you could use census records, look for other court records or try to find an obituary in local newspapers in Montana and Brooklyn