historyadventurer-blog

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Adventurer Spotlight. Everyone, meet Allyson!! She's a fellow history adventurer and grad student--and a pretty fabulous friend to boot.

Hometown -- Tallahassee, FL

Lives in -- Springfield, VA

Where ya at? Mount Vernon.

Favorite Spot at Mount Vernon -- The piazza! Maybe it was just the weather and the waterfront . . . and little Ned . . . but that moment was pretty glorious. I bet George and Martha really liked it, too.

Somewhere you want to have a History Adventure? Without question, the Historic Mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. I'm a total sucker for architecture, and they were owned by some of my heroes. 

Fun Fact! The first history project I remember doing was on Stephen F. Austin in the second grade, to whom I am distantly related.

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The Feuding Founding Fathers: The Confrontation that Shaped the Nation; June 14, 2014 at the Hamilton Grange National Memorial; New York City. One of my favorite parts of the debate was when Jefferson started critiquing the Constitutional Convention and Hamilton's desire to overhaul the Articles of Confederation, Hamilton--in true 18th century Mean Girls fashion--indignantly cried, "You weren't even here!"

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The Feuding Founding Fathers: The Confrontation that Shaped the Nation; June 14, 2014 at the Hamilton Grange National Memorial; New York City. Last month, I set aside my dislike of New York (it's an overly-stressful city) for my first ever Alexander Hamilton Pilgrimage. Mostly, I just needed a reason to get myself to the Hamilton-Jefferson debate that takes place at the Grange, Hamilton's New York City home, every year. And let me tell you--it did not disappoint! From Hessian flies to the Bill of Rights and the National Bank, Hammy and the Teej verbally duked it out for an hour and a half before taking questions from the audience. Both gentlemen were absolutely perfect, though Jefferson was far more eloquent than the real Teej would have been. (Massive fear of public speaking. And a high-pitched voice, supposedly...) I will grant you, however, Mr Jefferson gracefully skirted around one boy who clearly fishing for a Sally Hemings-related answer. (During the photo opp afterwards, he told the boy's mom to check out Annette Gordon-Reed for more information--and you probably should too.) I suggest you definitely head up to the Grange for this annual event, if you have the chance!!

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July 12, 1804. It's quite the (sad) coincidence that I'm moving on the anniversary of Alexander Hamilton's death. After languishing for hours at the home of his friend William Bayard, Hamilton passed away around 2 in the afternoon from a gunshot wound right above his hip--the consequence of his duel with Aaron Burr the previous day. On his death bed, Hamilton said, "I have no ill-will against Colonel Burr. I met him with a fixed resolution to do him no harm--I forgive all that happened." Interestingly, Burr maintained for the rest of his life that he felt no remorse for his political rival's death. Hamilton was buried on July 14, 1804 at Trinity Church and can now be found along the churchyard's southern fence. At the time, his funeral procession was the largest in New York City's history. RIP, Hammy. 

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Portrait of Alexander Hamilton by P. T. Weaver, c. 1797; Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the Department of State; Washington, D.C. Today marks the 210th anniversary of Alexander Hamilton's now infamous duel with that scoundrel, Aaron Burr!! The duel took place along the Hudson River in Weehawken, New Jersey--a popular dueling site. At the time, dueling was outlawed in both New York and New Jersey (and was widely frowned upon in northern states), however New Jersey was less strict in enforcing the law. That morning, it's believed that Hamilton shot into the air--effectively throwing away his shot--and Burr, in return, took aim and shot Hamilton just above his right hip. Hamilton collapsed immediately, and a silent Burr was hurried away by his second.

Although Hamilton died the next day, and the Federalist party seemingly with him, one somewhat lovely thing--in my opinion--did come of the duel. Seven days before, Hamilton penned his last letter to his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, in case he should die. He wrote, 

. . .I need not tell you of the pangs I feel, from the idea of quitting you and exposing you to the anguish which I know you would feel. Nor could I dwell on the topic lest it should unman me.  . . . Adieu best of wives and best of Women. Embrace all my darling Children for me.

Oh, my heart! I hope you toast to our very dear General Hamilton with your glass of "The Federalist Visionary" tonight--because, seriously, what else are you going to do? Go shoot your political rival? (Seriously, don't do that.)

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The Alliance (2007); Morristown Green; Historic Morristown, New Jersey. Morristown was one of our first stops on the Alexander Hamilton Pilgrimage last month. We poked around the encampment grounds at Jockey Hollow, Washington's headquarters at Ford Mansion, and, finally, the Green for the sole purpose of seeing these statues. Did I mention a torrential down-pour  started minutes after we left Washington's Headquarters? Because it did. Being me, I decided it was worth getting soaked to jump out of the car and sprint to the statues. The Alliance depicts the May 10, 1780 meeting of the Marquis de Lafayette, General George Washington, and his aide-de-camp, Colonel Alexander Hamilton. Lafayette had returned to France in early 1779 and remained there until the spring of 1780, lobbying for more support for the American cause and liberté. (He and his wife also had a son that year, whom they named Georges Washington Lafayette--I kid you not.) Upon his return, Lafayette informed Washington that Louis XVI had sent French troops and ships to help the Americans and that they were under Washington's command. I really like this statue because it depicts Washington with the two men who, arguably, were most like sons to him. (Also, this happy meeting pre-dates Hamilton's hissy fit and subsequent resignation from Washington's staff, but that's a story for another time.)

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John Paul Jones bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon; Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the Department of State; Washington, D.C. A very happy 267th birthday to Chevalier Jones! Have you ever wondered how a fiery Scotsman came to be the father of the U.S. Navy? Well, do I have a delight Peej gem for you! In the early 1770s, John Paul (his birth name) commanded a profitable merchant ship in the West Indies for a year and a half. He was forced to flee the Caribbean, however, after running a  mutinous man through with his sword. (He later maintained--to Ben Franklin, of all people--that he fled because the Admiralty Court was not in session, and he would thus be judged by a jury.)  He ended up in Fredericksburg, Virginia, living with his older brother. It was there he took on the last name Jones. And the rest, as they say, is history.

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Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony; National Archives; Washington, D.C. I'm pretty sure John Hancock is saying, "You're welcome, America." 

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Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony; National Archives; Washington, D.C. The crowd cheers "Huzzah!" as George Washington reads, "We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States."

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Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony; National Archives; Washington, D.C. The gang's all here!! John and Abigail Adams, Teej, General Washington, Ben Franklin, and Ned Hector.

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Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony; National Archives; Washington, D.C. The Fife and Drum Corps performs "Yankee Doodle"!

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My favorite part is Hancock rocking out on the keyboard.

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Happy Fourth of July, y'all!! It's my favorite holiday, so I hope you're ready for a serious barrage of Declaration of Independence/'Merica/history. Starting with this. You're welcome.

I'll be at the National Archives and the parade this morning--I hope you all celebrate accordingly as well!

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Old Stone House; 3051 M Street NW, Washington, D.C. This little gem of a house, nestled between a Vietnamese restaurant and the Junior League of Washington, is the oldest building (on its original foundation) in Washington, D.C. In 1764, a Pennsylvania cabinetmaker, Christopher Layman, and his family moved to Georgetown and purchased this lot on Bridge Street, now M Street, for one pound and ten shillings. (I wish I could buy a house in Georgetown for that much...) They built a modest one-room house--currently the bookstore--using locally-quarried blue fieldstone and oak. When Layman died suddenly in 1767, his wife remarried and sold the property to a wealthy Georgetown widow, Cassandra Chew. Chew added the rear kitchen as well as the second and third floors (including the fashionable Georgian dining room) by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. 

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Washington Rock; Green Brook Township, New Jersey. You read that right. This is a rock . . . wait for it . . . that George Washington stood on. (Proof that history can be found everywhere!!) In June 1777, this rock outcropping of the Watchung Mountains served as a strategic lookout point for General Washington while the Continental Army camped at Middlebrook. The thirty-mile view allowed Washington to monitor the movements of British General William Howe and his troops as they retreated from New Brunswick to Westfield, New Jersey. Washington planned for his troops to circle Howe's and effectively cut him off before he started for Philadelphia. Howe, however, ultimately decided to move his troops to Staten Island on June 30 and then take the City of Brotherly Love by sea.

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June 28, 1776. Happy Carolina Day, all!! On this day, South Carolinian patriots defeated the British at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island (Fort Moultrie). The British fleet of nine warships was commanded by Sir Peter Parker and accompanied by Sir Henry Clinton’s troops. Patriot troops at Fort Sullivan, unfinished and constructed of palmetto logs and sand, were commanded by Colonel William Moultrie. The patriots held the fort and after nine hours and 45 minutes of battle, Parker ended the assault. My beloved Lord William Campbell, aboard Parker’s flagship H.M.S. Bristol, voluntarily commanded the lower gun deck and, during the course of the battle, suffered a wound—most likely a splinter from shattered wood—that festered for the rest of his life. (In fact, Parker later remarked that the Bristol's lower gun deck was the most badly damaged.) The battle of Sullivan’s Island was the first decisive American victory of the War for Independence. The British defeat at Sullivan’s Island boosted morale among South Carolinians, and the Moultrie flag, dark blue with a crescent moon and the word “liberty”, became an important symbol of the revolution in South Carolina.

This drawing of the battle, which Parker included in a letter on July 9 following the attack, shows where the British fleet was in relation to the fort. (I looked at this as a part of my thesis project; this particular map is in the National Archives at Kew in London, in case you’re curious.) I’ve included a transcription of the map’s key below: 

A: The Active B: The Bristol [Parker’s flagship] C: The Experiment D: The Solebay E: The Syren F: The Sphynx & Acteon (ran aground) G: The Bomb H: The Friendship, Arm’d Ship to cover the Bomb I: Part of Mount Pleasant K: Sullivan's Island L: A narrow isthmus M: An Arm'd hulk N: The continent O: The Myrtle Grove [forest] 

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"Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts and Context in the Civil War"; New York Historical Society; New York City. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the New York Historical Society put together a refreshing, informative, and beautifully personal exhibit of quilts, textiles, clothing, and other objects to bring to life the war on the front and in the home. Focusing on the causes and effects of war, "Homefront & Battlefield" guides visitors through the rise of King Cotton to Lincoln's assassination and beyond. I believe it also fairly conveys to a general audience how historians have come to interpret the Civil War and its legacy. A handful of objects particularly stood out to me, including: 

A coarse boy's shirt worn by a slave and woven by his parents (the fact that this survived is incredible to me).

The hemp noose purportedly used in the December 1859 hanging of abolitionist John Brown. 

A hospital shirt worn by a wounded soldier that still had faint blood stains on it.

A 1920s Klan hood that was worn by a woman in Vermont. How's that for confronting historical stereotypes?

With at least 125 objects on display, there is loads more I could gush about (including a sheer day-dress that I still want to wrap myself in), but I'll resist. Ultimately, "Homefront & Battlefield" demonstrates that textiles were not only an economic cause of conflict during this period, but they were also an expression of the personal relationships and experiences of Northerners and Southerners alike.

The traveling exhibit is open through August 17, 2014, so be sure to stop by before it closes if you're in the city!

(Image via the New York Historical Society Museum & Library.)