Battle of Midway

The turning point of the war in the Pacific

American naval aviators wiped out three Japanese carriers in eight minutes on June 4, 1942

            You almost feel like you are there, standing on the flight deck as one after another Wildcat fighter takes off to fight the Japanese Zeros in the air over a Japanese carrier.

            Craig Symonds takes you to the dark days of spring, 1942, just a half year since the Japanese naval force bombed Pearl Harbor, in his book The Battle of Midway (2011). 

            After December 7, 1941 the Japanese swept across the western Pacific, destroying American and allied forces, and capturing and occupying bases and islands from the Philippines to Burma.  The Japanese were a terrible firestorm across Asia, just about to leap to Australia.  Would they attack the American mainland next?

Admiral Nimitz, 1942

            Right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt sent an old submariner, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, to Hawaii to command all the naval forces in the Pacific.  Nimitz arrived on Christmas day, 1941 and surveyed the damage from the Japanese attack.  His first response was surprisingly positive, because he noted that, despite the destruction of several of our battleships and other ships in port, the Japanese had failed to destroy American fuel supplies, or industrial facilities and all our aircraft carriers had been elsewhere when they attacked. Those carriers would live to be the nucleus of the Navy that would go to war with Japan.

            Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto decided it was time to force a battle with the Americans and destroy our remaining aircraft carriers.  He planned to invade the tiny island of Midway, just 1000 miles north of Oahu, and at the same time, some of the outer islands of the Aleutian chain of Alaska.  These would make nice stepping stones as Japan approached Mainland USA.

            You are present at staff meetings of the Imperial Japanese Navy as they discuss Yamamoto’s plan, overcome objections, and get the Emperor’s approval.

            You are also present aboard the carriers where some of America’s finest young naval aviators are learning how to fight a war when Japanese and American forces clash in the waters near New Guinea, in the Battle of the Coral Sea May 7-8, 1942.

            Symonds brings you along as Americans and Japanese fight, and for Japan it is a wonderful Victory parade of one success after another.

            However-- Americans have been breaking the operational code of the Japanese Navy, so they are able to piece together messages which lead them to discover that the main force of the Japanese Navy will be in the vicinity of Midway Island early in June, and attack the island and occupy it.

            As June 4^th, 1942 dawns, Navy, Army and Marine Corps aviators from Midway search for the Japanese, and then launch bombing raids.  They score no hits.

            Next come torpedo attacks by squadrons from three American carriers.  They score no hits, but the Japanese cut them to pieces, so few torpedo bombers make it back to their carriers.

            There’s a “Flight to Nowhere” when the commander of the air group from USS Hornet leads his aircraft on a course 35 degrees north of where they should be going, and it turns out to be the first of many failures by Hornet and her aircraft in this battle.

            The Japanese are mauling our aircraft as squadron after squadron attacks them, without scoring hits.  It looks bad for our side.

            Then, our dive bombers arrive on the scene with 1000-lb. and 500-lb. bombs and attack the carrier Kaga and bombs tear into the flight deck and down into the hangar deck, where bombs and torpedoes loaded aboard airplanes detonate. 

            More dive bombers attack Akagi, the flagship with Admiral Chūichi  Nagumo aboard, and soon that carrier is burning from stem to stern. 

            Dive bombers from another squadron attack Soryu, placing her out of action as well.

USS Yorktown, June 4, 1942

            The Japanese are now reduced to only one carrier now: Hiryu.  Bombers from that carrier search out the American carriers and find USS Yorktown and attack her.  The Japanese submarine I-168 finishes her off with two torpedoes.

            Aircraft from USS Enterprise and Hornet launch to attack Hiryu, and soon the Japanese have lost all four of the carriers of their main force.  The Americans have lost Yorktown. 

            In just one day, the tide turns in the Pacific, and from then on, the United States Navy is on the offensive, and the Imperial Japanese Navy will never recover.  There will be three more years of bitter fighting, and many men will be killed and wounded on both sides.  The Battle of Midway was as important in World War II as the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 when Britain defeated the French and the Spanish fleets.

            Symonds’ Midway is colorful and fast-paced, and his narrative flows with the characters who fought this battle, both the heroes and the others.

            The lessons of Midway for naval officers of our generation were many, and I believe future naval officers will be studying those lessons long into the future.

---

Craig L. Symonds, The Battle of Midway, 2011. New York:  Oxford University Press, 452 pp.

Craig Symonds is a brilliant naval historian.  I first met him when he was a professor at the Naval War College and I was an instructor in the naval warfare department.  He continued his career teaching naval history at the U.S. Naval Academy, and was well known for his specialty, the naval side of the Civil War.

Recently Craig retired, then came back to occupy the Naval Heritage Chair at Annapolis, an endowment of the Class of 1957.  My classmates and I from 1957 contributed to endow this chair for our 50^th anniversary gift to the Academy, and we’re proud of each of the three fine scholars who have occupied that chair since 2007, and particularly proud of Craig. 

When we arrived at Annapolis and became Plebes in 1953, only 11 years had elapsed since Midway. Among the many bits of naval lore we were expected to spout off whenever asked by an upperclassman was “Kaga, Akagi, Soryu and Hiryu” --- the four Japanese carriers that were sunk at the Battle of Midway.

All during my naval career I felt the proximity of the heroes and key actors of the Battle of Midway.  Several of the flag officers I knew when I was a young submarine officer had served aboard submarines at Midway.

I took command of the destroyer, USS  McCaffery, at Midway in 1972.  We had stopped for refueling before we continued on to Yokosuka, Japan, on our way to take part in the last months of the Viet Nam war.

I relieved Captain Gene Lindsay as Commander of Fleet Activities, Sasebo, Japan.  Gene’s father had commanded one of the ill-fated torpedo bomber squadrons at Midway, and died in that battle.  Sasebo, the base I commanded, when it had belonged to the Imperial Japanese Navy, had been commanded by Admiral Chūichi Nagumo, the commander of the Carrier Attack Force at the Battle of Midway. He had also commanded the force when it attacked Pearl Harbor.

Early in my tenure at Sasebo I hosted members of the Japanese Diet as we flew aboard USS Carl Vinson for flight demonstrations at sea.  One of those Diet members in 1983 was Minoru Genda, the bright young naval officer who had planned the Japanese naval strike on Pearl Harbor, and then helped plan the Midway operation. I sat next to him as we had lunch with Admiral Sylvester Foley, CINC Pacific Fleet, aboard the carrier.

A lesson from Midway: Let us always keep our Navy ready for the next war. Not the last war, but the next.

Fighters on deck, 1942

The Personal Navigator offers these books and papers about World War II:

United States Naval Institute Proceedings, November, 1942, Vol. 68 No. 477 Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute. World War II issue includes excellent photos, including Battle of Midway, June 4-6, 1942, sinking of carrier Yorktown after Midway, aerial view of convoy in South Pacific, , formation of VB-3's, modern Navy fighter, tail marking XF-4F-2, Navy Patrol Bomber by Glenn L. Martin Co., Cruiser USS Memphis.  "The Case for Aircraft-Carrying Oil Tankers" by B. Orchard Lisle. "Fox's Mission to Russia" by Commander L.J. Gulliver, USN (Ret.) writes of Civil War Mission of Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus Vasa Fox to Russia, and of Russian fleet visits to American ports during that war. "The Captain of the 'Whip' Pearl Harbor to Australia" by Lieut. Commander C.A. Ferriter, USN (16 p.). Professional Notes: USS Yorktown. Commander Irving Day Wiltsie, USN, ace aviator and formerly navigator of Yorktown describes the final hours of that ship. Ads for Kollsman, Bethlehem Steel Co., Foote Bros. Gear and Machine, Remler, Kellogg's Cereals, Electric Boat Co., Chicago Wheel & Mfg. Co., New York Shipbuilding Corp., Higgins Industries, Inc., Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Boeing, Douglas Aircraft Co., RCA, Alcoa, Nordberg Mfg. Co., and more. 152 pp. + adv. 17 x 25 cm. Paper periodical, minor nicks and soiling  in cover wrap, very good.     (7901) $28.00. Navy/World War II

United States Naval Institute Proceedings, December, 1942, Vol. 68 No. 478 Church, Albert T., Rear Admiral, USN, Editor. 1942 Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute. World War II issue includes excellent Navy photos of Greenland, U.S. Navy ships lost thus far; ships of the Polish Navy, views of the Battle of the Solomon Islands, August 1942. "The Mexican Escuela Naval Militar del Pacifico" by CDR Olin Scoggins, USN. "Three Years of War at Sea" by C.H.Spilman. Total losses for all nations now approach 1,000. Of 14 aircraft carriers sunk, only HMS Glorious was sunk by shellfire. HMS Hermes, USS Lexington and IJN Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga and Ryukaku were all sunk by aircraft. HMS Courageous, Ark Royal, Eagle were lost to submarines, and USS Yorktown and IJN Soryu were both heavily damaged by planes and then sunk by submarines. "Seabees" by CDR. E.J. Spaulding, USNR. Includes several photos of Seabee operations in the Pacific. "Professional Notes" are rich with reports of the War, including reports on submarines, blimps, "submarine slugger", Mosquito fast bombers and new battleships. Ads for Sylvania, Brewster Dive Bombers, Alcoa Aluminum, Consolidated battleships of the air, Inco Nickel Alloys, RCA Mfg. Co., Inc., Cramp Shipbuilding Co., New York Shipbuilding Corp., Sterling Engine Co., more. 154 pp. + adv. 17 x 25 cm. Paper periodical, minor nicks and soiling  in cover wrap, fair. (7919) $28.00. Navy/World War II

Wings for America, Fighting Planes of the U.S.A. by Thomas Penfield, with foreword by Colonel Edgar S. Gorrell, cover illustration by Herbert Rudeen; American Patriot's Series.  ©1941 Chicago, IL: Rand McNally & Co. History of U.S. Military aviation. Numbering system. Pictures of Lockheed P-38, Curtiss SO3C-1, Douglas SBD-1, Consolidated B-24, more; Bombing tactics, Pensacola; U.S. Army Air Corps schools, aerobatics. 64 pp. 14 x 17 cm. Paper on board, cover lightly worn and soiled, text block very good. Overall very good. (5283) $20.00. History/World War II

U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard: Aircraft Carrier Commissioning, November 26, 1944, Navy Yard, New York 1944 New York, NY: Navy Yard, New York. Pamphlet handed out at Commissioning Ceremony; Program of events for Commissioning. History of ship, named after first USS Bon Homme Richard, John Paul Jones' Continental Frigate. In the famous battle with HMS Serapis on 23 Sept. 1779, Serapis was captured, and Bon Homme Richard caught fire .... Commodore Jones, when called upon to surrender, replied "I have just begun to fight."  His ship was lost.  This new carrier cost more than $60 million, or the equivalent of 3,200,000 war bonds of $18.75 denomination. Sponsor for the ship was Mrs. J.S. McCain, wife of Vice Admiral J.S. McCain, one of the Navy's top-ranking aviators.  [The McCains were the grandparents of Senator John McCain of Arizona.] 4 pp. 15 x 20 cm. Paper pamphlet folded with vertical crease. Fair. (7817) $26.00. World War II/History 

Jane's Fighting Ships, 1942 [Issued June 1943] Founded in 1897 by Fred T. Jane, 46th Year of Issue 1943  McMurtrie, Francis E., A.I.N.A., Editor. New York, NY: The MacMillan Co.  Forward to this book notes the tremendous difficulty of preparing this edition, with secrecy on part of combatants and neutrals, efforts to obscure or propagandize, and ships being sunk daily. Frontispiece photo of HMS Exeter, Royal Navy cruiser that bore the brunt of action with the German "pocket battleship" Admiral Graf Spee at the Battle of the Plate on December 13, 1939. Text notes that, while the Graf Spee was scuttled, Exeter was completely refitted and returned to combat. She was sunk by Japanese air attack at the Battle of the Java Sea in 1942. This fascinating real-time record of naval action in World War II shows the ships that survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7th, 1941), even noting changes to them as result of repairs after the attack. Also with 62 pages of advertising for everything you need to outfit a warship. 582 pp. + 62 pp. adv. 31 x 20 cm. Light blue cloth on board with gilt lettering. Edges worn, tiny white paint spots on cover, good. (6985) $106.00.  Naval/World War II

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Celebrating Thanksgiving

 Remember Allerton looks over the food for Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation

            The Late Reverend Peter Gomes* once said that if all the descendents of the Mayflower Puritans were put back aboard a ship, it would have to hold millions. 

            My family traces itself back to Isaac Allerton (1585-1659), an enterprising gentleman who was among those who landed at  Plymouth on November 21, 1620.  The girl in the photo above is the young enactor representing Remember Allerton, Isaac’s daughter. 

            We’ve visited Plimoth Plantation at Plymouth, MA several times, and each time it has been a fascinating learning experience.  The reenactors who populate this little town live in 1627.  Each of them has learned his part so well that when you talk with them, you feel you are really talking to a person from this colony.  They don’t know about radio, electricity or automobiles, or the United States.  There’s not a word for “fruit” in their vocabulary.  If it wasn’t common knowledge in 1627, they don’t know about it.

Pilgrim women at work in their home.

            We think of the Pilgrims as English, yet they left England in 1609, and returned only in 1620 to board the Mayflower and the Speedwell to sail to the New World.  They all spoke Dutch.

            By 1627 the Pilgrims figured they’ve seen it all.  During that first brutal, cold winter of 1620-21 the Indians never came near them, either to attack them or to make friends.  The Indians had met English sailors before. The sailors attacked the Indians, raped their women, and carried some back to England.  The Indians had caught European diseases from them which nearly wiped out some villages.  So they stayed away from the Pilgrims.

We have the idea that the Indians the Pilgrims encountered were wild savages, but one day in March, 1621 an Indian named Samoset came walking up, and he had the ability to speak bits of English. Then he introduced them to Squanto, who had been kidnapped and taken to London where he trained as an interpreter.  It appears that Squanto was the kind of guy you hope you’ll meet in a foreign country, because he opened up this part of America for the Pilgrims.  He taught them how to tap maple trees for their sap, how to grow native crops.  He showed them the best fishing grounds, and introduced them to clams, mussels and scallops.  

Wampanoag woman sewing deerskin coat.

The Pilgrims and the Wampanoags seem to have gotten along well and in 1621 Governor William Bradford decided they’d have a feast and thank the Indians for teaching them how to survive.  It lasted three days.  That was the basis for our modern Thanksgiving Day dinner.

At Plimoth Plantation today, in addition to the Pilgrim village, there’s a Wampanoag village, but here, instead of reenactors, there are actual Wampanoags and members of other Indian tribes, to tell visitors about what life was like amongst the Indians in Massachusetts in 1627.

Every time we have visited Plimoth Plantation, we ask about our ancestor, Isaac Allerton.  The Pilgrims always give us the same answer:  “He’s gone back to England.”  It turns out that Allerton was something of a wheeler-dealer, traveling back and forth across the Atlantic as the colony’s business agent, buying and selling ships and goods.  It seems he saddled the colony with debt, and was accused of pulling some shady deals, so he was eventually declared persona non grata. 

            I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

                                    Sam Coulbourn

 [Above photos courtesy of Plimoth Plantation.]

* Peter John Gomes (1942-2011) was an American preacher and theologian, professor at Harvard School of Divinity.  He was black, descended from Cape Verdeans, West Africans, Portuguese Jews and one of the Mayflower Pilgrims.  He was a brilliant, delightful man, a Republican most of his life, and author of two best-selling religious books.  And he was gay. He became an advocate of homosexuality in America and particularly in religion.  At one time he headed the Plymouth chapter of the Mayflower Society.

Here are some books and papers The Personal Navigator offers for your consideration:

Guinea Gold, Dec. 27, 1944

Guinea Gold, American Edition, Wednesday, December 27, 1944 Port Moresby, Papua-New Guinea: U.S. Army/Royal Australian Army. This unique World War II newspaper, published in New Guinea and flown daily to U.S. and Australian troops all over South West Pacific command, often scooped the world, since General MacArthur released his communiques to them 20 hours before they were released to the world press.  This issue's lead story:  "Japs Suffer Worst Defeat; Annihilation at Leyte, Samar; Jap Death Roll Now 113,281"  is from Gen. MacArthur's HQ. From SEAC in Kandy, Ceylon, Commander-in-Chief Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten states that the Allies are already threatening to break the Japanese grip on Burma. U.S. Warhips and Bombers made their second co-ordinated assault on the Japanese air base at Iwo Jima on Sunday.  B29s and Liberators bombed the island while warships poured in heavy shellfire. The first assault was by a large raid of B-29s on Saturday.   An important step towards the solution of internal disorder in Greece was taken today when Mr. Churchill and British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden arrived in Athens for a conference with C-in-C Mediterranean, Field Marshal Alexander, Harold MacMillan, and the British Ambassador to Greece. Churchill met later with Greek Prime Minister M. Papandreou. 4 pp. 26.2 x 39 cm. Newspaper, good. (8204) $39.00. World War II           

General Warren at Bunker Hill

Revolutionary War: History of the Siege of Boston, and of the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, also an account of the Bunker Hill Monument, Illus. Second Edition by Frothingham, Jr., Richard 1851 Boston, MA: Charles C. Little and James Brown. Author produced this book after he completed his History of Charlestown, MA, using many original sources, and it contains a very interesting 40 x 48 cm. fold-out map of the action at Bunker Hill, by Lieut. Page, which was originally published in England in 1776 or 1777. Fascinating account of Revolutionary War battles in and around Boston, the raising of the American army, evacuation of the British, General Howe, Debate in Parliament. There is a 22-page History of the Bunker Hill Monument, and an appendix.420 pp. 14.5 x 23.5 cm.  Cloth on board, blindstamped with gilt medallion front and back; medallion on front is bust of Washington, and on back cover is medallion showing the Recovery of Boston, March 17, 1776. Spine is torn for parts of front and rear hinge and inside front hinge is cracked.  There is a six cm closed tear in large foldout map of Plan of Bunker Hill Battle, and Plan of Boston and Environs is loose.  Plan of Boston facing Title page is missing.  All other maps and illustrations are present. Fair. (5782) $120.00. History/Revolutionary War/Boston.

United Kingdom:: Our Own Country. Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial [6 volumes bound as 3] 1882     London, England: Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co.  1944 pp. 19 x 26.5 cm.            Magnificent set of three elegantly bound volumes, each containing two volumes of history and descriptions of cities, towns, castles, ports, rivers in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with many, many engravings and line drawings. Vol. I: Frontis. "Port of Liverpool", Salisbury Plain and Stonehenge, Leeds, Cinque Ports, Dunfermline, The Plym, Crowland, Ludlow, The Clyde, The Dee, Dublin City. Vol. II: Frontis. "Lichfield Cathedral"; Lichfield, Coventry, Island of Skye, Exeter, The Wye, Londonderry, Cambridge, Gloucester, Birmingham, Exmoor, Cork. Vol. III: Frontis."New Town Hall, Manchester"; Norwich, Newark and Southwell, Aberdeen, The New Forest, Coast of North Devon, Lakes of Killarney, Oxford, Manchester, The Severn, Guildford, York, Audley, Lizard District, The Boyne, Sheffield.  Vo. IV: Frontis. "Fountains Abbey"; Nottingham, Wells and the Mendips, Balmoral and Braemar, Shrewsbury, Ely, The Conway, Hull, Belfast, Isle of Wight, Blenheim, Dorking, Dundee, Limerick, Eton, Swansea, Marlborough, Poole to Portland. Vol. V: Frontis. "Hawarden Castle"; Bradford, Cardiff, Llandaff, Harrow-on-the-Hill, South Devon, Lincoln, Great Glen of Scotland, Leicester, Wicklow, Isle of Man, Rochester, Chatham, Warwick, Highland Railway, Antrim, Flintshire, Winchester, Bury St. Edmonds, Southampton and Dorchester. Vol. VI: Frontis. "Canterbury from Harbledown".  Canterbury, Rugby, Iona, Staffa, Arran, Donegal, Richmond on the Swale, Bath, The Trent, The Tweed, Southern Pembrokeshire, Connaught, Chichester, West Sussex, Carlisle, Great Yarmouth, The Thames, and East Sussex Coast. Quarto quarter leather with marbled paper on boards, elegantly gilt-decorated, ribbed spines, very slight wear, slight scuffing at edges, 2 cm tear in lower outer hinge of spine on second volume. Very good to excellent condition. Weight about 15 lbs. (7 kg.)  (7695) $250.00. Travel/History

Colby College Library

Dorothy Morton’s Colby College Diary, 1928 (Handwritten) 1928 Waterville, ME: ephemera. This diary gives an excellent view of a life of a young woman at Colby College in Waterville, Maine in 1928. Dorothy is an eager, attentive student. She writes about classmates who get caught going to a public dance and then punished. She notes advice on how to deal with men, sex, avoid smoking. Dorothy, from Melrose, Mass., writes about her trips home, touring Boston area, berry picking near Waterville, teaching Sunday School. Prof. Weber drives friend and Dorothy to Boston, and they tour Boston historic sites, Cambridge, Concord, lunch at Brunswick Cafeteria. List of expenses, notes, class schedules. Calendar, populations of U.S. cities, eclipses, festivals and holidays, almanac information.  [Note, Dorothy L. Morton died Feb. 19, 2002 at age of 93. She was employed for 42 years by Boston Children's Services Association.]  ~150 pp. 7.3 x 15.2 cm. Red leather diary.  Very good. (8203) $48.00. American Originals/Ephemera

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SAVE YOUR CONDEMNATION UNTIL…..

 

Slavery and Abolition and the United States

 

Abraham Lincoln

I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas at a time before the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Decision. 

Blacks and whites were segregated from each other.  Whites went to better schools with better equipment, they could ride anywhere on a bus except for the back, where Blacks were expected to sit.

At the Greyhound Bus Station there were separate waiting rooms, and separate rest rooms and separate drinking fountains. 

In our neighborhood, which was lower middle class in the oil refining city of Port Arthur, Black women were maids in homes of Whites, and Black men had mostly day labor jobs.  They lived in small rental houses in the alleys. 

During World War II many, many of these Blacks left Port Arthur for Detroit and other northern cities, and got jobs in the Defense industry that paid them more.  Many of them never returned.

We still had a few old codgers who had fought on the side of the Confederacy in the Civil War, and our families were deeply immersed in the southern culture.  Even though World War II had taken most young men into the Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, and we had rationing and air raid drills and air raid wardens, people still referred to the Civil War as “The War”.

White people still talked about the terrible days after the South was defeated, and the surrender at Appomattox Court House, and most of all, Reconstruction.

 Blacks had expected that the end of slavery would mean new opportunities and a whole new life for them, but here, 80 years later, they were still segregated, still had few opportunities.

Changing the culture of a region, or a nation, is really hard.  It takes time, but it also takes a good bit of nudging, like Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and the 1954 schools desegregation decision.

One thing that bothers me is when people criticize George Washington or Thomas Jefferson because they kept slaves. 

Even Abraham Lincoln, as President, was primarily motivated by his strong desire to Save the Union, not emancipation.  He was no hot-blooded Abolitionist!

Certainly slavery was exploitation of one race by another, but even up until a few decades ago, the whole concept of races and ethnicity was entirely different.   

I think one needs to look at the context before we pass judgment—what was the world like all around them?  How did it all fit together?

I hope we are getting it right today, so that some day no American will judge other Americans by the color of their skin, or their religion or lack thereof, or whether they are hetero- or homosexual.

I hope you will enjoy some of the items in this collection:

Eneas Africanus and Eneas Africanus, Defendant

Eneas Africanus by Edwards, Harry Stillwell 1928     Macon, GA: J.W. Burke Company. This is the wistful story of an old Black Slave, sent by his master with family treasures as Union troops were closing in. The Slave, Eneas, went on a long journey, but finally reunited with his old master eight years later, in 1872. "O, Lord!  Marse George! Glory be ter God! Out o' de wilderness! De projekin son am back ergin!"  Modern readers, especially those not from the old South, may read ill will into this story, but it is the story of the mutual admiration and attachment that existed in the South before the Civil War, and persisted long after.   47 pp. 12.4 x 17.2 cm. Red cloth spine with marble paper on board, corners worn, owner inscription, "W.F. Wittenburg" on half title page. Very good. (8209) $15.00. Civil War/Slavery

Eneas Africanus, Defendant by Edwards, Harry Stillwell      1924 Macon, GA: J.W. Burke Company. Sequel to the story of an old Black Slave, set loose with master's family treasures in 1864, who returned in 1872 and found himself as the Defendant in a Church Court, accused of violating the Sabbath. Eneas has read the Bible, and uses it in his trial: "Moses had de Hebrew chillun wid him an' I had mine, but I got home, bless God, an' Moses give out on de road." Modern readers, especially those not from the old South, may read ill will into this story, but it is the story of the mutual admiration and attachment that existed in the South before the Civil War, and persisted long after.    41 pp. 12.4 x 17.2 cm. Blue cloth spine with brown textured paper on board, very good. (8210) $15.00   Civil War/Slavery        

Two Confederate Naval Officers

Aboard CSS Alabama, 1863

Alabama: National and Private "Alabama Claims", The; and their "Final and Amicable Settlement" by Beaman, Charles C., Jr. 1871 Washington City, DC: Office of the Librarian of Congress.  At the start of the American Rebellion in 1861 the Confederate government found that in naval strength it was vastly outnumbered by the United States Navy, and it would be necessary to interdict Union commerce.  England and English shipbuilders were very cooperative with the Confederacy, and allowed construction of Confederate gunboats that were very effective in attacking American shipping worldwide.  On May 15th, 1862 CSS Alabama, known as "Gunboat 290" was launched at Birkenhead, Liverpool.  Page 351 contains a list of the some 67 ships, barks, schooners and brigs destroyed by Alabama, and subsequent pages list ships destroyed by CSS Florida, Georgia, Shenandoah, Nashville, Olustee, Sumter, Tallahassee and others.  This book is a collection of diplomatic correspondence, military correspondence and historical records relating to the matter of Great Britain's questionable acts of neutrality vis-à-vis the Confederate States, and of the negotiations to settle claims after hostilities ended.   358 pp. 14 x 23 cm. Paper on board with cloth spine, cover stained and soiled, fair. (4635)  $85.00. History/Civil War

  

 Boston Evening Transcript, Thursday Evening, January 17, 1861 Boston, MA: Henry W. Dutton & Son. Filled with Civil War news. Telegraph dispatch reports that Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis is urging moderation, and vouches for Major Anderson, now commanding Fort Sumter, in Charleston (SC) Harbor.  President Buchanan is very anxious to avoid bloodshed as messages and messengers fly back and forth.  The President, it is reported, will be willing to recognize a de facto government embracing three or more states. "The Secession Theory of Debt" is indignant editorial about South Carolinians who have passed a bill in their House to stay the collection of debts by Carolinians to men in non-slaveholding states. "A non-slaveholder may be, purely in consequence of his lack of 'ni*gers,' a very contemptible creature, unworthy of a Southern gentleman's notice..."  Major Robert Anderson, a 56-year-old Kentuckian who commands the Union forces at Fort Sumter, is much in the news.  Discussion of selections for President-elect Lincoln's cabinet. Ban on "ardent spirits" in Massachusetts State House. Editorial questions whether this is enthusiasts, fanatics or liquors.  Poem on page one ridicules idea of South Carolinians leaning toward monarchy. Discussion on Slavery reports from recent sermon by Dr. Leonard Bacon in New Haven.  Discussion of necessity and feasibility of constructing a Cape Cod Canal, to connect the waters of Barnstable Bay and Buzzard's Bay. Humor about "The Star of the West", the Union ship fired upon by southerners at Charleston. Lincoln to be escorted to Washington by the Illinois Zouaves. 4 pp. 49 x 68 cm. Newspaper, tears in some folds, 5 cm closed tear in pp. 1-2, poor. (7406) $26.00. Civil War/Newspapers

 Boston Daily Advertiser, Wednesday Morning, October 12, 1864, Vol. 104 No. 87  Boston, MA: Boston Daily Advertiser. Civil War era newspaper: Panic in Richmond, special despatch by the American Telegraph Company's Lines. State elections: Great Republican Victory in Pennsylvania. Report from St. Louis, MO on rebel movements, crossing the Osage River with 20,000 men, 16 to 25 cannon, and a long train of wagons. News from Grant's Army of the Potomac: Enemy opened fire towards the Second Corps. 

Capt. Daniel Foster of the United States 37th colored regiment was killed in the attack on Chapin's Bluff, VA. Capt Foster was formerly chaplain of the Mass. 22nd Rgt. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1841 and for several years was a Unitarian missionary in Kansas. The Massachusetts 54th Regiment, colored troops, has been paid off by the government in full to August 31st. The soldiers have sent back to their families and friends in this city and vicinity the sum of $45,000. Willard Cheney, Jr. of Worcester has been commissioned a second lieutenant of the 2nd U.S. colored infantry, now stationed at Key West, Fla. 4 pp. 54 x 76 cm. Newspaper, edges frayed, good. (5979) $32.00. Civil War/History

Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday morning, December 10, 1863 Cincinnati, OH: The Daily Gazette.  In the middle of the Civil War this "Western" paper gives Status of the Rebel States: "How did the district held by the rebels become foreign territory in the eyes of the law?"  This issuer features "The President's Message" in which Abraham Lincoln reports to Fellow Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives that Foreign Neutrality has been preserved, our blockade of Southern ports has been observed and respected, our Slave Trade Treaty with Great Britain has been ratified and carried into execution. Report also includes operations of the Treasury , and report of the Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary of the Navy reports acquisition of armored vessels, increase in seamen from 7000 in 1861 to 24,000 now, the Naval Academy (now located in Newport, RI) is rendering signal service in preparing midshipmen for their highly responsible duties; also detailed plans for Reconstruction, upon cessation of the war. Separate report from the Secretary of the Navy summarizes 36 page report, including action of blockade over 3549 miles, employing more than 100 vessels. the Navy at present date includes 588 vessels with 4,443 guns. Since December 1862 the Navy has lost or had captured 12 vessels, another 35 destroyed in order to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy, sunk in battle or by torpedoes, 4, shipwreck 5 and collision 13. Secretary also reports on the development of the Monitors by Capt. John Ericsson. In"Latest by Telegraph" report from Washington reports that the President's Message  has been favorably received, but radical wing of the Administration has become more cautious in praise. "The pivotal point of the whole Message is the idea that absolute complete emancipation will at length be the basis of reconstruction." 4 pp. 60 x 70 cm. Newspaper, numerous holes in folds in front page, poor. (7803)  $40.00. Civil War/Newspapers

New-York Tribune, New-York, Tuesday, January 24, 1860 New York, NY: The New-York Tribune. Report from 36th Congress: Remarks of Senator Douglas regarding communication of Governor of Virginia to President Buchanan, that there was a plan on foot to rescue John Brown; President replied that he was at a loss to find any provision in the Constitution or the laws of the United States to authorize him  to take any steps to preserve the peace between the states. "The Irrepressible Folly: General Panic in the South; People Afraid of Newspapers; Banishment and Hanging in Fashion."   Commentary on Senator Douglas, discussing passing a bill to prevent one state from invading another. Douglas proposes to make it a criminal offense to make any more Free States after the manner of Kansas. Douglas says he wants no Slave code. and this has brought him the ill will of the South.  Editorial support for Senator Cassius M. Clay of Kentucky; Clay has earned acclaim in Congress, in commercial and doughface circles at the North, at John Brown meetings. "Republicanism in Kentucky--Speech of Cassius M. Clay" From the Cincinnati Gazette. Clay discusses the Radical Abolitionists; Hang-Dog Testimony..."we now and always have regarded the poor African as of an inferior race, and although we do not pretend to divine the inscrutable designs of the Deity..." 8 pp. 44 x 56 cm. Newspaper, unopened, good. (7809) $26.00. Civil War/History

Manchester Daily Union, Manchester, N.H. Tuesday, May 16, 1865 Manchester, NH: Campbell & Hanscom. By telegraph from Washington:  The assassination trial is open to reporters of newspapers. It is supposed that Jeff Davis will be brought to Washington and tried for murder. The Negro Problem in Kentucky is one of great practical moment. Negroes are leaving their homes by the thousands and are crowding into the towns, demoralizing and being demoralized.... the plantations are without labor, and crops cannot be grown. Uncertainty and confusion take the place of order, and poverty and disease must follow upon idleness and dissipation.  Negro Suffrage--the Abolitionists, not content with negro freedom, are clamorous for negro suffrage. Continued account of Assassination Trial...Mr. Lloyd, who kept a hotel at Surrattville, testified that several weeks before the assassination Booth and his accomplices came to his house, and brought two carbines and a rope... Testimony of Mrs. Surratt... Booth and Harold came to the hotel soon after midnight; Booth said, "I will tell you some news; I am pretty certain we have assassinated the President and Secretary Seward." Commentary on Mission of the Democratic Party. Adv. New Dress Goods; Mourning Goods; Carpeting and Housekeeping Goods at Barton & Co., East Side Elm Street. 4 pp. 32 x 47 cm. Newspaper, some perforations in spinefold, good. (8030) $25.00. Civil War/History

Manchester Daily Union, Manchester, N.H. Wednesday, May 17, 1865 Manchester, NH: Campbell & Hanscom. By telegraph from Washington:  Assassination Trials. Members of the Military Commission met in Ford's Theatre this morning to view the premises. The military and civil authorities in Washington are still at variance. Report that the President has under consideration a new amnesty proclamation which will announce what classes of rebels are to be held for treason. John M. Buckingham, doorkeeper at Ford's theatre said Booth came in about 10 o'clock .. he then walked up the stairway leading to the dress circle, and that was the last time I saw him until he jumped upon the stage... James P. Ferguson: "About ten I saw Booth pass the open door leading to the boxes. I did not see him any more till he fired his pistol and jumped to the stage..."  More detailed testimony of trial. Wm. A. Browning, secretary to Pres. Johnson, testified that he went to Kirkwood House  between 4 and 5 in the afternoon of the murder and saw in Mr. Johnson's box  a card written by John Wilkes Booth. 4 pp. 32 x 47 cm. Newspaper, some perforations in spinefold, good. (8031) $25.00. Civil War/History

La Guerre D'Amérique: Récit d'un Soldat du Sud [in French] (The American {Civil} War: Narrative of a Southern Soldier); Tome Premier [Volume One ONLY] par Fontane, Marius   ca. 1866 Paris, France: Adrien Le Clere ET Ce, Éditeurs, Rue Cassette, 29. Volume One of a two volume set. Small foldout map ( "Carte du Théâtre de la Guerre d'Amérique") at rear of first volume. Narrative by Marius Fontane (1838-1914). Entrée de Charleston. L'exploitation des forêts de la Caroline du Sud.  Toinot le planteur. Les case des nègres. Premier coup de fusil (6 avril 1861). Jefferson Davis, président des États confédérés. L'arsenal de Norfolk (6 mars 1862).  Marche des Nordistes vers Richmond.   304 pp. + map. 11.5 x 17 cm. Quarter leather with marbled paper boards; covered with plastic film.  Fold-out map has small tears in folds. Good. (1735) $75.00. Civil War/History

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Israel, Iran and Potemkin Villages

 Iranians launch “Omid” (Hope) Satellite in 2009

It seems like over 40 years ago that I went to Iran to help advise the Iranian military.  In fact, it was 1970, 41 years ago.

A lot has happened in the world since then, but some things may not change all that much. 

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to derive fiendish pleasure in declaring his, and Iran’s, hatred for Israel, and determination that Israel should be wiped off the earth.  His words about America are very much the same. 

Just a couple of days ago the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report stating that Iran continues to move forward toward developing nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly suggested that a military strike against Iran’s weapons production facilities may be necessary, and we have heard similar bluster from within the U.S. Government. 

The U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee has proposed legislation that would make it “illegal for any American diplomat to have any contact with an Iranian official.”  That initiative could only come from people who have no idea about what people representing the United States abroad can do.  The same applies to American officials in contact with foreign diplomats and other representatives in the U.S.      

Once we’ve all been scared by the threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons, it may sound good to some to hear Netanyahu or our own leaders talk about bombing Iran.

However, we haven’t begun to explore all the things that we, and our allies, can do to eliminate the threat of Iran’s nuclear capability --- peacefully.

And just talking about bombing Iran seems to give Ahmadinejad the kind of support within his country that he desperately needs. 

American diplomats, military attachés and intelligence operatives around the world are able to  pursue a more effective and thoughtful process that involves informal and secret communications with Iranian officials and representatives of Iranian opposition groups.   

One thing that those who are familiar with Iran must know is that things aren’t always what they may seem.                                                                                                            

When I served in Iran, the Shah was in charge, and he was building a powerful armed force, and developing a commercial infrastructure.                                                

The Shah was trying to take a backward, nineteenth-century country into the twentieth century.  He had ordered great improvements in schools all over the country, but his people had learned that they could sometimes fool the traveling bureaucrats, and perhaps even the Shah, by creating things that looked good on the outside, but were not changed, really. 

Back in the 18^th century in Russia there was the story of Potemkin Villages, fake villages created at the orders of Prince Potemkin to impress the Czarina, Catherine II.  

            In 1971 the Shah had ordered a huge telecommunications project to be installed.  This multimillion dollar project was being handled by a consortium of contractors from all over the world—Siemens, RCA, General Electric, Philips.  They were spending all this money to install nodes all across the country to transfer information, but there was little information to transfer, because few people had a clue about what needed to be done. 

 Iranian Telecommunications Node

           

                I had a friend, John Babbin, who was one of those men you meet at the ends of the earth, who are soldiers of fortune.  They get paid large amounts of money to go to these places and get things built.  John told me about going down through the desert in the southeastern part of Iran to look at a telecommunications node.  He hired a driver and Land Rover, and drove to this magnificent concrete building out in the desert, miles from anything.  It was splendid—big troposcatter antennas, log periodic antennas, and microwave dishes, and freshly planted palm trees in a garden inside the complex.  They had a cafeteria for the workers, and all the comforts of home.  But there was just one thing:  Inside the equipment rooms, where all the switching equipment was supposed to be, was NOTHING!  Empty.  This station really looked good, but was useless.

The Iranians did stuff like that. 

That is not to imply that Iran’s nuclear weaponry effort is false.  But before we allow anyone to get us all excited about Iran blowing up Israel, or sending weapons to blow up targets in the U.S.A., we should invest a whole lot more effort at cultivating contacts at every level, and we should exert much more energy in supporting Iranian opposition groups.

Instead of preventing such contacts, we should ensure that we employ people who speak Farsi, and who understand and appreciate Iran, its history and its culture. 

This is no place for leaders who look askance at foreign relations, calling countries they don’t know about “Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan”, etc.  

            Iran has a large number of well-educated young and middle aged people, and there are millions more living abroad who would willingly return to a rejuvenated Iran, free of the despotism of the Mullahs.  However, they would not be interested in the despotism of monarchy, either.  Iran may be positioned better than any of the Arab countries currently going through turmoil today, to build a free state.  

The Personal Navigator has books and papers to offer you:        

Life, New York, November 6, 1902 New York, NY: Life. Lively magazine of tart opinions, satire and humor. Full page cartoon "When a Woman was Pope".  Lead editorial chides Methodist ministers who seek to get Professor Atwater of Wesleyan University fired because he stated that to a certain extent alcohol serves as food to the body.  Discussion of Labor question, now that miners have gone back to work-- what will happen to non-union miners? In U.S. Army nowadays soldiers are more or less a catch-all-- "it gathers in  young men whose brief experience of life has been disappointing to their friends."  Service in the Philippines has not been conducive to orderly living.  Cartoon by Bayard Jones, "No Love Lost". Ad for White Steam Carriage made by the White Sewing Machine Company (Automobile Department) of Cleveland, Ohio. "Schlitz Beer is Healthful”;  Heyner Whiskey. Old Crow Rye Whiskey. Martell's Three Star Brandy. Wilson Whiskey.  Remington Typewriter.  22 x 27 cm. Paper periodical, slight wear, very good. (7310) $20.00. Printed Matter

Rural Repository, The, devoted to Polite Literature, embellished with numerous engravings, Vols. XX-XXI, Aug. 26, 1843 to Aug. 16, 1845 by Stoddard, William B. 1845 Hudson, NY: William B. Stoddard. Fascinating collection of two years of bi-weekly issues, of moral and sentimental tales, biography, travel sketches, humor, poetry. Sketches of Whitehall, NY,  Sailor's Snug Harbor on Staten Island; First Baptist Church, Rochester, NY; Smithville Seminary, RI; Calcutta, a city of Hindostan; Lockport, NY;  Killingworth, CT; Monument to Sir Walter Scott, Edinburgh; Caldwell, NY; Johnstown, NY; Plattsburg, NY; Notch of the White Mountains and the Willey House; Pittsfield, MA; Bristol, England; Roxbury, MA; Cabotville, MA, many more. Biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Count Rumford, Philip Doddridge, D.D.; Aesop, Handel, John Rennel, Antonio Canova, Edward Somerset, Lord Nelson, Sir Christopher Wren, Lady Rachel Russel, many more. With Index for each volume. 22 x 29 cm. Leather spine with marbled paper on boards. Spine scuffed, worn. Front free endpaper contains pencil notes on contents. Very good. (6767) $110.00. Printed Matter/Travel/Biography/Fiction.

Joseph Addison

Spectator; Daily entries 1711-1714,  in Eight Volumes by Joseph Addison 1744 London, England: J. & R. Tonson in the Strand.  Addison uses his marvelous education to provide daily doses of wisdom and humor to his readers over the years 1711 to 1714, in 635 entries. Originally published daily, this 1744 version includes all 635.  Entries start with an apt quotation in Latin or Greek, followed by its translation into English, and then a refreshing discourse that is delightful after four centuries.  It gives the modern reader an interesting and entertaining picture of what Englishmen were doing and thinking in the early 18th century. The daily diary of an Englishman reproduced in Vol. IV shows how Addison uses the mundane  entries of a gentleman to teach readers a lesson. 2612 pp. 10 x 17.4 cm. Eight duodecimo volumes in calf with five-ribbed spines with gilt design. Boards are worn, and three of eight have detached front or back boards, or nearly so. (V.1 front board detached, pencil notes on front pastedown; V.2  front hinge cracked; V. 4 front hinge cracked, back cover nearly detached; V. 7 front board detached, back board cracked.)  Text blocks on all are excellent. Thus overall, poor. (5277) $160.00.  Printed matter.

Telephone Topics, Issued Monthly by the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company, January 1926 Boston, MA: : ET&T Co. An Objective for 1926: Deliver service like we had real competition.  Telephone Sales Development: Photo of Telephone Sales Room at S.S. Pierce Company.  Photos of leaders after recent organization changes;  Robert F. Estabrook, General Manager; Andrew Schultz, General Plan Manager; Henry E. Darling, General Traffic Manager; George H. Dresser, Vice President.  "Rededicating the Shrine of Telephony"  Photo shows Howard B. Emery President of Telephone Pioneers chapter shaking hands with Dr. Thomas A. Watson, the man Professor Bell talked with in the first telephone call, fifty years ago.  First telephone was made in the garret at 109 Court Street, Boston.  "Hancock Job Three Months Old" --photos show work in progress at Hancock. 44 pp. 18 x 26 cm. Periodical, moderate damp stain, wear. Fair. (7836) $20.00. Printed Matter/Magazines        

Weekly Progress: America's Most Dynamic Prison Weekly, Marquette, Michigan, March 17, 1961 1961 Marquette, MI: Branch Prison. Mimeographed newsletter. Headline: Six Inmates Pass G.E.D. Test, announced by Norman Kukuk, director of education. Ray Hinter, Robert Stacy, Bill Tolbert, Frank Oliver, Frank Strachan and Robert Meadows all passed.  "Ex-Con Returns to Speak" --George "Chi” Walker talked to 10 inmates about how he turned the tide of his life. Cartoon "Movie Previews" by Jim Breeze features "Tribute to a Bad Man" starring James Cagney and Irene Pappas; "Platinum High School" starring Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore and Dan Duryea; "Desire in the Dust" starring Raymond Burre (sic) and Martha Hyer. 8 pp. 21 x 27 cm. Mimeographed newsletter, very good. (7505) $17.00. Printed Matter

Yearbook, Wartburg Orphans' Farm School of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mount Vernon, NY; Dreissig Jahre ein Berichterstatter, Jahrbuch des Wartburg-Waisenhauses 1914-1915 by Berkemeier, Dr. G.C. 1915 Mount Vernon, NY: Wartburg Orphans' Farm School. Yearbook, most of text in German, reports donations and contributions to Orphans' Farm School. Quotes by Goethe: "Edel sei der Mensch, hülfreich und gut!" and Bismarck: "Ein Berichtstatter is ein Mensch, der seinen Berusversehlt hat." 36 pp. 23 x 15 cm. Paper booklet, color cover illustration shows family looking at reporter (Berichterstatter?). Very good. (6631) $21.00. Printed matter

Almanachul Aromanesc "Fratil'ia" Pe Anul 1927 [Romanian Almanac for 1927, in Rumanian] 1927. Bucharest, Romania: Tipografia "Romania Noua" Theodor I. Voinea Collection of articles about Rumania, Beirut, Macedonia. Fold-out map of Romania and adj. Countries. 142 pp. 15 x 23 cm. Paper booklet, cover shows woman in traditional garb. Cover stained, with owner name on top. Handwriting of owner on the top of various pages. Small tears in pages. Poor. (2930) $18.00. Reference/Rumanian

Annual Statistics of Massachusetts Manufacturers, 1886-1887; Public Document No. 36  by Wadlin, Horace G. 1889 Boston, MA: Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers. Detailed tables of statistics for Massachusetts manufacturers. Analysis finds more gains than losses from 1885 to 1887. Boots and shoes gained, as did carpetings, carriages and wagons, clothing and cotton industry. Food preparations gained modestly, as did furniture. Hosiery and Knit Goods increased; machines and machinery less of same. Woollen Goods and Worsted Goods posted mild gains. 119 pp 14 x 22 cm. Black cloth on board, blindstamped design, very good.  Inserted at title page is small leaflet: "With compliments of Horace G. Wadlin, Chief of Bureau of Statistics and Labor". (1612) $21.00. Reference

Boston Courier, Semi-Weekly, Monday, September 28, 1829  Boston, MA: Adams & Holden, Printers. 4 pp. 39 x 50 cm. Prince Polignac is now at the head of the French cabinet. Story relates his background, including his, and his brother's, attempts against the government of Buonapart in 1806. He gave proof of his congenial feelings toward this country in 1816 by marrying Miss Campbell, a young lady of large fortune.  Ireland is in a most horrible condition now. From John Bull, a high church anti-Catholic paper, reports gangs of murderers, fiends who take the opportunity of waylaying Protestants. Burning, slaughterings and abductions continue in that "priest-ridden land."  Long report on imaginative robbery of the Suffolk Bank by John Wade, who took $5100 and boarded a schooner for Hallowell, Maine. He made it to Bath, bought a sailor suit, re-boarded the schooner under the name of Mr. King, sailed back to Boston, where the ship lay at anchor and he and crewmates went ashore to play nine pins, with Wade (alias King) paying all the bills. Gentleman from the West Indies says he has been exporting 2000 to 3000 puncheons of rum, but now, owing to the Temperance societies, demand for rum in the United States has fallen off, and he will have to sell his plantation and leave the island. USS Constitution has arrived at Norfolk, in 40 days from Rio de Janeiro. The seven mutineers were left on board the Hudson, to be sent home for trial. Advertisement for Patent Sponge Boots for Horses.      Newspaper, small holes in folds, good. Inscription on top of page one "G. Wilkinson".    (8137)  $26.00. Newspapers  

Boston Courier, Semi-Weekly, Monday, October 1, 1829 Boston, MA: Adams & Holden, Printers. 4 pp. 39 x 50 cm.   Excellent two-column dissertation by J.R. Poinsett of South Carolina, who has been the United States' Envoy to Mexico, but accused by the Mexicans of meddling in their internal affairs and fomenting revolution.  This discussion of accusations and Poinsett's explanations is tremendously valuable to anyone interested in the history of Mexican-American relations preceding the annexation of Texas, and the war that ended with the accession of much of the southwestern United States.  Erasmus Doolittle writes a lively, humorous column about his travel to China.  [It is interesting to see how much Boston readers were exposed to in 1829!]  Report from England of events in Turkey, where the Russians are at the gates of Constantinople.  The Sultan has removed to Broussa (Bursa), about 100 miles from Constantinople, across the Propontis (Hellespont). Report from the Allgemeine Zeitung states that Russian troops have landed at Sizeoboli, and the whole army of the Seraskier has been dispersed.  The Armenians, whom the Sultan has by his very ill-judged policy alienated, every where united with the Russians as they advance.   Newspaper, small holes in folds,  good. Inscription on top of page one "G. Wilkinson". (8138) $40.00.  

Sermon Preached August 9, 1826 at the Ordination of the Rev. Stephen Thurston over the Congregational Church and Society, Prospect, Maine, by Rev. David Thurston of the Winthrop, MaineCongregational Church. Hallowell, ME: David Thurston, Pastor, Winthrop, Maine Congregational Church.  If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. I Timothy, IV, 6
Sermon by famous anti-slavery preacher, David Thurston, with theme from I Timothy, IV, 6. Cites requisites for a good minister of Jesus Christ. This copy inscribed by David Thurston to his uncle, Samuel Bacon. 16 pp. 14 x 21 cm. Paper booklet, covered with coarse heavy paper. First four pages have 10 cm closed tear across middle, other pages have 2 cm tear in edge. Soiled, worn, poor. (5727) $46.00.

[Rev. David Thurston was one of the Congregational church's most prominent ministers. Reform-minded and idealistic. He started the first Sunday school in New England. He was a pioneer in all matters of reform and a leader outside of his community on the great questions of the day. He formed the Winthrop chapter of the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1834, and for years before the Civil War he was a leading voice in the cause of abolition of slavery. In fact, he was so strongly anti-slavery that his parishioners forced him to resign, ending a 44-year stint as pastor in Winthrop.

Church members today say they carry on Thurston's message of social activism by running programs on family violence and an after-school program for middle school students. ]

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