Mosby, Higginson & Franklin?

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Image (C) Doris McCraw

For this month's post, I'm sharing a portion of my reading list for the research deep dives I've undertaken this year.

In 2024, the year was spent in Evergreen Cemetery documenting Civil War soldiers buried there, along with their wives when available. This was an eye-opening look into the past as I searched the cemetery, genealogy, and newspaper records. Each name revealed the story of people, their trials and triumphs, along with a sense of the sacrifice, heartache, and loss the conflict had on their lives. Some of these Civil War discoveries were shared on this blog.

One headstone mentioned that the person buried there had served in the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion with John Singleton Mosby. This led me to the book, "The Unvanquished", by Patrick K. O'Donnell. The book was fascinating and devastating. It told the story of the 'shadow war' of units such as Mosby's Rangers, Jesse Scouts, and others, whose sole purpose was to infiltrate and disrupt the 'enemy'. Although I never read the name of the man who started me on the journey, the book deepened my understanding of the conflict in a way no other, including Ken Burns' brilliant documentary, "The Civil War," had. 

The short "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" was read, and while the beginning of his story was enlightening, I found myself glad to finish the second half.

For those who know me, many are aware of the years of research and performing I have done on Helen (Hunt) Jackson. It will not surprise anyone to know that upon finding the biography of Thomas Wentworth Higginson, it would be next on my list. The name was familiar as the mentor of Helen and Emily Dickinson. 

Although "A Man on Fire: The Worlds of Thomas Wentworth Higginson" is a look at a man who was so much more than what many may believe. A student at Harvard at thirteen, an author, abolitionist, Unitarian Minister, strong advocate of Women's Suffrage, and commanded the 1st South Carolina Volunteers. This unit was composed of Black soldiers freed from slavery.

What seems to make Higginson's story so fascinating is his drive and intelligence. He seemed to push himself harder than anyone else.

For those who would like to learn or read more, here are links to additional reading:

"A Man on Fire" Amazon

"The Unvanquished" Amazon

NPS - Thomas Wentworth Higginson

NPS- John Singleton Mosby

Until Next Time,

Doris

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon

  

On This Day in the Old West August 8

 Not a whole lot going on in the history books on August 8, but I found an interesting patent. On August 8, 1854, Smith and Wesson received Patent No. 11,496 for “a self-contained metallic cartridge.”

Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson both came from old New England families. Horace learned about making firearms from working with the National Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. Daniel apprenticed with his brother Edwin, the leading creator of target rifles and pistols in the 1840s. The two met and formed their first partnership in 1852 in Norwich, Connecticut. Their aim was to market a lever action repeating pistol that could utilize a fully self-contained cartridge.

Their first pistol venture did not sell well and by 1854 the company was facing financial difficulties. Smith and Wesson were forced to sell their company to a shirt manufacturer named Oliver Winchester. Using Smith and Wesson’s original lever action design, Oliver later created the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. After the sale of the company, Smith left and returned to his hometown, while Wesson stayed on as plant manager for Winchester.

In 1856, Samuel Colt’s patent on the revolver was set to expire. Wesson began developing the prototype for a cartridge revolver. His research led to the discovery that he would need a certain component for his invention—a component whose patent was held by a former Colt employee named Rollin White. Wesson reconnected with Smith, and the two partners approached White to create a newly designed revolver and cartridge combination. The two men reformed their partnership, calling their company the Smith and Wesson Revolver Company, later to be known simply as the Smith and Wesson Company. Rather than make White a partner in their company, they simply paid him 25 cents for every revolver they made, leaving him to defend his patent with his own money and later leading to his bankruptcy.

“The Volcanic” was the first successful fully self-contained cartridge revolver available in the world, utilizing the Rimfire cartridge patented on August 8, 1854. The men then secured patents for the revolver itself to prevent other manufacturers from producing a similar gun. Smith and Wesson was now a very lucrative business. However, the partners realized that, when their patents expired, they would need a new design to keep their market superiority. In 1869, the new gun was completed and Smith and Wesson began marketing it the following year. The Model 3 American, as it was known in the United States, was the first large caliber cartridge revolver and it established the company as a world leader in handgun manufacturing. 

J.E.S. Hays
www.jeshays.com
www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks

A Western Perspective: 149 Years of Colorado

 Colorado just hit its 149th birthday on August 1st! Here are some some pictures from my travels around the centennial state. I hope you all enjoy 🤠