To My Dearest Wife, Lide : Letters from George B. Gideon Jr. during Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan, 1853-1855 (Maritime Currents: History and Archaeology)

Sauer, M. Patrick/ Ranzan, David A.

The University of Alabama Press（2019/07発売）

The University of Alabama Press（2019/07発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 264 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780817320232
• DDC分類 952.025

Full Description

A personal account of Commodore Perry's landmark expedition to Japan and life in the antebellum navy.
 
George B. Gideon Jr. served as second assistant engineer aboard the USS Powhatan from 1852 to 1856. From his position on the steam frigate, Gideon traveled to Singapore, Labuan, Borneo, Hong Kong, and many other Asian lands. During his time at sea, Gideon penned dozens of letters to his wife, Lide, back home in Philadelphia. Recently discovered in the attic of his great-great-grandniece, were fifty-one letters penned by Gideon providing thorough and insightful commentary throughout the voyage.
 
Through these correspondences, Gideon laboriously documents the details of his daily life on board, from the food they ate to the technical aspects of his work, as well as observations concerning the historical events unfolding around him, such as Chinese piracy, the Taiping Rebellion, the Crimean War, and the devastation of Shimoda. To My Dearest Wife, Lide: Letters from George B. Gideon Jr. during Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan, 1853-1855 is a rare first-person account of the landmark American naval expedition to Japan to establish commercial relations between the two countries. Gideon's letters have been meticulously transcribed and annotated by the editors and are an invaluable primary historical source.
 
Gideon's letters are candid and revealing, delving into the rampant dysfunction in the navy of the 1850s—sickness and disease, alcohol abuse, and poor leadership, among other challenges. Gideon also unabashedly shares his own cynical views of the navy's role in supporting American economic interests in Japan. This firsthand account of the political mission of the Perry expedition is a unique contribution to naval and military history and gives readers a better view of life aboard a navy ship.

Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Chronology
Introduction
Chapter One. February 13-April 19, 1853
Chapter Two. August 30-December 29, 1853
Chapter Three. January 1-June 23, 1854
Chapter Four. July 3-December 28, 1854
Chapter Five. January 1-June 27, 1855
Chapter Six. July 2-December 23, 1855
Notes
Bibliography
Index