U.S. Army Quartermaster Officers in the Philippines, 1900-1901

Today’s post is by Claire Kluskens, Genealogy/Census Subject Matter Expert and Digital Projects Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Quartermaster officers are responsible for ensuring that the army has the equipment, materials, and supplies needed to support soldiers wherever they are located. The Spanish-American War (1898), China Relief Expedition (1898-1901), and Philippine Insurrection … Continue reading U.S. Army Quartermaster Officers in the Philippines, 1900-1901

A Front Line of Defense: The 758th Radar Squadron and the Makah Air Force Station, Neah Bay, Washington, 1950-1988

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. "Last Pass at Makah" by Michael J. Machat. US Air Force Collection (National Archives ID 6436075). The United States Government has had a long association with Neah Bay, Washington and its inhabitants, mostly members of the Makah … Continue reading A Front Line of Defense: The 758th Radar Squadron and the Makah Air Force Station, Neah Bay, Washington, 1950-1988

Brevet Brigadier General Samuel Chapman Armstrong’s Civil War

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Gen. Samuel C. Armstrong (NAID 167250430). At Benedict, Maryland, in command of U.S. Colored Troops, on December 17, 1863, Union Army Lt. Col. Samuel Chapman Armstrong wrote, “we are fighting for humanity and freedom, the South for … Continue reading Brevet Brigadier General Samuel Chapman Armstrong’s Civil War

Assignment: Neah Bay, Washington, 1909; The United States Revenue-Cutter Service and the USRC Snohomish

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Background The discovery of the mineral wealth of Alaska led immediately to a large development of the coastwise trade along the northwestern seaboard of the United States, and particularly in Puget Sound. Navigators were then, as now, … Continue reading Assignment: Neah Bay, Washington, 1909; The United States Revenue-Cutter Service and the USRC Snohomish

The First Aeroplane Take Off from a Ship, November 14, 1910, Part II

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. This is the second of two blog posts about John Barry Ryan, Capt. Washington I. Chambers, USN, Eugene B. Ely, and the USS Birmingham, November 14, 1910. While arrangements were being made for the flight off the … Continue reading The First Aeroplane Take Off from a Ship, November 14, 1910, Part II

The First Aeroplane Take Off from a Ship, November 14, 1910, Part I

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. This is the first of two blog posts about John Barry Ryan, Capt. Washington I. Chambers, USN, Eugene B. Ely, and the USS Birmingham, November 14, 1910. At the beginning of 1909 the number of airplanes in … Continue reading The First Aeroplane Take Off from a Ship, November 14, 1910, Part I

The Kamikaze Attack on the USS Braine, May 27, 1945

Today’s post is by Joseph P. Keefe, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at Boston. The USS Braine was a twenty-one-ton Fletcher class destroyer which had been built and launched at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine in March of 1943. Following her participation in General Douglas MacArthur’s campaign to retake the Philippines, the … Continue reading The Kamikaze Attack on the USS Braine, May 27, 1945

The United States vs the Ship Bat: A Civil War Prize Case

Today’s post is by Joseph P. Keefe, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at Boston. When the American Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861, the newly formed Confederate States of America had no ships to speak of in its navy. In the months leading up to the war, the Confederate government sought the … Continue reading The United States vs the Ship Bat: A Civil War Prize Case

Architectural Drawing of a lighthouse showing a plan and elevation view. National Archives Identifier: 85967585

Winslow Lewis and the Expansion of Early Federal Lighthouses

By Andrew Begley, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at Boston When the First Congress passed “An Act for the establishment and support of Lighthouses, Beacons, Buoys, and Public Piers” on August 7, 1789, there were only twelve lighthouses illuminating the shores of the newly formed nation. By 1842, that number had grown to 250. … Continue reading Winslow Lewis and the Expansion of Early Federal Lighthouses

Over 650 Newly Digitized Navy Logbooks in the National Archives Catalog

Today's post was written by Gina Perry, Archives Specialist at the National Archives in Washington, DC It was 70 degrees early in the morning on April 24, 1862, according to that day’s entry in the logbook of the U.S.S. Hartford, as the ship sailed its way up the mouth of the Mississippi River: “From 4 … Continue reading Over 650 Newly Digitized Navy Logbooks in the National Archives Catalog