Canister!
I’d like to extend my thanks to the Laffite Society of Galveston, that invited me to give a short talk last Saturday at their annual research seminar on David Porter’s campaign against pirates in the Caribbean. (Above, Marines storm a shore battery at Fajardo, Puerto Rico in 1824, in a painting by the late Col. Charles H. Waterhouse, USMCR, Ret.) They’re a great bunch of folks, who have done solid work in sorting out fact, maybe-fact and total BS when it comes to documenting the lives of Jean and Pierre Laffite. If you’re interested in a good biography of those two, I’d recommend Jack Davis’ book.
More assorted items:
- Conservators in Charleston are embarking on a new phase in the Hunley story, a three-month process to remove the concretion inside and outside the boat’s iron hull plating. This might provide provide more specific evidence of what caused the craft to sink.
- Researchers in San Fransisco have found the wreck of City of Chester, a passenger ship that sank in the Golden Gate after a collision with the much larger steamer Oceanic in 1888. Interesting to maybe no one but me, Oceanic was the first ship of the famous White Star Line and pioneered the idea that transoceanic steamers should focus on luxurious accommodations and good food (at least for those in first class), a tradition that runs right down through the cruise industry today. Oceanic also carried round-the-world racers Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland across the Pacific in late 1889 and early 1890, respectively.
- Ever seen a “zonkey”? Me neither, but they’re cute.
- Slate has an interesting article on female CW reenactors, if you can get past the smug “subculture-within-a-subculture” business.
- Remember on Seinfeld when George Costanza went to work for Donald Sterling and the LA Clippers? Good times.
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I’ve long thought that, as much as I disagreed with their historical narrative, the UDC at least didn’t embrace the open, explicit racial nastiness that runs as an undercurrent through other “heritage” or southern nationalist groups. After seeing that the Alabama Division of the UDC hosted a speaker for a prominent event who openly posts trash like this to Facebook, I’m not so sure, now:
Ms. Clark, I’d love to hear a (plausible) explanation of why you and the Alabama UDC selected this person to headline your event. (H/t Brooks)
Finally, in honor of Willie Nelson’s 81st birthday this week, here are two of his songs. The first is Willie singing “Hello, Walls,” on the Porter Waggoner Show in about 1962, and the second is a favorite of mine, “Uncloudy Day.” Have a great weekend, y’all.
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Dead Confederates, A Civil War Era Blog 
The SS Central America wreck is also in the news this week. Keep up the great work…I miss TX but am really enjoying the history here in mid-Missouri.
Thanks so much Andy. Are you going to link the article on women in the war / reenactors to the women in the war thread in Civil War Talk?
Actually the post by Mark Thoney only shows him to be an insensitive, certified idiot. He might be a good historian in spite of that. I cite as my example Joseph Ellis who vigorously denied Jefferson’s relationship with Hemings until the DNA tests were made public. Then, at least, he. unlike some others, changed his mind.
Thanks for taking time to comment. You can read Thomey’s address to the UDC here:
http://cwcrossroads.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/confederate-heritage-and-southern-nationalism/
Here’s some excerpts:
and
Note that throughout, he refers to the United States as “united states” — in lower case. Nice guy, huh?
Entirely apart from his own stated views on “negroes,” why would the UDC select as its primary speaker a prominent member of the League of the South, an organization that lives and breathes exactly that sort of rhetoric?
Yes, the “I use lower case to signify my hatred of the noun” tactic is truly gob-smacking in its petty rancor. It makes me wonder if a certain recent commenter here who exhibited the same textual tic wasn’t Thomey in drag. Or is this nonsense commonplace in the Heritage crowd?
And I’m not much into the whole American Exceptionalism thing myself, but holy crap, comparing the South to Occupied France during WWII? He just launched himself into a whole new frontier of victimology. I’m not so certain that we shouldn’t retire the concept of hyperbole completely, after this.
Then there’s that essay from 1957 he cited:
(Given the date when this steaming load of horsesh*t was supposedly delivered to a publisher, I think we all understand what “fixed limits” and “irremediability of a certain amount of evil” are code for.)
Anyway, once I finished laughing, I realized I wasn’t sure whether Weaver (and Thomey) were pining so much for Tara and the happy “negroes” — or the Tokugawa Shogunate.
You wrote:
It’s pretty common.
I’ve read the Lafitte book. It is excellent. It debunks the myths and legends beautifully. However, the real story, as far as the author was able to extricate it and dig deeper, is at least as interesting and colorful as the legends.
Love, C.
The Laffites are shrouded in enough mystery and intentional misinformation (by the nature of their business) that any historical work, including Davis’ can be challenged on specific points. Still, it’s the best secondary work I know of.
re: Mark Thomey’s comments: I myself enjoy chicken, watermelon and greens (and I’m assuming he’s referring to collards and turnip greens, rather than, say, asparagus and artichokes). I’ve never had chitlins but would be willing to give them a try. On the other hand, I don’t know where Mr. Thomey came up with “carp” and “buffalo.” I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard of anyone anywhere in the US with a special craving for carp or buffalo. Buffalo tends to be rather pricey as it is, as far as I know, a specialty meat, while there’s nothing tasty about carp. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but one would expect a better use of racial stereotypes from the likes of Mr. Thomey.
Play “Uncloudy Day” by Willie, scroll down a few posts to Rob Ford dancing in perfect time, and try not to laugh!