Abner Doubleday began the Civil War as a Union officer and aimed the first cannon shot in response to the bombardment opened on Ft. Sumter in 1861. True Babe Ruth is credited not only with being a remarkable player during the 1920s, but also for earning more than then-President Herbert Hoover. During this time he was promoted to brigadier general of U.S. Some historians make the argument that he kept Cemetery Ridge as part of the Federal lines during the first days fighting. He graduated from West Point in 1842 ranking 24th in a class of 56 members on July 1 of that year. Abner practiced as a surveyor and civil engineer for two years before entering the United States Military Academy in 1838. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Civil War Union Major General. Abner Doubleday was born in Ballston Spa, New York, on June 26, 1819. The Auburn Doubledays is a minor league baseball team which has been named after him. Mr. Doubleday ran his family's publishing business and was a principal owner of the N.Y. Mets. By the time of the American Revolution, variations of such games were being played on schoolyards and college campuses across the country. Did you know? Baseball's real origins date back way father, to at least the 18th century. He died on December 23, 1978. Family Life His father was named Ulysses F. Doubleday. The British-born Chadwick believed the game evolved from the English game of rounders. 13 Genealogytrails.com, West Point bios 1842 class. If Doubleday were still alive he would likely wonder why his name is connected with baseball and not with his participation in the Civil War battles including Fort Sumter, Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.38. Abner Doubleday was a United States Army officer and Union general during the American Civil War. Before he entered the United States Military Academy, he also worked as a surveyor and civil engineer. His maternal grandfather was a messenger for George Washington in the early years of the Revolution. For the morale of the men, he is said to have provisioned balls and bats for the men. After graduating in 1842, he became a cadet and was commissioned into the 3rd US Artillery as a brevet second lieutenant. In 1860 he was Captain of Company E of the First United States Artillery stationed at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina. Despite having fended off a superior force of Confederates for several hours, Doubleday was relieved of command of the I Corps by General George Meade. In other words, the Hall of Fame is built on a lie. Register now to join us on July 5-9, 2023, in Chicago. Fun & Games. [5] He was wounded in the neck on the second day of Gettysburg and received a brevet promotion to colonel in the regular army for his service. Abner Doubleday was born to Ulysses F. Doubleday and Hester Donnelly, in Ballston Spa, New York, on 26th June 1819. Until not too terribly long ago, if you asked most people about the origins of baseball, they'd say "a man named Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York in 1839." They'd say that because, until not too long ago, there was a sign there, right next to the Hall of Fame, saying so. The family all slept in the attic loft of the one-room house. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. The Mills Commission relied heavily on testimony from Doubleday's childhood classmate, Abner Graves, who spent the final years of his life in an insane asylum after murdering his wife. One of the persistent legends of baseball history is that Doubleday invented the game in 1839, although he was in West Point at the time. A baseball stadium has also been named after him: Doubleday Field. Abner Doubleday General Born 26 June 1819 - Ballston, Saratoga Co., NY Deceased 26 January 1893 - Mendham, Morris Co., NJ,aged 73 years old Buried - Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA 1 file available Parents Ulysses Freeman Doubleday 1792-1866 Hester Donnelly 1788-1859 Spouses His father was a wealthy man who owned a large amount of land. Though the corps was eventually destroyed, they inflicted severe casualties on seven of the ten Confederate brigades. [6] He was survived by his wife.[12]. [4] He aimed the cannon that fired the first return shot in answer to the Confederate bombardment on April 12, 1861. Mining engineer Abner Graves authored a letter claiming that Doubleday invented baseball. If you can help us improve this players biography,contact us. . In the 1870s, he was listed in the New York business directory as a lawyer. In 1856 he was transferred to Florida for the Third Seminole War (1855-58). [11] In recent years, biographers have turned the nickname into an insult, incorrectly claiming "Forty-Eight Hours" was coined to highlight Doubleday's supposed incompetence and slowness to act.[11]. In 1858, he was transferred to Fort Moultrie in Charleston Harbor, where he served under Colonel John L Gardner. )[8] His men were routed when they encountered Major General James Longstreet's corps, but by the following day, August 30, he took command of the division when Hatch was wounded, and he led his men to cover the retreat of the Union Army. During the first day of fighting, he was forced to take command of the I Corps following the death of General John Reynolds. Doubleday was posted to the garrison at Fort Moultrie at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1858, an assignment that had a huge influence on his military career.13 In the 1850s there was a huge split in the Army over slavery. Abner Doubleday's grandfather, also named Abner, fought in the American Revolution, including being a mounted messenger to George Washington at the age of 14. Four of the Doubleday children survived to adulthood. 15 Meredith L. Jones, In Memoriam Abner Doubleday, 1819-1893, commemorative address, New York Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg, Chattanooga and Antietam; and John Cleveland Robinson, 1817-1897. Abner Doubleday did not invent baseball. He was assigned to duty in northern Virginia while the Peninsula Campaign was being conducted by the Army of the Potomac. His unit returned to action the next day but was pushed back by forces commanded by General James Longstreet. [2][3], Doubleday, the son of Ulysses F. Doubleday and Hester Donnelly, was born in Ballston Spa, New York, in a small house on the corner of Washington and Fenwick streets. Thanks to Mark Pattison for providing information on Gumperts work on Doubleday. Gen. Abner Doubleday Library of Congress Quick Facts Significance: Union general during the Civil War Place of Birth: Ballston Spa, New York Date of Birth: June 26, 1819 Place of Death: Mendham, New Jersey Date of Death: January 26, 1893 Place of Burial: Arlington, Virginia Cemetery Name: Arlington National Cemetery Doubleday then led rearguard operations during the Union retreat from the field. Maj Gen Abner Doubleday Born 26 Jun 1819 in Ballston Spa, New York, USA Ancestors Son of Ulysses Freeman Doubleday and Hestor (Donnelly) Doubleday [sibling (s) unknown] Husband of Mary (Hewitt) Doubleday married 27 Jan 1852 in District of Columbia, United States [children unknown] Died 26 Jan 1893 at age 73 in Mendham, New Jersey, USA His family lived in a tiny house, and they all slept in the attic. Two years later, after a series of battles (including Antietam, where he was wounded), Doubleday took. Family. On 3rd February 1862, he was appointed as the brigadier general of volunteers. According to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., Doubledays activities involved mapping the Everglades and the areas that became the cities of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, plus planning for roads and swamp drainage.12. He said he had attended school with Doubleday. Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819 - January 26, 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. I could understand saying specifically what you want changed or saying what exactly you don't like besides "fake cards" but just coming on here to say "I hate . The myth was embellished by the fact that Doubleday was a Civil War general. 3 Thomas Barthel, Abner Doubleday: A Civil War Biography (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc., 2010), 7-8. He passed away on Jul 3 1865 in Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York, USA. June 17, 2015 Nelson Doubleday Jr., who shortly after taking over his family's publishing business used it in 1980 to buy the lowly New York Mets and put the team on course to win the World. Doubleday was born in Ballston Spa, New York, in a small house on the corner of Washington and Fenwick Streets. Cartwrights changes made the burgeoning pastime faster-paced and more challenging while clearly differentiating it from older games like cricket. brother Major Seth Doubleday He began the war as a supply officer but applied for and received an artillery posting.11 He was in the fight from 1846 to 1848, and fought at the Battle of Monterey (September 21-23, 1846) and at the Rincouda Pass during the Battle of Buena Vista. He published books and newspapers as well. Born in Piers, town, New York County, New York, USA on Jan 1 1801 to Abner Doubleday and Mercy Freeman. He had also served as a mounted messenger for George Washington. 19 Genealogytrails.com, West Point bios 1842 class. An 1838 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, he is known today more for the myth that he invented Modern Baseball while a cadet at West Point than for his accomplishments as a Major General in the Union Army during the Civil War. His paternal grandfather, also named Abner, had fought in the American Revolutionary War. An error has occured while loading the map. Doubleday's father fought in the War of 1812. Gen. John P. Hatch was wounded so Doubleday took command of I Corps and successfully blocked a Confederate assault. Matt Blitz May 3, 2022 at 3:45pm. Inventor Thomas Edison was also an important member of the society. Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is located Play Button Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-'61 Powel family . Abner's Military Career. Abner Doubledays career in the army began with the Mexican-American War, after which he also fought in the Seminole War. An unreliable man named Abner Graves told the Mills Commission in 1905 that Doubleday had invented it in Cooperstown . The General came from a distinguished family, his father being a Congressman from Connecticut. His father was Ulysses F. Doubleday, and his mother was Hester Donnelly. Spalding, an exemplar of hyper-American nationalism prevalent in the early years of the 20th century, believed baseball was invented in America, by an American. In San Francisco, after the war, he obtained a patent on the cable car railway that still runs there. He had absolutely nothing to do with the creation of the game of baseball. A sign at the Doubleday Hill Monument, erected in Williamsport, Maryland, to commemorate Doubleday's occupation of a hill there during the Civil War, claims he invented the game in 1835. His maternal grandfather Thomas Donnelly had joined the army at 14 and was a mounted messenger for George Washington. He earned some legal experience from his position as he was in charge of courts martial. During the conflict he served as an artillery officer and commanded a supply depot in Camargo, Mexico. Spalding was set up to determine baseball's originsnamely if it was invented in the United States or derived from games in the United Kingdom. 6 Tim Arango, Myth of Baseballs Creation Endures, With a Prominent Fan, New York Times, November 20, 2010. Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819 - January 26, 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. The mythology remains strong today, but most serious baseball historians believe the game comes from England and other ball and bat games in prehistory.6. Doubleday attended school in Auburn and Cooperstown, N.Y., and in 1838 he was appointed a cadet in the U.S. Military Academy (graduating in 1842). Abner Doubleday was a Union general during the Civil War who is often mistakenly credited with inventing the game of baseball. Wrong username or password. When you examine the life of Abner Doubleday you eventually have to come to the point expressed by classic detective Joe Friday: Just the facts, maam, just the facts. Okay, so here are two facts about General Abner Doubledays life. [5], Doubleday was promoted to major on May 14, 1861, and commanded the Artillery Department in the Shenandoah Valley from June to August, and then the artillery for Major General Nathaniel Banks's division of the Army of the Potomac. This reputation was not glamorous. He was the third of eight children of Ulysses Freeman Doubleday and Hester (Donnelly) Doubleday. There is a popular myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ He died in New Jersey in 1898 at the age of 73. (Personal initiative was required since his division commander, Brig. His father had fought in the War of 1812. He and his wife, Mary, retired to Mendham, New Jersey. Jul 2021 Family. I was brought up in a book store and early imbibed a taste for reading. I am not a fan of the game . Travel. Doubleday's body was laid in state in New York's City Hall and then was taken to Washington by train[5] from Mendham, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia. This flies in the face of the fact that Doubleday was a plebe at West Point at that time, was only 20 years old, and had never left West Point from August 1838 until his graduation in 1842. What does Abner Doubleday have to do with baseball? This is where Abner Doubleday and baseball were linked for the only time. Luckily I was hit squarely by the smooth round surface. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. They had no children. Doubleday would play a significant role in the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. In short, the Armys stance toward slavery was as divided as it was in the rest of the country. Countdown to Abner Doubleday's birthday 34 Civilwarwomenblog.com/mary-doubleday.htm. Portrait of Brig. Instead, he served as a Union major general in the American Civil War and later became a lawyer and writer. Course: American Civil War Era, Furman University. However, he did have a role in popularizing the game. Start Free Trial. Gumperts work on Doubleday supplies much of this biography. 36 David W. Anderson, More than Merkle: A History of the Best and Most Exciting Baseball Season in Human History (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000, xxvii. Had the jagged part struck first it would have killed me.29, Doubleday was assigned to the defense of Washington, and his last combat was in fighting off Confederate General Jubal Early during raids in 1864. When the founding members of the society moved to India, he was made its new president. @kovz88_MLBTS said in Abner Doubleday 99 Card confirmed for 23:. Enter Abner Doubleday, the focus of 71-year-old Abner Graves's testimony, which he submitted to Akron, Ohio's Beacon Journal after having read a "call for people who had knowledge of the beginnings of the game.". Book excerpt: Abner Doubleday: His Life and Times is a full-length biography of a man who lingered on the fringes of history for nearly 150 years. Doubleday returned to garrison duty after the war and in 1852 married Mary Hewitt, the daughter of a Baltimore lawyer. Doubleday remained in Washington for the remainder of the Civil War. His last-year scores were 26th in Engineering; 29th in Ethics; 30th in Infantry Tactics; 32nd in Artillery; and 32nd in Mineralogy and Geology. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/abner-doubleday-8040.php. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Abner Doubleday, one of three sons of Ulysses F. and Hester (Donnelly) Doubleday, was born at Ballston Spa, New York, on June 26, 1819. Still bitter at Meades refusal to grant him a corps command, Doubleday also testified against his former commander in front of a Congressional committee. in Mendham, New Jersey, USA, This form allows you to report an error or to submit additional information about this family tree: Abner DOUBLEDAY (1819), Copyright Wikipdia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0. During his years at West Point, he did not leave West Point from August 1838 until graduation in 1842;7 he was considered to be a diligent and thoughtful student, something of a critic, and was fond of questions in moral philosophy.8 Doubleday was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 3rd Artillery and was sent to Fort Johnson in North Carolina as his first assignment.9. As it turns out, the real history of baseball is a little more complicated than the Doubleday legend. I was hit and pitched over my horses neck by a piece of shell which struck me in the back of the neck. Read, clip & save 24351 Abner Doubleday historic newspaper articles & photos in 15,955+ newspapers from all 50 states & 22 countries! Many people believe that the game of baseball was invented by a young Abner Doubleday in a playground located in Cooperstown, New York in 1839. [12] Chairman Mills himself, who had been a Civil War colleague of Doubleday and a member of the honor guard for Doubleday's body as it lay in state in New York City, never recalled hearing Doubleday describe his role as the inventor. "[5] He was wounded when an artillery shell exploded near his horse, throwing him to the ground in a violent fall. For this achievement, he used to refer to himself as the Hero of Sumter.. [2] Part of the confusion could stem from there being another man by the same name in Cooperstown in 1839.[14]. Elisha Doubleday married Mary Ann Pearsall and had 2 children. Nearly two decades earlier, while at West Point, Doubleday had been classmates with future Union generals John Pope, John Newton, and William Starke Rosecrans -- as well as a South Carolinian named James Longstreet. His body is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. The character organizes the first game of baseball between the six main characters and a group of Chinese immigrants, creating the rules as he goes, primarily to allow him to win. Written as part of Scribner's "Campaigns of the Civil War" series and published in 1882, the book bristled with criticism of the pair. At his death, Doubleday left many letters and papers, none of which describe baseball or give any suggestion that he considered himself a prominent person in the evolution of the game, and his New York Times obituary did not mention the game at all. Doubleday was a cadet at West Point in the year of the alleged invention and his family had moved away from Cooperstown the prior year. Although Doubleday achieved minor fame as a competent combat general with experience in many important Civil War battles, he is more widely known as the supposed inventor of the game of baseball, in Elihu Phinney's cow pasture in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. Seen not as a foolhardy soldier but as a steadfast one, many times in the future Doubleday would be asked to anchor a line and protect the flank of a large body of soldiers. Up the hill from John F. Kennedy's grave and behind Arlington House on . His family lived in a tiny house, and they all slept in the attic. He was then transferred to San Francisco to serve as a recruitment officer. No one felt it important that Graves was 5 years old in 1839 and Doubleday was already at West Point. His stubborn defenses finally collapsed in the late afternoon, and his I Corps then retreated through the town of Gettysburg to the heights at Cemetery Hill. Powel family papers, 1681-1938 . But Doubleday was not a man to worry about his appearance; rather, his concern would be his obligations to the men in his command.21. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Parenting. In his final years in New Jersey, he was a prominent member and later president of the Theosophical Society. After being denied the position of I Corps commander by Mead, Doubleday traveled to Washington, D.C. Phoenix, AZ 85004 At Antietam, he led his men into the deadly fighting in the Cornfield and the West Woods, and one colonel described him as a "gallant officer remarkably cool and at the very front of battle. Abner Doubleday was born in upstate New York of a family outstanding in military and civil life, he graduated from West Point in 1842, 25th in a class of 56, and was assigned to the Artillery-Infantry. Try NewspaperArchive.com. However, he was later redrawn from action by Major General George G. Meade, an incident that would . Abner Doubleday is best known as War Hero who has born on June 26, 1819 in Ballston Spa, NY. 26 civilwararchive.com/CORPS/1stcorps.htm. 555 N. Central Ave. #416 By the third year of the Civil War, Doubleday was a reliable general and his biographer Thomas Barthel describes him this way: He has never been given credit he deserves for his actions in the Civil War or later because he was not one of the boys. He assumed command of the corps after John F. Reynolds was killed, and his troops fought well but had to withdraw to Cemetery Hill. NEW YORK Bertelsmann, the large West German publishing and entertainment conglomerate that owns Bantam Books and that just 19 days ago agreed to buy RCA's record business, on Friday agreed to. After a period commanding artillery defenses around Washington, D.C., Doubleday was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers in February 1862 and placed in command of a brigade under General Irvin McDowell. Abner Doubleday Field not to be missed especially when Legends of Baseball are playing! [15], There is a monument to Doubleday at Gettysburg erected by his men, admirers, and the state of New York. Doubleday received some bruises and could not hold the reins of a horse for a long time.20, Doubledays bravery and that of his troops at Antietam earned him promotion to major general of U.S. Seven of those brigades sustained casualties that ranged from 35 to 50 percent, indicating the ferocity of the Union defense. Under the rules of engagement, the Fort Sumter garrison was allowed to vacate the fortress.