Your TR Source
This document lists the ships in the largest battleship fleets in each of three countries: England’s Channel Fleet, Germany’s High Sea Fleet, and the United States’s Atlantic Fleet. Notes are included regarding the commission of each fleet and planned replacements, repairs, and additions to the Atlantic Fleet.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-13
A picture of the sixteen battleships making up the Great White Fleet which started their journey from Hampton Roads, Virginia, to the Pacific Ocean.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-12-16
President Roosevelt tells Rear Admiral Pillsbury that the letter from Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry was very interesting, and he requests a special report on why the conditions of the USS Alabama and USS Maine are so poor. He also asks Pillsbury to remind him to send a message of congratulation to Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-21
President Roosevelt explains the poor conditions of the construction of several battleships as well as several navy practices that should be assimilated to that of the army’s equivalent. He was impressed by the officers and the food aboard ship, and also has some ideas on how to better the lives of the crew after their service is over.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-11-28
Orosco C. Woolson is disappointed that Theodore Roosevelt will not prevent the raising of the USS Maine.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-05-01
Lieutenant Commander Crank sends President Roosevelt a souvenir from the battleship Louisiana from his trip to Panama. It is a bronze casting of devices placed on the bow of the ship at launch, the form and materials which were taken from the wreck of the battleship Maine.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-01-25
Colorized stereograph of the USS Maine docked in port. Text on the reverse of the stereograph notes Giles B. Harber as the commander of the vessel and lists various features of the battleship.
As printed on the reverse of the stereograph, “Captain Giles Harber, Commander; 12,500 tons displacement; 18 knots an hour; carries 20 guns over 4-ince; has broadside battery of 4-inch guns; two 12-inch guns in each turret. Its place in the fleet is in the third division of the second squadron. Although the Maine is comparatively new, she is not classed with the Georgia or Connecticut. These are two battleships of later build with three to four thousand tons greater displacement and carrying one-third more guns.”
Art Koch reveals the subject and context of the tenth “TR-era image” which shows the wreckage of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor, Cuba, after an onboard explosion on February 15, 1898.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1898
Gary Ross Mormino explores the relationship between Florida, Cuba, and the Spanish-American War. Mormino describes the enclaves of Cuban immigrants in Florida, and he notes that cities like Key West, Florida, were home to revolutionary movements and figures like Jose Marti. Mormino examines the influx of soldiers into Florida cities such as Tampa, Lakeland, and Miami, and he details the not unexpected difficulties with drink, women, and race relations between white and African American soldiers. Mormino also describes the chaotic mustering and departure of the troops from Florida, and he asserts that while much of Florida may have experienced a temporary economic boost from the war, it had “little long-term impact” on the state.
Eight photographs and five illustrations populate the article.
Edmund Morris argues that “the more one analyzes Theodore Roosevelt in the harsh light of historical research, the more authentic an American hero he becomes.” Morris looks at different episodes in Roosevelt’s life, such as his service during the Spanish-American War, to make his case, and he compares Roosevelt’s life to heroic figures from mythology and literature such as Hercules, Beowulf, and King Lear.
Homer Davenport’s famous cartoon, “He’s good enough for me,” featuring Uncle Sam and Theodore Roosevelt is on the first page of the article.
The Senate Committee on Naval Affairs interviews a number of naval officers on some alleged defects in the construction of several battleships now being built. Chief among these concerns are the questions of the placement of the armor belt, the positions of the guns, and the design of the hoists to provide the turrets with ammunition.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-21
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt is concerned over the recent USS Maine explosion and Edith’s increasing fever. He is very grateful to Anna Roosevelt Cowles for taking care of Alice Roosevelt.
1898-02-17
Edith Roosevelt’s fever is returning and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt is calling in Dr. Osler from Baltimore. Roosevelt was pleased to receive the informative note from William S. Cowles about the investigation into the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana, even though there is not yet any conclusion about the cause.
1898-02-25
William Tudor writes to Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt about newspaper reports that the administration plans to overlook the explosion of the USS Maine. Tudor argues that their primary responsibility is to self-protection and that the United States should order the Spaniards to “conduct the war in a civilized war.” He warns that if the government does not respond accordingly “there will be found still greater difficulty in finding men to serve on our ships.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1898-03-26