Tsushima, Battle of (1905)

Rear Admiral Mahan responds to critiques made by Lieutenant Commander William Sowden Sims on his piece on the Battle of Tsushima. Mahan believes Sims did a disservice by referencing too few sources. He also believes his sources are superior to Sims’. He paints a different picture of the battle and the mechanics of it. He also believes they emphasize different naval philosophical differences in their critiques. Sims believes in the importance of machinery and Mahan thinks that resources should be devoted to manpower. Mahan analyzes successful battle tactics and logistics.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-22

Creator(s)

Mahan, A. T. (Alfred Thayer), 1840-1914

Lieutenant-Commander Sims addresses recent conclusions A. T. Mahan drew in an article on the battle of the Sea of Japan during the Russo-Japanese War. Sims contends that while Mahan’s conclusions may have been correct given the facts he was working from, the facts were inaccurate. Addressing each argument, Sims refutes Mahan’s arguments prioritizing gun-power over speed, asserting that all-big-gun ships are mistakes, and saying that the size of ships should not greatly increase. Sims illustrates how the converse of each of these would lead to a stronger, more modern navy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-27

Creator(s)

Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936

The French paper Moniteur de la Flotte states that their readers will not come across any new details about tactical movements within the reports provided by the Russian admirals and captains. It is still unclear what happened in the Battle of Tsushima between Russia and Japan. The Russian fleet was badly defeated and destroyed, and details about the battle are obscure.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-12-28

Creator(s)

United States. Office of Naval Intelligence

Ambassador Sternburg sends President Roosevelt the article he mentioned giving the Russian version of the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War, and thanks Roosevelt for his suggestion of talking over the treatment of German exports with Secretary of State Root.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-12-19

Creator(s)

Sternburg, Hermann Speck von, Freiherr, 1852-1908

Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Komura informs Kogoro Takahira of the Japanese Legation in Washington, D.C., that the Japanese fleet engaged the Russian fleet on May 27 through May 28. Initial reports are that the Russian side lost several battleships and cruisers, but that Japanese damage appears to only be very slight. It will take several days before the final result can be announced, so until that time the information should remain secret.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-05-30

Creator(s)

Komura, Jutarō, 1855-1911

The war in Manchuria has reached a stalemate with Japanese forces slowed by poor roads and the Russians fortifying along the Tumen River. The Japanese have won a great naval victory at the Battle of the Sea of Japan.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-06-02

Creator(s)

United States. Office of Naval Intelligence

This note summarizes a telegram received from Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Komura relating the results of the Battle of Tsushima. Many Russian ships were sunk, while all the Japanese battleships and cruisers are still in action. The note also directs Japanese Ambassador Takahira to inform President Roosevelt of the report, but to keep the information secret until the publication of the official report.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-05-29

Creator(s)

Komura, Jutarō, 1855-1911

Kentarō Kaneko promises to relay to President Roosevelt the full details of the Battle of Tsushima as soon as he receives them.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-05-29

Creator(s)

Kaneko, Kentarō, 1853-1942

William N. Tilchin examines why Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his mediation of the Russo-Japanese War. Tilchin asserts that Roosevelt had gained a great deal of diplomatic experience prior to the 1905 negotiations at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, including his work in acquiring the rights to build the Panama Canal. Tilchin also notes that Roosevelt had a sense of the larger geopolitical stakes at hand in the war; namely, preserving the balance of power in both Asia and Europe, and he highlights how Roosevelt deployed his friendships with Kentaro Kaneko of Japan and the United States Ambassador to Russia George von Lengerke Meyer throughout the negotiations.

Three photographs appear in the essay, including one of Roosevelt with the peace commissioners from Russia and Japan and one of Tilchin at the site of the treaty negotiations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2007-10-28

Carl Cavanagh Hodge examines Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas and policies regarding naval policy in the context of international relations and a naval arms race in the first decade of the twentieth century. Hodge emphasizes Roosevelt’s reading and use of the ideas of naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, and he compares American naval plans with those of Great Britain and Germany. Hodge frames Roosevelt’s policies within the context of friendly relations with Great Britain, an increasingly assertive Germany, and the rising power of Japan, especially in the wake of the Russo-Japanese War. Hodge highlights the acquisition and construction of the Panama Canal and the voyage of the Great White Fleet as key parts of Roosevelt’s overall naval strategy. He notes Roosevelt’s embrace of the battleship as a means of engaging other nations’ fleets abroad, and he asserts that Roosevelt saw the fleet as an important symbol of American power. 

Eight photographs, including those of Roosevelt and Mahan, and one illustration supplement the article. A text with the mission statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association appears in the endnotes. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

President Roosevelt informs Senator Lodge that he has been asked by the governments of Japan and Russia to initiate a peace process between the two warring nations. Roosevelt says he has a low opinion of the Russians, and he says that the United States will have nothing to fear from Japan as long the United States Navy is kept at the ready. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1905-06-05

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

William N. Tilchin examines why Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his mediation of the Russo-Japanese War. Tilchin asserts that Roosevelt had gained a great deal of diplomatic experience prior to the 1905 negotiations at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, including his work in acquiring the rights to build the Panama Canal. Tilchin also notes that Roosevelt had a sense of the larger geopolitical stakes at hand in the war; namely, preserving the balance of power in both Asia and Europe, and he highlights how Roosevelt deployed his friendships with Kentaro Kaneko of Japan and the United States Ambassador to Russia George von Lengerke Meyer throughout the negotiations. 

A silhouette illustration and three photographs of Roosevelt accompany the article as does a text box acknowledging the financial firm Roosevelt & Cross for its support of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Three books and an essay are reviewed in the “Books” section. John A. Gable examines Kristie Miller’s biography Ruth Hanna McCormick and finds that it provides not only a look at her pioneering life in Republican politics, but that it also shows the impact of the Progressive Party into the 1920s. Gable notes that McCormick achieved many firsts for women in politics. Dennis Flanagan reviews War Plan Orange, the winner of the 1992 Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize, and reveals that American strategists had been debating about how to conduct a war against Japan decades before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In “Theodore Roosevelt, Carl Akeley, and the American Museum of Natural History,” Debby Applegate reviews a biography of Akeley and an essay that examines his work at the museum. Applegate highlights Akeley’s relationship with Roosevelt that began with his African safari, and she highlights how the works under review stress that the museum and its Roosevelt Memorial Hall are not “timeless” but represent the thinking of the men and the times in which they were built, and she cautions against casually condemning their work. A separate “Book Notes” section mentions twenty-five books on Roosevelt related topics or from Roosevelt historians, ranging from children’s books to biographies to a cookbook. The work of David G. McCullough, Douglas Brinkley, and Sylvia Jukes Morris are highlighted.

Photographs of Miller, Akeley, and the Barosaurus exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History illustrate the sections.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

A concise overview of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 which covers the major land and sea battles and examines Theodore Roosevelt’s role in mediating a settlement of the conflict.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1983

Creator(s)

Unknown

Despite Admiral Robley D. Evans’s conclusion that water line belts are too high, the real vulnerability on battleships is that they do not have enough armored protection at and above the water line. Further, ships are not carrying the draft levels recommended but are exceeding them.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-14

Creator(s)

Unknown

In a letter to the editor, T. A. Brassey argues that the British Navy should not focus on producing Dreadnaught-class battleships. He cites the recent sinking of large ships, especially during the Russo-Japanese war, to show that even heavily-armored ships are vulnerable to submarine mines and torpedoes. Furthermore, the costly large battleships are vulnerable to accidents at sea, and the more expensive guns on a ship the greater the financial loss when it sinks. Finally, Brassey argues that having more, smaller ships will allow for the great training and promotion of young captains.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-28

Creator(s)

Brassey, T. A. (Thomas Allnutt), Earl, 1863-1919