BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Gunboat Philadelphia

DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Gunboat Philadelphia:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIAHGP_150826_003.JPG: The Philadelphia and the American War of Independence American troops frustrated British plans to isolate New England by splitting the colonies along the Hudson River. Shortly after the American War of Independence started, American forces in Lake Champlain, between New York and Vermont, began capturing British strongholds in Canada. The British gathered a fleet at the head of the lake to control the region. To resist the British advance toward Fort Ticonderoga, New York, American general Benedict Arnold built a fleet of eight gunboats and four galleys in the summer of 1776. The gunboats, or gondolas, were flat-bottomed rowing boats with sails, designed and constructed as simple gun platforms. The Philadelphia, armed with three cannon and eight swivel guns, was one of them. The opponents met at Valcour Island, near the New York shore, on October 11, 1776. Heavily outnumbered, Arnold lost the two-day battle; the Philadelphia was hit and sank on the first day. Although the Continental forces lost, they succeeded in delaying the British until the following year, when the Americans were better prepared. British forces were heavily battered in the point-blank fighting off Valcour Island and during the subsequent pursuit. An intended British assault on Fort Ticonderoga, New York, was abandoned. The Valcour action successfully delayed British efforts to isolate New England for nearly a year. This allowed the newly formed Continental army to regroup during the winter, then achieve victory at Saratoga, New York, in the autumn of 1777, which helped bring in support from France.
2. SIAHGP_150826_006.JPG: The Continental Gunboat Philadelphia 1776
3. SIAHGP_150826_008.JPG: BATTLE OF VALCOUR ISLAND On October 11, 1776, British warships rounded the southern end of Valcour Island in Lake Champlain, near the New York shore. There they met Benedict Arnold's 15-vessel flotilla, which occupied the little anchorage as a defensive measure. The big ships and the line of small ones in the foreground are the British; the little vessels above are the Continental force. Over a two-day battle, all but four of the American fleet were destroyed, including the Philadelphia. The British declared victory and withdrew to Saint Johns, Quebec, for the winter. Seemingly an American defeat, the conflict brought a respite afterward that allowed the revolutionary troops to regroup. Watercolor sketch by H. Gilder, Windsor Castle, courtesy of Her Britannic Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
4. SIAHGP_150826_015.JPG: General Benedict Arnold General Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) Benedict Arnold was a successful businessman and merchant by the age of twenty-one, and sailed many times for trade in the West Indies and Canada. Elected captain in the Connecticut militia in 1774, he was later given command of all American forces on Lake Champlain. Under his authority, a flotilla was built and made ready for action on the lake. In October 1776, Arnold commanded a remarkable action at the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain, and successfully delayed the British plan to capture Fort Ticonderoga, New York. This allowed the newly formed Continental army to regroup during the winter and to achieve victory at Saratoga, New York, in the autumn of 1777, which brought in support for the American effort from France. Arnold is remembered not as a hero, as his actions early in the war indicate, but as a traitor. By 1780 he was conspiring to hand control of West Point, New York, to the British. The plot was exposed; Arnold served the British to the end of the war, then moved to England for the rest of his life. For more information on the American War of Independence, visit the exhibition The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, located right across from this gallery's entrance.
5. SIAHGP_150826_023.JPG: 12-Pounder Bow Gun
6. SIAHGP_150826_026.JPG: BRITISH SHOT THAT SANK THE GUNBOAT This 24-pound shot, marked with the Crown's "broad arrow," shattered numerous planks and frames at this point. It caused rapid flooding that forced the abandonment of the Philadelphia shortly after nightfall.
7. SIAHGP_150826_046.JPG: MUSKETS To supplement the Philadelphia's cannon battery, some crewmen were armed with Brown Bess muskets and other long arms. During point-blank fighting off Valcour Island, those not occupied with manning the cannon or swivel guns probably used their muskets to fire on the British troops onboard nearby vessels. Artist sketch of crewman keeping watch by looking out through the protective fascines (bundles of spruce saplings) staked into the Philadelphia's gunwales
8. SIAHGP_150826_048.JPG: Building the Philadelphia The Americans had to expand their tiny navy in order to have any hope of defending Lake Champlain from the British. Benedict Arnold wrote to the Continental Congress in June 1776 that "To augment our navy on the lake appears to me of the utmost importance." Congress agreed. In just over two months, under Arnold's constant urging, shipwrights built four 72-foot galleys and eight 53-foot gondolas, including the Philadelphia. The flat-bottomed gondolas' square sails rarely provided enough power, and the crewmen often had to take to their oars.
9. SIAHGP_150826_054.JPG: Building the Boats
10. SIAHGP_150826_061.JPG: Wooden 9- and 12-pound shot gauge Iron 9-pound shot gauge used by the crew to quickly measure different cannon shot. Tampions used to plug cannon muzzles not in use, to keep out dust and moisture.
11. SIAHGP_150826_066.JPG: Cartridge box insert form
12. SIAHGP_150826_069.JPG: LIFE ON BOARD Many of the crew's personal items were recovered along with the Philadelphia, including shoe fragments, shoe and knee buckles, varied styles of buttons, and spoons. These items give us a glimpse of the men aboard. Sulfur pieces found may have been used to fumigate the boat, since an epidemic of malaria struck the shipwrights during construction. Look at the Philadelphia. Can you imagine 44 men living, working, and sleeping onboard the gunboat?
13. SIAHGP_150826_072.JPG: Lead dish with brush, used for caulking side planks with pitch to prevent leaks.
14. SIAHGP_150826_075.JPG: Working the Ship Many of the artifacts recovered were parts of the vessel's workings, or fittings, including deadeyes used for the rigging ropes and gun-carriage ringbolts and swivel hooks. The crew used objects such as a pitch brush and lead pan to seal the spaces between the planks and prevent leakage. The tar on these items helped to preserve them. The serving mallet wrapped the boat's rigging with spun yarn as protection against chafing and fraying of the ropes. These objects help us to learn more about the operations of the Philadelphia and its crew.
15. SIAHGP_150826_077.JPG: "A WRETCHED MOTLEY CREW" An assortment of inexperienced Continental militiamen, marines, and seamen manned Benedict Arnold's flotilla. Forty-four men crowded the Philadelphia's decks, protected against wind and weather by only a canvas awning and shielded only by fascines (large bundles of sticks) against Indian marksmen on the shore. This was an "army fleet," built and crewed by the Continental army and commanded by a general. With little experience in boat handling and none in naval combat, the Philadelphia "sailors" typified the troops Arnold described to Major General Horatio Gates on September 18, 1776, as "a wretched motley crew."
16. SIAHGP_150826_079.JPG: A Closer Look It's easy to overlook an artifact's smallest details, but doing so may cause you to miss discovering valuable information. Of the six spoons on display in the large case to the left, three are monogrammed with their owners' initials. The one enlarged below is believed to have belonged to either Seaman Samuel Harris or Samuel Heath. Heath was listed as an "X" on the final payroll of the Philadelphia's crew. Could this X indicate that Heath was captured or one of the earliest casualties in the American War of Independence?
17. SIAHGP_150826_082.JPG: This model built by Howard Hoffman represents the gunboat Philadelphia as originally built and armed in 1776. A simple, flat-bottomed, floating gun platform, the Philadelphia carried one 12-pounder, two 9-pounders, and eight 3/4-pounder swivel guns along the rail. The 12-pounder was mounted at the bow on a sliding carriage; the 9-pounders were on conventional wheeled carriages. The 44-man crew also had shoulder arms. The men on the 53-foot, 2-inch-long vessel were protected from sun and weather by a long canvas awning stretched over the framework covering most of the boat's length. A railing around the bow prevented the crew from falling overboard. The ship was propelled by square sails and by long oars. In just two months, eight gondolas were constructed to Gen. Benedict Arnold's design, along with four larger galleys and a reassembled cutter. (One galley was not completed in time for the battle.) Three previously captured British ships completed the 15-vessel flotilla.
18. SIAHGP_150826_098.JPG: This model represents the Philadelphia as it appeared in October 1776 at the Battle of Valcour Island. When the gunboat arrived at the Smithsonian, Museum specialist Howard Hoffman made a lengthy study of the Phialdelphia's construction, eventually producing a series of detailed line drawings. This study revealed the high level of accuracy to which the Philadelphia and its companion ships were hastily constructed in the summer of 1776. Although Benedict Arnold's men were largely inexperienced in naval warfare, his fleet was well-built. The model, built to scale based on the drawings, includes a number of features not visible on the wreck itself. Among these are an awning, used for storage of the oars and protection from the elements, and ballast stones, intended to counterbalance the weight of the bow gun. The drawings were used in the construction of the Philadelphia II, an exact replica of the original vessel, which is now on display and under sail at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
19. SIAHGP_150826_107.JPG: Why might the crew bring a shovel, axes, and shipwright tools onboard? Did these objects have multiple uses? What was the time glass used for? Navigation? Firing the cannon? Both? And what about the porcelain cup; did it belong to an affluent crew member or was it perhaps dropped on the wreck in later years? Historical Archaeology When the Philadelphia was raised in 1935, historical archaeology had not yet developed as a professional field with standardized practices. Although Lorenzo Hagglund and his men were experienced salvage experts qualified in raising sunken vessels, many of their techniques would be considered hasty and crude by modern archaeologists. Much of what we know about Benedict Arnold's fleet results from careful studies of the Philadelphia; however, raising the vessel also destroyed potentially valuable information. Hagglund's crew made one basic sketch before lifting the gondola, thereby destroying the spatial context of the artifacts onboard. Historical archaeology is much like a puzzle, even more so when the site is disrupted through excavation. Thus the original use of many of the artifacts found on the Philadelphia remains unclear.
20. SIAHGP_150826_119.JPG: Philadelphia Model The model behind you represents the Philadelphia as it appeared in October 1776 at the Battle of Valcour Island. When the gunboat arrived at the Smithsonian, Museum specialist Howard Hoffman made a lengthy study of the Philadelphia's construction, eventually producing a series of detailed line drawings. This study revealed the high level of accuracy to which the Philadelphia and its companion ships were hastily constructed in the summer of 1776. Although Benedict Arnold's men were largely inexperienced in naval warfare, his fleet was well-built. The model, built to scale based on the drawings, includes a number of features not visible on the wreck itself. Among these are an awning, used for storage of the oars and protection from the elements, and ballast stones, intended to counterbalance the weight of the bow gun. The drawings were used in the construction of the Philadelphia II, an exact replica of the original vessel, which is now on display and under sail at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Taking the Lines Former Museum staff members Howard Hoffman and Harold Ellis took the lines off the gunboat Philadelphia. This process measures a three- dimensional curved surface, like a ship's hull, for recording in two dimensions on paper. From this, a full set of plans-line drawings-were created for the Philadelphia. In 1989, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum used them to build the Philadelphia II, an exact replica of the gunboat.
21. SIAHGP_150826_144.JPG: Displaying the Philadelphia The Philadelphia has been on exhibit since it was raised in 1935, first as a tourist attraction in the Lake Champlain region and then from 1965 to the present at this Museum. In 1961 the gunboat came down to Washington through the Lake Champlain-Hudson River corridor- which it fought to protect almost 200 years earlier-on a barge and a U.S. Coast Guard buoy-tender. In the autumn, before completion of the outer shell of the Museum, it was lifted up and into the third floor by cranes. When the Armed Forces History Hall opened in 1965, the gunboat Philadelphia was its centerpiece and has remained in the same area of the Museum ever since. In 1986, renovations shifted the boat to its present location and created a two-tier mezzanine (currently partially closed) to the starboard side for exhibit cases and upper views of the decks. Since completing additional building renovations in late 2008, the lower mezzanine has been reopened with updated displays.
22. SIAHGP_150826_149.JPG: Still in its protective transportation container, the Philadelphia is raised to the third floor of the Museum by cranes. In order to place the boat into the Museum, it had to be lifted and maneuvered inside before the building's outer walls were completed.
23. SIAHGP_150826_155.JPG: [ABOVE] The Philadelphia soon after it was salvaged. The mast is visible standing upright. The cannon were removed before raising. [RIGHT] The cold freshwater of Lake Champlain preserved the shipwreck well. Note the heavy crosspieces used to spread the load of the lifting spans so the sides of the boat would not be crushed. Underwater Discovery The Philadelphia was found in 1935, with its mast standing tall, the top barely 15 feet below the surface of Valcour Bay. After almost 160 years, the Philadelphia remained in its upright position in 60 feet of water, armed with three cannon and a swivel. Col. Lorenzo Hagglund, an experienced salvage engineer from New York, made the discovery, and the Philadelphia was lifted from the water with slings and spreaders to prevent its sides from being crushed. The boat came to the Smithsonian after being displayed in the Lake Champlain area for more than 25 years. It was on exhibit at the opening of this Museum's Armed Forces History Hall in 1965. The gunboat being loaded by crane onto a barge for transport via Lake Champlain to Washington, D.C., for preservation, documentation, and display
24. SIAHGP_150826_160.JPG: The Continental Gunboat Philadelphia Built -- and sunk -- in 1776, this oldest American man-of-war in existence symbolizes the resourcefulness of those who established our nation's independence. Constructed in barely two months, the gunboat Philadelphia fought with the Continental squadron that continuously frustrated British efforts to isolate New England by occupying central New York. Benedict Arnold's successful delaying action on Lake Champlain was a pivotal moment that helped ensure victory at Saratoga in 1777 and decisive French intervention on the American side. The Philadelphia sank on October 11, 1776, when a 24-pound shot from British forces hit the boat and caused rapid flooding.
25. SIAHGP_150826_177.JPG: Mainmast: The Philadelphia was discovered in 1935, with this white pine mast still standing upright, barely 15 feet below the surface of Valcour Bay.
26. SIAHGP_150826_184.JPG: Crew Payroll In 1973, nearly 200 years after the sinking of the Philadelphia, researchers discovered this payroll at the Fort Concho Museum in San Angelo, Texas- hidden in a portable desk that belonged to Benjamin Rue, the ship's captain. Created five days after the battle, the document represents the final muster of the Philadelphia crew. Working closely with genealogists and known descendents, historians have uncovered the identities and biographies of many of Rue's men. Most came from New Hampshire militia regiments, with little to no naval experience. Officers were typically chosen from among the men most familiar with ship construction and handling. Interestingly, mate Joseph Bettys, who was rewarded for bravery at Valcour Island, became a raider for the British; in 1782 he was captured, tried, and executed for treason and spying. An "X" to the right of the final column is thought to indicate those men who were absent from the Philadelphia's final muster; we do not know if they were killed or wounded, or captured and paroled. Donated by the trustees of the Fort Concho Museum and the R. B. Ferguson family
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Description of Subject Matter: Gunboat Philadelphia
July 3, 1965 – Permanent
Built in 1776, the gunboat Philadelphia is the oldest American fighting vessel in existence. She sank on October 11, 1776, in Lake Champlain during the battle of Valcour Island, when an American flotilla commanded by General Benedict Arnold was defeated by a British fleet. The gunboat Philadelphia was raised in 1935 and came to the museum in 1964, complete with the 24-pound ball that sent it to the bottom.
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