Abner Doubleday was an unusual and often a controversial person. Born into a family staunchly supporting Andrew Jackson, Doubleday reflected the determined Unionist position of the strong-willed president. Abner's attitude towards the Union was later vividly demonstrated at Fort Sumter. A mediocre career at West Point illustrated Doubleday's lack of desire to excel although he possessed the ability to do so. The controversy over the origin of baseball, although Doubleday was never directly involved in the question, was the first of several controversies with which Abner Doubleday's name is associated. / Doubleday never seemed satisfied with his early life. In his papers he continually referred to people, prominent in later years, which he knew. While serving in the Mexican War, Doubleday continually felt the need to relate the dangerous situations in which he was placed. He seemed to want to demonstrate his personal responsibilities, which while actually meager, he viewed as of supreme importance. Doubleday apparently wanted to be a famous, bold cavalier, but realized he failed to accomplish his objective and stressed his "noble" deeds. / Doubleday loved large cities and the benefits they offered a person. He liked being in the right social circles and enjoyed the "good life." By 1852, while serving as a commissioner for the Senate, Doubleday had come to despise Mexico and the Mexicans. By 1858, while serving in Florida, he disliked the inconveniences of chasing "savages." With secession in 1860 Doubleday no longer liked Charlestonians; later extending his revulsion to all Confederates. / With the crisis at Sumter in 1861 Doubleday was greatly troubled. The affront to the United States government was almost more than he could bear. With the outbreak of the war, Doubleday was more than willing to fight the rebels. A dependable, if unspectacular soldier, Doubleday served well during the Civil War. While no one accused him of original thinking militarily, his men always fought well. Gettysburg was Doubleday's finest hour but became his final hour in the Civil War when he could not countenance serving under a junior officer. / It seems strange that Doubleday served in the Freedmen's Bureau since his superior was none other than his old enemy from Gettysburg, O.O. Howard. Doubleday's service in California brought the controversy over the origin of the cable car. Retirement from the army in 1873 brought out several new qualities in Abner Doubleday. He wrote books, read French and Spanish literature, and became interested in the occult and became a believer in theosophy. / Doubleday was a colorful figure in nineteenth century America. He was associated with several significant events in the growth of the nation. Doubleday represented, possibly to an extreme, the attitude of many American Unionists and supporters of Manifest Destiny. His commitment to a united nation is similar to Lincoln's attitude. Doubleday not only vocalized this sentiment, but, like Lincoln, was prepared to fight for his belief. Abner Doubleday was an intense American. He desired a strong, powerful United States and opposed those not supporting such a course. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0968. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74111 |
| Contributors | RAMSEY, DAVID MORGAN., The Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 257 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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