Office of the Superintendent/Correspondence: Letters Sent by the Superintendent, 1845-1865: Finding Aid

History of the Office of the Superintendent

The plan of the Naval School at Fort Severn, Annapolis, Maryland, approved by the Navy Department August 28, 1846, provided that a Superintendent of the school be appointed by the Secretary of the Navy from a list of officers of a rank not higher than commander. The Superintendent was to have responsibility for the general management of the institution, including overseeing the course of study, professors, and other personnel connected with the Academy. He could appoint and remove all persons employed at the Academy except those for whose appointment or discharge special provision was made by the laws or regulations of the Navy or the Academy. He had general charge of the buildings, grounds, and ships belonging to the Academy. The Superintendent also formulated the code of rules and regulations for the internal government of the school to be submitted to the Secretary of the Navy for approval. After 1867, officers were assigned by the Navy Department to the Academy to serve as assistants or aides to the Superintendent.

The Office of the Superintendent as described in the 1846 plan remained relatively unchanged throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Officers of ranks higher than commander, however, have served in the position. This entry contains letters sent from Superintendents Commander Franklin Buchanan (1845-1847), Commander George P. Upshur (1847-1850), Commander Cornelius K. Stribling (1850-1853), Commander Louis M. Goldsborough (1853-1857), Captain George S. Blake (1857-1865), and Rear Admiral David D. Porter (1865-1869).

Description of Contents

This entry contains fair copies of letters sent by the Superintendent to public and private individuals and businesses, including the Secretary of the Navy, applicants to the Academy, midshipmen, instructors, and merchants. Included also are letters to the Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography.

In volume 2 are letters sent by Commander Franklin Buchanan relating to plans for the establishment of the school and rules for the selection of midshipmen and their training. Letters sent relating to the summer practice cruises of the U.S.S. Preble, commanded by Lt. Thomas T. Craven, June - September 1852, which established sea duty as training for midshipmen, are in volume 4.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically. A name index is in volume 5. Partial name and subject indexes are in volumes 11 and 18 while a complete name and subject index is in volume 21.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

Generally, materials produced by Federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Any non-government publications held herein may still be subject to copyright. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

Other Finding Aid(s)

National Archives Catalog entry available electronically at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2953622.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Custodial History

RG 405 Records of the United States Naval Academy is the property of the National Archives and Records Administration. The materials are housed at the United States Naval Academy, William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives, an affiliated archive, as per a Memorandum of Agreement between the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Naval Academy.

Related Materials

Location of Copies or Alternate Formats

The letters in this entry have been reproduced as NARA Microfilm Publication M945, Letters Sent by the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy 1845-1865.

Related Archival Material

Letters sent by the Superintendent to the Secretary of the Navy and to Navy Department bureaus for the period October 1864-November 1865 are not copied in this entry but are copied in entries 8, 9, and 12. For press copies of letters sent, October 1865 - December 1911, see entry 3. Letters in this entry and in entry 4 relate to cruises for the midshipmen. The Letters Sent by Superintendent George S. Blake from September 1857 to September 1865 are copied in entry 4.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Office of the Superintendent/Correspondence: Letters Sent by the Superintendent, RG 405.2.1 Entry 1

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Processing Information

This collection was inventoried by Samuel Limneos in March 2019. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in March 2019. Historical Sketch and Scope and Content Note adapted in part from Inventory of Records Group 405 by Geraldine N. Phillips and Aloha South, 1975.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Blake, George Smith, 1803-1871
• Buchanan, Franklin, 1800-1874
• Craven, Thomas Tingey, 1808-1887
• Goldsborough, Louis Malesherbes, 1805-1877
• Midshipmen -- Recruiting -- United States
• Midshipmen -- United States -- Training of
• Naval education -- United States
• Porter, David D. (David Dixon), 1813-1891
• Preble (Sloop of war)
• Stribling, Cornelius Kincheloe, 1796-1880
• United States Naval Academy
• United States Naval Academy -- History -- 19th century
• United States Naval Academy -- Midshipmen -- Cruises
• United States Naval Academy. Superintendent
• Upshur, George P., d. 1852

Genre Terms

• Correspondence