Office of the Superintendent/Miscellaneous Records: Minutes of Meetings of the U.S. Naval Monument Association, 1865-1867: 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.

Description of Contents

This series contains minutes of meetings of the U.S. Naval Monument Association. An 1865 Navy Department circular announced the creation of a fund for the erection of a suitable monument at the grave of Lieutenant Samuel W. Preston on the academy grounds dedicated to all Navy men killed during the Civil War.

Samuel W. Preston graduated first in the order of merit with the Class of 1862 under the academy’s accelerated wartime course in May 1861. While attached to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron as flag-lieutenant to Rear Admiral David D. Porter, Lieutenant Preston received a mortal wound leading sailors and marines in an amphibious assault at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in January 1865.

A committee headed by Rear Admiral David D. Porter, superintendent of the academy, met in 1865 to discuss carrying out the provisions of the Navy Department circular. Paymaster C. W. Abbott was appointed treasurer and Lt. Commander K. R. Breese, secretary. The volume includes a statement of the treasurer of the Association in 1867 relating to the funds on hand for the purpose of erecting such a monument.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

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/3083599.

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 Related Materials

Additional correspondence of the superintendent relating to the monument and association be found in entry 1: “Letters Sent by the Superintendent, 1845-1865” (NAID: 2953622); entry 3: “Press Copies of Letters Sent by the Superintendent, 1865-1911” (NAID: 2980540); and entry 25: “Letters Received by the Superintendent, 1843-1889” (NAID: 2990043).

Materials Cataloged Separately

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

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Office of the Superintendent/Miscellaneous Records: Minutes of Meetings of the U.S. Naval Monument Association, 1865–1867, RG 405.2.5 Entry 139

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Selected Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the historical note:

Sweetman, Jack. The U.S. Naval Academy: An Illustrated History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute Press, 1979.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Samuel Limneos in April 2023. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in May 2023. 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

• Midshipmen -- United States
• Naval education -- United States.
• United States Naval Academy -- History – 19th century
• United States Naval Academy -- Students.
• United States Naval Academy. Superintendent
• United States Navy -- Officers

Genre Terms

• Minutes