Manuscript Collections

B 

George Mifflin Bache Papers, 1821-1917, 1952, 1968, MS 212

George Mifflin Bache, great-great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, was an officer in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1861. The George Mifflin Bache Papers consist primarily of correspondence to Bache’s mother Eliza, the daughter of Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson (1786-1839), and other documents relating to Bache’s career. Bache served in the Navy until his retirement as a commander in 1875.

F. A. Bacon Seamanship Notebook, circa 1820, MS 162

Seamanship notes maintained by F. A. Bacon. The notes pertain to such topics as the rigging and loosing of sails, manning of guns, preparations for getting underway, procedures for sailing in dangerous conditions and narrow channels, veering, taking in the sails, clearing the ship for action, operations in gales, mooring, and scudding. An index appears at the front of the volume.

U.S.S. Bagley Association Records, 1937-1999, MS 508

U.S.S. Bagley was the lead ship of her class of United States Navy destroyers. The U.S.S. Bagley Association Records span from 1937 to 1999. The records consist of copies of the ship's historical records, in the form of deck logs, muster rolls, officer rosters, and war diaries from the years leading up to, and including, World War II; as well as the records of the Association itself, in the form of the group's quarterly newsletter.

Charles H. Ball Diaries, 1861-1865, MS 147

The Charles H. Ball Diaries span Ball's Civil War service in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron of the Union Navy. The diaries are composed of first-hand accounts of various battles and blockading duties in the Gulf of Mexico, from New Orleans, Louisiana to Galveston, Texas, as well as personal duties, such as keeping watch and participation in foraging parties.

Journal of the Baltimore, the Ruth and the U.S.S. Natchez, 1826-1828, (transferred to MS 1)

This journal covers three voyages of Lieutenant Franklin Buchanan, USN. On a leave of absence from the Navy, he commanded the Baltimore (frigate), delivering the ship to the Brazilian Navy in early 1827. He returned to the United States via the Ruth (brig). He was a lieutenant on the U.S.S. Natchez (sloop-of-war), which cruised (2 July 1827-24 November 1828) in the West Indies. Buchanan was a career naval officer and the first Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. He resigned his commission in April 1861 and subsequently joined the Confederate States Navy.

Letterbook of the U.S.S. Baltimore, 1889-1891, (transferred to MS 3)

No description available.

Letterbook of the U.S.S. Baltimore, 1891-1892, (transferred to MS 3)

No description available.

George D. Bancroft Papers, 1917-1919 and 1974-1975, MS 397

The George D. Bancroft Papers, consisting mostly of diaries and photograph albums, span Bancroft's brief U.S. Navy service, covering the years 1917 to 1919. The papers focus on Bancroft's three transatlantic cruises aboard the transport ship U.S.S. Powhatan as a Hospital Apprentice and Pharmacist's Mate.

Robert Edward Bassler Papers, 1856-1981 (bulk 1920-1981), MS 201

Robert Edward Bassler was a Public Works Officer in the United States Navy and a native of Brooklyn, New York. The papers pertain to Bassler's career as a Public Works Officer, the development of airplane arresting gear, and Bassler's personal interests, especially Freemasonry.

Edgar H. Batcheller Photograph Album, 1898-1999 (bulk 1898), MS 532

Edgar H. Batcheller was an Admiral in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1934. The Edgar H. Batcheller Photograph Album consists of photographs from 1898, with two letters regarding the donation of the materials dating from 1969 and 1999. The photographs depict United States Naval Academy buildings and grounds in the summer of 1898.

Oliver Ambrose Batcheller Letters, 1859-1898, MS 264

Oliver Ambrose Batcheller was an officer in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1863. The Oliver Ambrose Batcheller Letters span two time periods of Batcheller's naval career, from 1859 to 1866 and from 1891 to 1892. The letters focus on his time as a student at the U.S. Naval Academy, his service in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War, and his service as Commander of the U.S.S. Concord (Gunboat: PG-3).

Battles Family Letters, 1899-1911, MS 36

Donald R. Battles was a naval constructor in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1903. The Battles Family Letters span from 1899 to 1911. The letters are the product of the correspondence between Midshipman Donald R. Battles and his parents during Battles' time studying at the United States Naval Academy, as well as correspondence between Dr. Raymond Willis Battles and other members of the Battles Family.

Edward L. Beach Papers, 1883-2000 (bulk 1951-1999), MS 422

Edward Latimer Beach, Jr. was an officer in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1939. The papers are the product of Beach's careers as a United States Navy submarine officer, novelist, historian, lecturer, and political aide.

Josiah G. Beckwith Letters, 1853-1855, MS 425

Josiah G. Beckwith, Jr. was a non-graduate member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1858. Produced during his two years as a midshipman in Annapolis, the Beckwith Letters discuss various aspects of student life at the Naval Academy, including academics, conduct and discipline, summer cruises, and the activities of classmates.

This collection is also available electronically in the USNA Digital Collections.

Watch-, Quarter-, and Station-Bill of the U.S.S. Benicia, 1869-1872, (transferred to MS 3)

No description available.

Copy Berg Collection, 1971-1974, MS 513

Vernon "Copy" Berg was an artist, officer in the United States Navy, and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1974. The Copy Berg Collection spans from 1971 to 1974. The collection consists of original and published copies of artwork produced by Berg while he was a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy.

Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers, 1862-1942, MS 478

he Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers span from 1862-1942. The papers document the combined U.S. Navy careers of Alva D. Bernhard, United States Naval Academy Class of 1909, and his father-in-law, Edward H. Gheen, United States Naval Academy Class of 1867, as well as documenting the lives of their wives and the genealogy of the Gheen and Monfort families.

Lester E. Bick Letters, 1918-1919, MS 278

The Lester E. Bick Letters were written by Bick to his sister, Mrs. Marie Hemminger, while he was serving aboard the troop transport U.S.S. Mount Vernon during the closing days of World War I. The letters include descriptions of everyday shipboard life, as well as specific events, such as the torpedoing of Mount Vernon by German ships, and second-hand accounts of U.S. soldiers being ordered to bayonet German prisoners-of-war.

Blimp Training Diary, 1946, MS 400

The author of the Blimp Training Diary was a seventeen-year-old enlistee, most likely in the United States Naval Reserve. The diary, which alternates between handwritten and typewritten, is a first-hand, daily account of the author's lighter-than-air training and social life at Lakehurst Naval Air Station between April and July 1946.

Claude C. Bloch Orders, 1904-1940 (bulk 1916-1940), MS 365

Claude C. Bloch was an admiral in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1899. The Claude C. Bloch Orders span the period of 1904 through 1940 and consist of official U.S. Navy orders and notifications to Bloch spanning most of his career.

George M. Blodgett Papers, 1851-1984 (bulk 1856-1862), MS 267

George M. Blodgett was an officer in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1856. The George M. Blodgett Papers focus primarily on Blodgett's service aboard the steam frigate U.S.S. Wabash and the frigate U.S.S. John Adams, and include descriptions of the John Adams' cruise to Rio de Janeiro and China.

Ted Bogacz Papers, 1958-1991 (bulk 1965-1991), MS 461

Ted Bogacz was a historian and professor of history at the United States Naval Academy. The Ted Bogacz Papers span from 1958 until 1991, with a majority of the documentation created between 1965 and 1991. Spanning the entirety of Bogacz's career as a historian and history professor, the papers focus on Bogacz's research and writings on the cultural and psychological impact of World War I on Great Britain, as well as his teaching at the United States Naval Academy.

Francis Boughter Notebook, 1883-1927 (bulk 1883-1887), MS 328

Francis Boughter was an officer in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1887. The Francis Boughter Notebook consists of handwritten poems and associated artwork pertaining to life at the Naval Academy and in the United States Navy.

Watch, Quarter, and Station Bills of the U.S. Brig Boxer, 1843 (approximate), MS 13

The Watch, Quarter, and Station Bills of the U.S. Brig Boxer were compiled some time between 1842 and 1844. Created during the command of Lieutenant Oscar Bullus and first lieutenancy of Lieutenant John Rodgers while the Boxer was attached to the Home Squadron, the volume consists of the various duty assignments of the ship's officers, sailors, and Marines.

Samuel Livingston Breese Papers, 1855-1870, MS 318

Samuel Livingston Breese was an officer in the United States Navy from 1810 through the Civil War. The papers focus on the later years of Breese's career as an officer in the United States Navy, most notably his time as Commandant of the New York Navy Yard during the early days of the Civil War.

Clarkson J. Bright Photograph Album, 1869-1949 (bulk 1904-1949), MS 481

Clarkson J. Bright was an officer in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1910. The Clarkson J. Bright Photograph Album, comprising a single volume with several loose photographs, spans primarily from 1904 to 1949, with several photographs dating from as early as 1869. Bearing the cover title of "The Bright's Volume 6," the album consists primarily of photographs and picture postcards from Bright's career in the United States Navy and the travels and Annapolis home of the family of Bright's wife, Burton Starr Bright.

British Air Attaché Reports on U.S. Naval Aviation, 1928-1929, MS 331

The unnamed British Air Attaché likely responsible for the production of the Reports on U.S. Naval Aviation served at the British Embassy in Washington, DC under Ambassador Esme Howard. The reports, which were produced between 1928 and 1929, consist of intelligence reports on the state of American Naval Aviation.

Victoria Broadbent DeCato Collection, 1958-1982 (bulk 1980), MS 504

Victoria Broadbent DeCato, known professionally as "Grandma Mosses," was an artist and the wife of John Howard Broadbent, United States Naval Academy Class of 1925. The Victoria Broadbent DeCato Collection spans from 1958 to 1982, with a bulk of the material produced in 1980. The collection consists of samples of Broadbent DeCato's abstract artwork produced using Spanish moss, as well as supporting documentation and a selection of her poetry.

Journal of the U.S.S. Brooklyn, 1875, MS 291

Henry F. Reich was an officer in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1874. The Log of the U.S. Screw Sloop of War Brooklyn was kept by Reich while he was serving as a midshipman aboard the Brooklyn, which was then serving as flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron. The log records the voyage of the Brooklyn from Norfolk to Rio de Janeiro, from Cape Frio to Montevideo, to Rio de Janeiro a second time, and on towards Barbados.

Charles R. Brown Papers, 1922-1997 (bulk 1956-1962), MS 438

Charles R. "Cat" Brown was an admiral in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1921. The Charles R. Brown Papers span from 1922 to 1997, with the bulk of the documents spanning from 1956 to 1962. While spanning much of Brown's career in the United States Navy, the papers are overwhelmingly the product of Brown's tours as Commander, Sixth Fleet (COMSIXTHFLT) and NATO's Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (CINCSOUTH). In addition to focusing on Brown's many diplomatic and ceremonial functions, the papers touch upon such topics as the role of the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, the role of NATO in opposing the spread of communism in the Mediterranean, Brown's thoughts on the threat posed by communism, efforts to reorganize the Department of Defense, and turmoil in the Suez, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon in the late 1950's and early 1960's, as well as Brown's retirement plans and family life.

Wilson Brown Papers, 1902-1956, MS 228

Wilson Brown was an admiral in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1902. The Wilson Brown Papers pertain to Brown's United States Navy career, including his service on destroyers during World War I, as Naval Aide to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as a task force commander in the Pacific in World War II, and as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. The papers consist of correspondence, speeches, war diaries, notebooks, news articles, photographs, maps, and ephemera.

Joseph Bryan's Aircraft Carrier, 1954 (approximate), MS 495

Joseph Bryan was a reporter, editor, and officer in the United States Navy Reserve. Joseph Bryan's Aircraft Carrier, originally entitled A Far Bell Ringing, comprising a single, hand corrected typescript, was transcribed in approximately 1954. The manuscript reproduces the diary Bryan kept from January through May 1945, while serving on the staff of Admiral Arthur W. Radford aboard U.S.S. Yorktown (Aircraft carrier: CV-10) during World War II.

Samuel W. Bryant Notebook, 1893-1896, MS 181

Samuel Wood Bryant was an officer in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1900 (originally Class of 1897). The notebook, kept by Bryant during his time as a member of the Class of 1897, opens with a log of the midshipman summer cruise aboard U.S.S. Constellation. The notebook also includes pages of seamanship notes on rigging, as well as mathematical and navigational notes and equations. The volume also includes invitations to Naval Academy winter hops and a clipping on the loss of U.S.S. Kearsarge.

Franklin Buchanan Letterbook, 1845-1847, (transferred to MS 1)

No description available.

Franklin Buchanan Naval Papers, 1796-1847 (bulk 1817-1847), MS 1

Franklin Buchanan was an officer in the United States Navy, first Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy, and an admiral in the Confederate Navy. The Buchanan Papers cover the first half of his naval career, from his time as a U.S. Navy midshipman through his superintendency of the United States Naval Academy.

Thomas B. Buell Papers, 1862-2002 (bulk 1953-2002), MS 423

Thomas Buell was a United States Navy officer, historian, and member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1958. The papers record various aspects of Buell's life and career, including his studies at the United States Naval Academy and Naval War College, his tour of duty as a commanding officer of a frigate, his role as an educator in the United States Navy, and his research and writings as a naval biographer and military historian.

Roscoe C. Bulmer Journal, 1894-1896, MS 95

The journal was kept by Midshipman Roscoe C. Bulmer while on a cruise aboard the cruiser U.S.S. San Francisco. The journal, which spans from May 26, 1895 to April 16, 1896, includes detailed descriptions of the various European ports and warships encountered along the cruise.

This collection is also available electronically in the USNA Digital Collections.

William Burney's "System of Mathematical Education...," ca. 1809, MS 168

William Burney, born in 1762, was an English educator and mathematician. A System of Mathematical Education Taught at the Naval Academy in Cold Harbour Gosport Hants (established in the year 1791) under the direction of William Burney A.M. Mathematician, was produced in approximately 1809 for the instruction of mathematics and navigation at Burney's preparatory school in Gosport, England.

William M. Butler Notebook, 1936-1939, MS 288

William M. Butler was an officer and submariner in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1940. The William M. Butler Notebook, kept by Butler while a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, is composed of class notes for courses in English, History, and Government. Several documents are included with the notebook, including Instructions for midshipmen in the Department of English, History, and Government, a syllabus for the course Modern Thought, and a request by Butler to work on a boat in the Academy's pattern shop in Isherwood Hall.

W. R. Butt Notebook on Seamanship and Naval Tactics, 1859-1864, MS 186

Walter Raleigh Butt was a Midshipman in the United States Navy, an officer in the Confederate States Navy, and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1859. The W. R. Butt Notebook on Seamanship and Naval Tactics spans from 1859 to 1864. The notebook includes sections on rigging, chasing, trimming, routine of evolutions, docks, signals, boarding, naval tactics, setting and taking in sails, wearing ship, and scudding.

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