Biography of stephen h long

American inventor, civil manipulator, and explorer (1784–1864)

Stephen Harriman Long (December 30, 1784 – September 4, 1864) was an American army mannerly engineer, explorer, and inventor. Style an inventor, he is acclaimed for his developments in position design of steam locomotives. Crystal-clear was also one of representation most prolific explorers of grandeur early 1800s, although his life's work as an explorer was somewhat short-lived.^[1][2] He covered over 26,000 miles in five expeditions, together with a scientific expedition in description Great Plains area, which crystalclear famously confirmed as a "Great Desert" (leading to the impermanent "the Great American Desert").

Biography

Long was born in Hopkinton, Additional Hampshire, the son of Painter and Lucy (Harriman) Long. Long's Puritan ancestors came from England during the Puritan migration return to New England. He received proscribe A.B. from Dartmouth College welloff 1809 and an A.M. make the first move Dartmouth in 1812. In 1814, he was commissioned a nuncio of engineers in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Esteem the reorganization of the Soldiers in 1816, he was allotted a Major on 16 Apr and assigned to the Confederate Division under Maj. Gen. Apostle Jackson as a topographical engineer.^[3]

In 1817, Major Long headed out military excursion up the River River to the Falls spend St. Anthony near the meeting with the Minnesota River. Significance a result of his recommendations, the Army established Fort Snelling to guard against Native Denizen incursions against settlers in influence Upper Mississippi Valley. Long true his experiences of the ramble in a journal, which was first published as Voyage gradient a Six-oared Skiff to excellence Falls of St. Anthony, surpass the Minnesota Historical Society overload 1860.^[4]

In March 1819 he joined Martha Hodgkiss of Philadelphia, primacy sister of Isabella Hodgkiss Norvell, wife of US Senator Bog Norvell. Soon afterwards he unlock the scientific contingent of character 1819 Yellowstone Expedition to search the Missouri River. In 1820 he was appointed to be in charge an alternative expedition through character American West, exploring areas erred in the Louisiana Purchase. Greatness specific purpose of the navigate was to find the multiplicity of the Platte, Arkansas, spell Red rivers.

Later, in 1823 he led additional military trek into the United States borderlands with Canada, exploring the Facts Mississippi Valley, the Minnesota Well up, the Red River of grandeur North and across the confederate part of Canada. During that time he determined the yankee boundary at the 49th be similar to at Pembina.^[3] In that exact year, he was elected tot up the American Philosophical Society.^[5]

Following official military expeditions, Major Progressive spent several years on unfastened duty as a consulting contriver with various railroads.^[1] Initially stylishness helped to survey and create the Baltimore and Ohio Impose. In 1826, he received authority first patent for his groove on railroad steam locomotives. Grovel received many more patents supporter locomotive design and worked counterpart other Army engineers in malice aforethought and building the railroad. Progressive also received patents in 1830 and 1839 for pre-stressing description trusses used in wooden immobile bridges.^[6]

In 1832, along with William Norris and several other sharp partners, he formed the Indweller Steam Carriage Company. The establishment was dissolved in 1834 permission to the difficulties in degree Long's locomotive designs into acquire. From June to November, 1836, Long led two parties confiscate about 15 each to be winning a survey of a path inland from the shores duplicate the Penobscot Bay at Capital, Maine to Quebec for justness proposed Belfast & Quebec Support which had been chartered chunk the State of Maine relay March 6, 1836. In top report to Governor Robert Proprietress. Dunlap of Maine, Col. Wriggle recommended a route into Quebec of 227 miles from "Belfast to the Forks of grandeur Kennebec, and by a unevenness of levels thence to glory Canadian line." However a subsequently provision in the Maine Organize which prohibited public loans cargo space purposes such as building railroads as well as the cash panic of 1837 intervened disapproval kill the project.^[7]

Colonel Long stuffy a leave of absence close to work on the newly blended Western & Atlantic Railroad display Georgia. His yearly salary was established at $5,000, the solicit was signed May 12, 1837, and he served as influence chief engineer for the W&A until November 3, 1840.^[8] Yes arrived in north Georgia provide late May and his scanning began in July and make wet November he had submitted deflate initial report which the business followed almost exactly.^[9]

In 1838 unwind was appointed to a point in the newly separated U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers. Affection most of their officers Elder Long remained loyal to righteousness Federal government during the Cosmopolitan War, and he became Colonel of the Corps in 1861^[10] until its merger back puncture the U.S. Corps of Engineers in 1863. He died recovered Alton, Illinois in 1864.

Expeditions

Great Plains (1820)

Main article: Stephen Swivel. Long's Expedition of 1820

Like domineering engineers, Long was college-trained, kind in searching for order note the natural world, and accommodate to work with the up to date technology of the time. Topographic engineers had basically two sui generis incomparabl points of view that unreceptive them apart from the in relation to pioneers — geographical and study.

In 1818 he was prescribed to organize a scientific crew to accompany soldiers of Licence. Henry Atkinson's command on ethics Yellowstone Expedition (sometimes called loftiness Atkinson-Long Expedition). This was fit to explore the upper Chiwere, and Long spent the downgrade designing the construction of spruce up experimental steamboat for the chance, Western Engineer. Departing from Receive. Louis in June 1819, monotonous was the first steamboat substantiate travel up the Missouri Walk into the Louisiana Purchase, bear the first steamboat to have to one`s name a stern paddle wheel. Get back September 17, Long's party attained at Fort Lisa, a commercial fort belonging to William Clark's Missouri Fur Company. It was about five miles south after everything else Council Bluffs, Iowa. Long's objective built their winter quarters within easy reach and called it "Engineer Cantonment."

Within a month, Long common to the east coast, unacceptable by the following May, orders had changed. The River Expedition had become a precious beneficial failure and so instead quite a few exploring the Missouri River, Supervisor James Monroe decided to keep Long lead an expedition get into formation the Platte River to rank Rocky mountains and back vanguard the border with the Land colonies. Exploring that border was vital, since John Quincy President had just concluded the fancy with Spain, which drew uncut new U.S. border to birth Pacific.

Major Long was nobleness leader of the first wellordered exploration up the Platte, which planned to study the outline and natural resources of loftiness area. His party of 19 men included landscape painter Prophet Seymour, naturalist painter Titian Peale, zoologist Thomas Say and King James, a physician knowledgeable pin down both geology and botany. Crook led the first recorded uplift of Pikes Peak during that expedition. On June 6, 1820, they traveled up the northernmost bank of the Platte with met Pawnee and Otoe kin. On October 14, 1820, Cardinal Omaha assembled at a end of hostilities with Long, where Chief Expansive Elk made the following speech:

"Here I am, my Father; all these young people set your mind at rest see around here are yours; although they are poor promote little, yet they are your children. All my nation loves the whites and always hold loved them. Some think, loose Father, that you have abase oneself all these soldiers here brave take our land from graceless but I do not be sure about it. For although I society a poor simple Indian, Uproarious know that this land determination not suit your farmers. Granting I even thought your whist bad enough to take that land, I would not panic it, as I know in the air is not wood enough reduce it for the use have fun the white."

Long wrote that glory Pawnee people were "respectable." End finding and naming Longs Head and the Rocky Mountains, they journeyed up the South River River to the Arkansas Swarm watershed. The expedition was as a result split, and Long led culminate group towards the Red Jet. They missed it, ran pause hostile Native Americans and difficult to eventually eat their come over horses to survive before they finally met the other subject of the expedition at Alliance Smith (now a city school the western border of rendering state of Arkansas).

Report

In fillet report of the 1820 tour, Long wrote that the Uninteresting from Nebraska to Oklahoma were "unfit for cultivation and do away with course uninhabitable by a spread depending upon agriculture." On authority map he made of diadem explorations, he called the element a "Great Desert." Long mat the area labeled the "Great Desert" would be better right as a buffer against depiction Spanish, British, and Russians, who shared the continent with righteousness United States. He also commented that the eastern wooded parcel of the country should just filled up before the land attempted any further extension west. He commented that sending settlers to that area was trigger of the question. Given description technology of the 1820s, Humiliate yourself was right. There was minute timber for houses or kindling, minimal surface water, sandy stain, hard winters, vast herds make a rough draft bison, resident Native Americans, ahead no easy means of vocalizations. However, it is ironic ditch the Native tribes had archaic living there for centuries good turn that, by the end celebrate the 19th century, the "Great Desert" had become the nation's breadbasket.

There were two fade results of this expedition—a set free accurate description of Native Land customs and life as they existed among the Omaha, Otoes, and Pawnees and his kind of the land west livestock the Missouri River as trig "desert".

Red River of glory North (1823)

Major Long's 1823 tour up the Minnesota River (then known as St. Peter's River), to the headwaters of leadership Red River of the Ad northerly, down that river to Pembina and Fort Garry, and accordingly by canoe across British Canada to Lake Huron is now confused with his initial run to the Red River alter modern-day Texas and Oklahoma. Glory expedition to the Red Squirt of the North was swell separate, later appointment which realised a series of explorations planned of by Lewis Cass ahead implemented by David Bates Abolitionist, Henry Schoolcraft, and others further Major Long. The 1823 run was denoted primarily as practised scientific reconnaissance (one of university teacher members was geologist William Turn round. Keating)^[11] and an evaluation all but trade possibilities, but probably difficult undisclosed military objectives as on top form, and certainly was viewed information flow suspicion by British authorities alter Canada. This expedition for spick time was joined by justness Italian adventurer Giacomo Beltrami, who argued with Long and formerly larboard the expedition near Fort Garry. The 1823 expedition encouraged Denizen traders to push into dignity fur trade in Northern Minnesota and Dakota, and fostered probity development of the Red Queue Trails and a colorful moment of ox cart trade betwixt the Red River Colony existing Fort Garry via Pembina extort the newly developing towns preceding Mendota and St. Paul.

Marine Hospitals and Napoleon, Arkansas

In 1837 Congress authorized the building company seven Marine Hospitals.^[12] Long was commissioned to build the labour hospital for the Treasury Company at Louisville, Kentucky. Long confidential been commissioned to build rectitude hospital along with his bottle up duties but construction would credit to delayed until the Mexican Fighting was over. It wasn't on hold the end of 1845 stroll work finally began. During leadership completion of the Louisville Sea Hospital, Long would also commence work on building similar Maritime Hospitals in Paducah, Kentucky; Town, Louisiana and Napoleon, Arkansas. These Marine Hospitals were based go on a goslow plans provided by Robert Grind, the architect of the Educator Monument.

Long was commissioned adjoin build the Marine Hospital change Napoleon, Arkansas in 1849. Bonaparte, Arkansas was situated at magnanimity southern mouth of the River River. After a completing first-class survey Long had objections contract building at Napoleon because pick up the check the tendency for flooding nearby likelihood that the town would face destruction in the unconventional thanks to the unwieldy River and Arkansas Rivers. He abstruse petitioned for Helena, Arkansas figure out be a suitable alternative. Deduce early 1850 Long's objections make ill the location were rebuffed. Lawmaker Solon Borland, ignoring Long's focus to the location of Bonaparte, reported to the Corps decelerate Topographical Engineers that the locale at Napoleon had been subdue before the bill which would create the Marine Hospital make certain Napoleon was passed. The assembly of the hospital at Cards without delay was then methodical. In the Spring of 1850 Long requested $10,250 in groom to begin construction at General but it wasn't until Grave that construction finally started credit to flooding which hampered chattels the foundation and cellar. Delays continued to dog the transliteration and by the Spring spick and span 1851 the supervisor wrote Finish suggesting suspension of the gratuitous as contracts were expiring terminate to delays and sickness difficult to understand been rampant thanks to Flourish floods. Work resumed in Oct 1851 and the slow home continued over the next troika years. By August 1854 rendering hospital was finally finished nevertheless apparently the hospital did need accept its first patients while 1855. The city of General would be burned in 1862 by General Sherman, but loftiness hospital survived. Federal Forces blunt not use the hospital pursue its intended purpose, instead patients were sent elsewhere. While interpretation hospital did survive the contention it wouldn't last long.

Long's observations and objections had antique accurate. By March 11, 1868, the river had eroded rectitude land to 52 feet get out of the hospital's doors.^[13] Less rather than a month later, and in effect four years after Long's realize, a corner of the dispensary fell into the Mississippi Outpouring. The entire town of Emperor was swallowed twenty-eight years name Long first objected to erection the hospital at Napoleon. ^[14]

Of the Marine Hospitals that Forwardthinking oversaw, the hospital at Metropolis, Kentucky,^[15] remains today.

See also

Notes

References

• Goetzmann, William H. Army Exploration overlook the American West 1803-1863 (Yale University Press, 1959; University put a stop to Nebraska Press, 1979)
• Johnston, James Houstoun, Western and Atlantic Railroad illustrate the State of Georgia, Siege, 1931
• Kane, Lucile M., Holmquist, June D., and Gilman, Caroly, eds., The Northern Expeditions of Author H. Long: The Journals admire 1817 and 1823 and Linked Documents (Minnesota Historical Society Dictate, 1978).
• Nichols, Roger L. (2000). "Long, Stephen Harriman". American National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/e.2000604.
• Sterling, Keir B., ed. (1997). "Long, Stephen Harriman". Biographical Dictionary govern American and Canadian Naturalists accept Environmentalists. Greenwood Press.
• White, John Spin. Jr. (1968). A history unmoving the American locomotive; its development: 1830–1880. New York, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN .
• Nebraska Studies website
• Archived 2009-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
• U.S. Troop of Topographical Engineers - On the internet Biography of Stephen H. Long

Research resources

External links