Quotes:Doubleday, Abner

Boris de Zirkoff

Doubleday, Abner. American military man, b. at Ballston Spa, N.Y., June 26, 1819; d. at Mendham, N. J., Jan. 26, 1893. Son of Ulysses Freeman and Hester Doubleday, his father being representative in Congress. Educated at Cooperstown, N. Y. and privately. While at school, invented the game of baseball, 1839. This claim was thoroughly investigated by a commission set up in 1907, and of which Col. A. G. Mills, a leader in U. S. amateur sports, was chairman. The commission substantiated the claim and showed that Abner Doubleday devised the diagram of bases and positions for players in 1839. As a result of this, the National Baseball Hall of Fame was established at Cooperstown.

Doubleday graduated in 1842 from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, being commissioned as brevet second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery. As second lieutenant of 1st U. S. Artillery, he served with Gen. Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War, being engaged in the battle of Monterey and in operations connected with Buena Vista. In 1854-55 he was engaged against the Apache Indians, and from 1856 to 1858 against the Seminole Indians in Florida. He was in active service throughout the Civil War, 1861-65. He was second in command at Fort Sumter, and aimed the first gun fired in its defence, April 12, 1861, when attacked by the Confederates. In May, 1861, he was made major of the 17th U. S. Infantry, and went into service with Gen. Patterson's campaign column in the valley of the Shenandoah. In August, 1861, he was assigned to the command of the artillery defences of Washington, and on Feb. 3, 1862, of all the defences there, being appointed brigadier-general of Volunteers.

In the following May, Abner Doubleday joined McDowell’s column at Fredericksburg, Va., and in August reinforced the Federal troops fighting at Cedar mountain. He withdrew on Aug. 19th, with the remainder of Pope’s army, to hold the line of the Rappahannock against the advance of the Confederates under Gen. Lee. He drove the opposing forces across the river and checked the advance of Stonewall Jackson at Gainsville. He was engaged in the battle of Manassas, Aug. 29 and 30, 1862, and succeeded lo the command of Hatch's division on the latter day. He commanded a division in the army of the Potomac, Sept. 16, 1862-July 1, 1863. At Antietam he held the extreme right and opened the battle. For his gallantry in this action he was made brevet lieutenant-colonel in the regular army. On Nov. 29, 1862, he was appointed a major-general of Volunteers. He fought in the battles of Fredericksburg and Port Conway and was sent on July 1, 1863 to Gettysburg by Gen. Reynolds to reinforce Buford’s cavalry. After considerable losses inflicted on the opposing forces, he was forced back lo Cemetery Ridge, south of Gettysburg. On the third day of the battle, Gen. Pickett’s charge struck Gen. Webb’s division on the right of Doubleday’s command. In advancing, the charging column exposed their right flank, and Gen. Doubleday’s front line struck the vulnerable point and disordered the enemy’s advance to such an extent that they were easily repulsed. When Reynolds fell, Doubleday commanded the field until the arrival of Gen. Howard. His heroic work at Gettysburg is commemorated by a bronze statue unveiled on the battlefield Sept. 25, 1917.

On March 11, 1865, he was made brevet colonel, and March 13, brigadier-general and major-general for services rendered. In August of the same year he was mustered out of Volunteer service and assumed his position as lieutenant-colonel in the regular army. From May, 1866, to November, 1867, he was in command of the post at Galveston, Texas, and later was on duty as colonel at Fort McKavett, Texas.

Doubleday retired from the regular army December 11, 1873. Apart from his military career, he was an able engineer, and in 1870 obtained a charter in San Francisco for the first cable railway ever built. He published Reminiscenses of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-61 (1876), Chancellorsville and Gettysburg (1882), a pamphlet with maps, Gettysburg Made Plain, and articles in periodicals on army matters, water supply for cities and other topics. He was married in Washington, D.C., January, 1853, to Mary, daughter of Robert Hewitt, a lawyer of Baltimore. He is buried at the National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Very soon after the formation of the Theosophical Society he joined its ranks, attended its meetings and became a staunch friend of the Founders. After the departure of the latter for India, Double· day was made the President pro tem in U.S.A., with W. Q. Judge as Secretary. A gift from him of over seventy books to the Aryan Branch of the T.S. in New York became the nucleus for a later large library.

It has been stated that Doubleday translated into English Eliphas Levi’s Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie and his Fables et Symboles; it is not known what became of these translations. Another unfinished and most likely lost work of his was a complete Index and Digest of the early issues of The Theosophist. It is a great pity that this labor has not been preserved as it should have been for the benefit of later students. On April 17, 1880, Doubleday was elected Vice-President of the Theosophical Society, and the official letter to this effect came from India bearing H.P.B.’s signature. He was associated with the Aryan T.S. in New York until his death. All in all, Abner Doubleday was a very remarkable man and will be long remembered.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 1, pp. 459-461