By Nathaniel PhilbrickI never paused to wonder where the Smithsonian Institution acquired its initial collection. Sea of Glory answers that unasked question. Like all of Nathaniel Philbrick's books, this story is well-researched, laying the story in its historical and sociological context, and presenting the facts in a very readable format.
In 1838 the US government funded an expedition to explore the entire globe, and to bring back treasures for a new national museum of natural history. Yet the US Exploration Expedition (USXX) seemed doomed from the start. With the ill-suited Lt Charles Wilkes at the helm, it's a wonder this expedition yielded any treasures at all. Wilkes lacked the temperament and confidence of a leader but, worst of all, he lacked the authority. As a lieutenant, he was at the same rank as some of his men, and his efforts to earn a promotion before the expedition fell on deaf ears. During the course of their travels, he tended to lay on heavy punishments for fairly light matters of discipline, earning the ire of his men. Early on, the expedition lost some of its 6 ships. They got into arguments and skirmishes with islanders. When they returned to the US after 4 years at sea, the arguments continued, with some sailors suing Wilkes. Yet, for all the ill will, the expedition returned thousands of new specimens, hundreds of illustrations, and resulted in the discovery of a number of new geographic features, including Antarctica.
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