Abner Doubleday
Born: June 26th, 1819
Died: January 26th, 1893
Notable achievements: Fired the first Union shot in the Civil War, fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, was rumored to have invented the game of baseball.
Abner Doubleday was born on June 26th, 1819. Saying he had an eventful life would be the understatement of the century. Abner was an integral part of American history both militarily and to a lesser extent recreationally. In fact, he is rumored to actually have invented the game of baseball. But more on that later, let us first start, as with all good stories, at the beginning.
[edit] Early years
Abner was born in Ballston Spa, New York. To say the least, his family had some impressive history. His grandfather had fought in the Revolutionary War and his father Ulysses was in the United States Congress for four years.
Abner would enter the United States Military Academy in 1838, graduating 4 years later in 1842. He was commissioned as a brevet second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery.
[edit] Military experience
By the start of the Civil War, Abner was second in command at Fort Sumter. He was also a captain, under the command of only Major Robert Anderson. He is of course, famous for firing the first cannon shot at the Confederate army at Fort Sumter, essentially starting the Civil War.
Mr. Doubleday is also famous for his stellar combat performance at the Battle of Gettysburg. After his corps commander Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds was killed during the battle, Abner was in command of the corps. Contrary to his own reports, this moment is generally regarded as Abner’s finest moment during the War. He led 9.500 men against ten Confederate brigades that numbered at around 16,000.
[edit] Abner Doubleday and baseball
Despite his many heroic military accomplishments, Abner is perhaps best known for the claim that he invented the game of baseball.
In 1905 The Mills Commission (headed by Abraham G. Mills), was given the task of determining the origin of baseball. The Committee’s final report credited Abner with inventing the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York in 1839.
However, this claim has been effectively debunked as a myth. In the wake of his death in 1893, Abner left behind many papers and journals, none of which mentioned absolutely anything pertaining to the game or idea of baseball.
Furthermore, Abner was a cadet at West Point during the year of the alleged invention and it can be said that it is safe to assume he had more important things to worry about at the time. Also, the main testimony to the commission that resulted in Abner Doubleday being credited with the invention of baseball was given by Abner Graves. Mr. Graves, years after the testimony, shot his wife to death and was institutionalized in a mental hospital.
Despite all of this, a minor league field was named after Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown near the Baseball Hall of Fame. It hosts most notably, the Hall of Fame Game. Whether or not Abner invented the game of baseball is still technically up for debate. However, to discredit the other notable and honorable events in his life because of the controversy about his role in the invention of baseball would be disrespectful to both Abner Doubleday and the events that he was a part of.
