February 24, 2008
When most hear the name Abner Doubleday, they recognize it as the name of the man who invented baseball.
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Updated February 24, 2008
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While doing research on the Battle of Gettysburg (see Feb.20--"Four Score and seven years ago..."), I saw the name of General Abner Doubleday appear many times for his troop's early fighting during the three-day Battle of Gettysburg. I recognized that name, like most do and thought about the invention of baseball.
I remember reading somewhere that it was a total myth that he discovered baseball. So, I wanted to learn more.
Doubleday (1819-1893) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the Civil War. He graduated the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1842. He is credited with firing the first defensive shots of Ft. Sumter during the opening battle of the Civil War. Doubleday was the commander of the 3rd division of the 1st corp of the Army of the Potomac, under General John Reynolds, during the Battle of Gettysburg. Doubleday soon was promoted to oversee all of the Union Army's 1st corp. His men saw much action on the first day of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, but could not hold off the attacking Confederate Army. Doubleday was pushed back to a defensive position on Cemetery Ridge.
After the war, he patented the cable-car railway that is still used in San Francisco today. However, he signed the rights over in 1871.
So, Doubleday somehow was credited with starting the game of baseball supposedly in Elihu Phinney's cow pasture in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839.
Well, in 1905, a commission was appointed to determine the origin of baseball. The fourth president of the National League, Abraham G. MIlls chaired this commission. His report, dated December 30, 1907, concluded from the best evidence, that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839 at Cooperstown, New York.
Mill was a colleague of Doubleday during the Civil War, which may explain some favoritism. The Commission relied on testimony from a man named Abner Graves, who, later would kill his wife and be committed to an institution after being declared insane. In reality, Doubleday was a cadet at West Point in 1839 and his family had moved from Cooperstown the year previous. Doubleday never mentioned baseball in any of his letters or other writings.
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