This collection contains 57 diaries kept by Edward Dunham Robie (1831-1911) who was a naval engineer, inventor and a U.S. naval officer during the American Civil War. The diaries cover the years 1847-1848, and 1856-1911. Each diary covers a year. Topics covered are his time on the USS Niagara transporting liberated enslaved persons to Liberia; his Civil War duty on the USS Mohican, the Ericsson, and the ironclad ram USS Dictator; and his postwar duty on the USS Ossipee, the USS Pensacola, and the USS Wabash. Also included are a diary (1924-1925) kept by Robie's granddaughter and a "diary-style" book (1864-1869) containing accounts from the USS Dictator and inventory and other items from the USS Ossipee.
Edward Dunham Robie, son of General Jacob Carter Robie and Louise Willes Dunham Robie, was born September 11, 1831, in Burlington, Vermont. Educated at a local academy in Binghamton, New York, he received a warrant as an assistant engineer in the U.S. Navy in 1852. He served on Commodore Matthew Perry's expedition in the USS Mississippi to Japan in 1852-1855, but the diaries covering this period are not in this collection. He served aboard the USS Niagara which transported freed enslaved persons to Liberia (1858), and the USS Lancaster (flagship of the Pacific Squadron). During the American Civil War, he served on the Union side on the USS Mohican, superintended the ironclad ram USS Dictator's construction and served on it, and served on the steam ship Ericsson. After the war, he served on the USS Ossipee, the USS Pensacola, and the USS Wabash (for which he developed the first successful steam steerer used by the U.S. Navy). After a tour of duty at the Navy Department, he retired in 1893 until he was recalled for the Spanish-American War. He retired again, this time as a commodore, and was later promoted to rear admiral due to his Civil War service.
Robie married Helen Adams (1834-1919) in 1858 and they had children Harry Adams Robie, Annie Louise Robie, Grace Lockwood Robie Smith, Clara Virginia Robie, and Laura Adams Robie Grunwell.
Robie died on June 7, 1911, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Sources: Find A Grave and Wikipedia, accessed on July 23, 2024.
Gift of Edward Adams Robie
Encoded by Lindsay Flood, April 1, 2008
Partially processed by Martha Elmore, July 24, 2024
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.