Today in History for June 27, 2015

Joshua Slocum

June 27, 1775 - The Continental Congress dispatched Major General Philip John Schuyler to Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point to examine the troops, their supplies and their ability to navigate Lake Champlain and Lake George, as well as “obtain the best intelligence he can of the disposition of the Canadians and Indians of Canada.”

June 27, 1778 – During the Battle of Monmouth, Aaron Burr collapsed on the battlefield with heat stroke and even though Burr recovered, a dramatic decline in his health would cause him to resign his commission with the army in 1779.

June 27, 1787 - Edward Gibbon completed the final volume of "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" in his garden in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was published the following May.

June 27, 1811 – Tecumseh again visited Governor Harrison at Vincennes. He objected persistently to the treaties that had been made, wherein lands were said to be sold to the U.S. by single tribes of Indians. He claimed that one tribe could not sell lands belonging more or less, as he claimed, to all the tribes in common.

June 27, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette arrived late (around 10 p.m.) in Claremont, New Hampshire.

June 29, 1829 – In Genoa, Italy, English scientist James Smithson died after a long illness, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to “the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Six years after his death, his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, indeed died without children, so on July 1, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized acceptance of Smithson’s gift, and on August 10, 1846, the act establishing the Smithsonian Institution was signed into law by President James K. Polk.

June 27, 1842 – Confederate soldier John A. McCants was born. He served as a private with the Monroe Guards and enlisted on March 26, 1861 at Pineville in Monroe County. He was promoted to corporal and was present at all musters between May 13, 1861 and Dec. 31, 1861. He was wounded at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863 and furloughed home for 30 days. He was admitted into the Selma General Hospital while on furlough and remained on furlough until July 30, 1863. Was listed as a prisoner of war on May 5, 1864. He died on March 5, 1915 and is buried at Bells Landing Presbyterian Cemetery at Tinela.

June 27, 1844 - Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Latter-day Saints movement, and his brother Hyrum Smith, were killed by an anti-Mormon mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail.

June 27, 1857 – In an expedition funded by the Royal Geographical Society, Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke set out from the east coast of Zanzibar in Africa, heading west in search of an “inland sea” that had been described by Arab traders and slavers. Burton’s mission was to study the area's tribes and to find out what exports might be possible from the region. It was hoped that the expedition might lead to the discovery of the source of the River Nile, although this was not an explicit aim.

June 27, 1862 – The Battle of Gaines's Mill, sometimes known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles (Peninsula Campaign) of the Civil War. Jerre Downs, John Gaff, Caleb Garner and John Garner, all of the Conecuh Guards killed at the Battle of Gaines’s Farm. Capt. William Lee, 1st Lt. James W. Darby, 2nd Lt. John G. Guice, Sgt. William D. Clarke, 4th Cpl. Joseph A. Thomas, John D. Hyde, Julius A. Mertins and Fielding Lynch, all of the Conecuh Guards, were all wounded at the Battle of Gaines’s Mill in Va. Charles Floyd of the Conecuh Guards was wounded at Gaines’s Farm and moved to Texas after the war. Francis M. Grice of the Conecuh Guards lost his left arm at Gaines’s Farm, became sutler for the 4th Alabama Infantry and moved to Escambia County after the war. William Hodges of the Conecuh Guard was wounded at Gaines’s Farm only to be taken prisoner later at Lookout Mountain and died near Washington, Ga. in 1865. William Horton of Conecuh Guards was wounded in the shoulder and leg at Gaines’s Farm and returned to live in Butler County after war. William W. Johnson of Conecuh Guards was wounded and disabled at Gaines’s Farm, was honorably discharged and returned to Conecuh County after war. John Myers of the Conecuh Guards was wounded at Gaines’s Farm, dropped from the unit’s roll in 1863 and was killed in Butler County after war. William Quinley of the Conecuh Guards was wounded at Gaines’s Farm, was later wounded at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863 and deserted to the enemy in 1865. Thomas Robbins of the Conecuh Guards died from wounds received at Gaines’s Farm. Henry C. Stearns of the Conecuh Guards was wounded at Gaines’s Farm and returned to Conecuh County after war. Nick Stallworth of the Conecuh Guards was wounded at Gaines’s Farm, was honorably discharged in 1862 and returned to Conecuh County. Mich. B. Salter of the Conecuh Guards was wounded at Gaines’s Farm and later at Gettysburg, where he had his right arm amputated. He was honorably discharged and returned to Conecuh County. Evans Sheffield of the Conecuh Guards was wounded at Gaines’ Farm and later wounded at Gettysburg, returned to Conecuh County, where he was killed by a falling tree.

June 27, 1864 – Confederate and Union forces clash at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia as Union General William T. Sherman launched a major attack on Confederate General Joseph Johnston's army.

June 27, 1876 - Dave Force of the Philadelphia Athletics became the first National League player to get six hits in a nine-inning game.

June 27, 1880 – Helen Adams Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Ala. Having lost both sight and hearing by illness as a small child, Keller's life story and activism inspired new attitudes toward those with handicaps.

June 27, 1898 – The first solo circumnavigation of the globe was completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia.

June 27, 1915 – Writer and activist Grace Lee Boggs was born in Providence, R.I.

June 27, 1920 – “Dollars and Sense,” a movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “Two Cents Worth of Humaneness,” was released.

June 27, 1922 – The American Library Association awarded the first Newberry Medal for children’s literature to “The Story of Mankind” by Hendrik Willem van Loon.

June 27, 1939 - Principal filming ended on “Gone With the Wind” as one of the most famous scenes in movie history was filmed - Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara parting in “Gone with the Wind.” Director Victor Fleming also shot the scene using the alternate line, “Frankly, my dear, I just don’t care,” in case the film censors objected to the word “damn.” The censors approved the movie but fined producer David O. Selznick $5,000 for including the curse.

June 27, 1939 - Cleveland Municipal Stadium hosted its first night game. The Indians beat the Tigers, 5-0.

June 27, 1953 – Mary Anderson of Greene County, Ala., the inventor of the windshield wiper, died at the at of 87 in Monteagle, Tenn.

June 27, 1953 – National Book Award-winning novelist Alice McDermott was born in Brooklyn, N.Y.

June 27, 1959 – Frank Pate of Castleberry, Ala. was bit by rattlesnake that was 5-1/2 feet long, weighed 12 pounds and had 11 rattles. He saved his own life by gashing his leg with a pocketknife, causing it to bleed, before seeking treatment at the Conecuh County Hospital.

June 27, 1961 - A television version of Alabama author Babs H. Deal's story "Make My Death Bed" was broadcast as part of the “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” series.

June 27, 1966 - The gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows” premiered on ABC. One of the most beloved characters from the cult TV show, 175-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins, was added ten months into the series run in an effort to boost low ratings.

June 27, 1968 – U.S. forces begin to evacuate Khe Sahn. The U.S. command in Saigon confirmed that U.S. forces have begun to evacuate the military base at Khe Sanh, 14 miles below the Demilitarized Zone and six miles from the Laotian border.

June 27, 1973 - Former White House counsel John W. Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee about an "enemies list" that was kept by the Nixon White House.

June 27, 1974 – Alabama State Trooper Sgt. Julian D. Stuckey, 36, commander of the Dothan State Trooper Post, was killed in an accident about one mile south of the Owassa, Ala. Exit on Interstate Highway 65 about 1 p.m. He was traveling south when a tire blew out, causing his car to leave the road and strike a guardrail, killing him instantly.

June 27, 1977 - During a game against the Cincinnati Reds, Mobile, Ala. native Willie McCovey became the first player to hit two home runs in one inning twice in his career. The first was on April 12, 1973.

June 27, 1985 – American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials voted to decertify the iconic Route 66 after 59 years and remove all its highway signs. Measuring 2,200 miles, it stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., passing through eight states. According to a New York Times article about its decertification, most of Route 66 followed a path through the wilderness forged in 1857 by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Edward Beale at the head of a caravan of camels and over the years, wagon trains and cattlemen eventually made way for trucks and passenger automobiles.

June 27, 1986 - Robby Thompson of the San Francisco Giants was caught stealing bases four times in one game.

June 27, 1990 - Jose Canseco signed a contract with the Oakland A's worth $4,700,000 per year.

June 27, 1991 – Evergreen’s 13-year-old Babe Ruth all-stars were scheduled to represent Conecuh County, Ala. in the all-star tournament in Brewton. They were scheduled to play Atmore’s all-star team on this day at 7:30 p.m.

June 27, 2004 - The Boston Red Sox scored 10 runs before making an out against the Florida Marlins. The final score was 25-8.

June 27, 2007 – The Mizzell Mansion in Opp, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.