Elyse: THIS WEEK ON HISTORY DETECTIVES: COULD THIS PROPELLER HAVE POWERED A TOP SECRET WEAPON THAT TRANSFORMED MODERN WARFARE?
FOR THAT TIME IT WAS JUST UNIMAGINABLE TECHNOLOGY.
Tukufu: WHAT COULD THIS STRANGE OBJECT HAVE TO DO WITH TEDDY ROOSEVELT AND HIS RUN FOR A THIRD-TERM PRESIDENCY?
IS THAT BLOOD?
Eduardo: AND IN AN ENCORE PRESENTATION, HOW DOES THIS LETTER WRITTEN ABOUT A SOLDIER'S FINAL DAYS ON THE BATTLEFIELD CONNECT TO AMERICAN HEROINE CLARA BARTON?
Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START ♪ ♪ BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ Elyse: OUR FIRST CASE INVESTIGATES A PIECE OF SCULPTED WOOD THAT MAY HAVE CHANGED THE MODERN BATTLEFIELD.
WORLD WAR II: HIGH OVER JAPAN AND EUROPE, THE ALLIES ARE GAINING AIR SUPERIORITY AND HELPING WIN THE WAR.
BUT THE CARNAGE OF DOGFIGHTS AND DAYLIGHT BOMBING RAIDS ARE TAKING A TOLL IN THE LIVES OF U.S. PILOTS.
THE NATION'S TOP INDUSTRIALISTS ARE TURNING FROM PEACETIME MANUFACTURING, HUNTING FOR A GROUNDBREAKING SOLUTION TO THE DREADFUL LOSS IN TRAINED PILOTS.
NOW A MAN FROM CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS, THINKS HE MAY HAVE FOUND A RARE PIECE OF MILITARY HISTORY.
I'VE BEEN HOLDING ONTO THIS FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I HAVE.
I'M ELYSE LURAY, AND I'M STARTING MY INVESTIGATION WITH A FEW QUESTIONS FOR JOE HAUG.
WOW, WHERE'D YOU FIND IT?
I FOUND IT AT A RURAL AIRSTRIP NEAR VIRGIL, ILLINOIS, WHICH IS ABOUT 30 MILES FROM DEKALB, ILLINOIS.
WORKING CONSTRUCTION, IT WAS IN A FENCE LINE BURIED IN SOME DEBRIS.
I'VE BEEN HAULING IT AROUND WITH ME FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS NOW.
THAT'S QUITE A HAUL.
A FEW MONTHS AGO I STARTED CLEANING IT AND I NOTICED A U.S. NAVY ANCHOR MARKING, CONTRACT NUMBER, PART NUMBER, SERIAL NUMBER.
I FOUND AN ANTIQUE PROPELLER SITE ON THE INTERNET, AND THE GENTLEMAN THAT RAN THAT SITE SAID IT COULD BE FROM A WORLD WAR II ASSAULT DRONE PROGRAM.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT PIQUED MY INTEREST.
A DRONE PROGRAM?
YEAH, EVIDENTLY A VERY SECRET PROGRAM TOWARDS THE END OF WORLD WAR II THAT WAS RUN FOR A SHORT TIME.
TODAY, UNMANNED DRONES SUCH AS THE PREDATOR ARE CUTTING-EDGE WEAPONS IN THE U.S. MILITARY ARSENAL.
WELL, WOW, I MEAN, I'VE HEARD OF DRONES BEING USED TODAY, BUT NOTHING FROM WORLD WAR II.
I HADN'T EITHER.
WHAT SPECIFICALLY DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT?
SPECIFICALLY, I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT IF THIS REALLY WAS FROM THE NAVY DRONE PLANE PROGRAM AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II.
OKAY, WELL, DEFINITELY NOT MY AREA, AND I CAN'T TAKE IT WITH ME BECAUSE IT'S SO HEAVY.
SO I THINK WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS TAKE SOME PICTURES OF IT, TAKE SOME NOTES, AND WE'LL LEAVE IT IN YOUR GARAGE AND I'LL GO DO MY RESEARCH.
THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS AND THE FASCINATING THING FOR ME IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THIS METAL PIECE.
IT SAYS KOPPERS COMPANY, BARTLETT HAYWARD, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
THERE'S A SERIAL NUMBER, THERE'S A PART NUMBER.
IT SAYS CONTRACT NX 16819.
[ shutter clicking ] LET'S SEE WHAT I CAN FIND.
THIS IS FASCINATING.
THE NAVY STARTED A PILOTLESS DRONE PROGRAM CALLED "PROJECT OPTION" IN THE 1940s.
THE IDEA WAS TO SAVE PILOTS' LIVES: CREATE A REMOTE CONTROLLED PLANE STRAPPED WITH THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES TO PERFORM BOMBING RAIDS OVER EUROPE AND JAPAN.
THE NAVY HAD USED PILOTLESS PLANES FOR ARTILLERY PRACTICE, BUT NOW THEY WANTED TO USE THE TECHNOLOGY FOR ATTACK.
THEY DEVELOPED A TOP SECRET PARTNERSHIP WITH DAVID SARNOFF AT RCA, WHO WAS WORKING ON A REVOLUTIONARY NEW INVENTION: TELEVISION.
WITH A CAMERA MOUNTED IN THE NOSE OF THE DRONE, A PILOT IN A CONTROL PLANE FOLLOWING MILES AWAY COULD WATCH THE TARGET ON A TV SCREEN, TURN A DIAL, AND RELEASE THE DRONE'S BOMBS.
THE FIRST DRONE USED IN COMBAT WAS CALLED A TDR-1.
THE NAVY ONLY ORDERED ABOUT 200.
THEY WERE MADE OUT OF WOOD LIKE JOE'S PROPELLER.
THERE'S A CONTRACT NUMBER ON THE METAL CENTER PIECE, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THAT'S A CONTRACT WITH.
IT HAS A COMPANY NAME, KOPPERS, BUT I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING HERE LINKING THEM TO PROPELLERS OR WORLD WAR II.
THE BARTLETT HAYWARD DIVISION IN BALTIMORE WAS BOUGHT BY KOPPERS IN 1928 AND THEN DISBANDED.
AEROMATIC DOES COME UP AS A MAKER OF PROPELLER BLADES, BUT IT SEEMS THAT THESE PILOTLESS DRONES WERE EXPENDABLE.
AFTER DROPPING THEIR BOMBS, THEY WOULD OFTEN CRASH DIVE ON OR NEAR THEIR ORIGINAL TARGETS.
IT MIGHT BE HARD TO FIND A COMPARISON PROPELLER.
WAIT, CHECK THIS OUT.
OF THE 200 TDR-1s BUILT, THERE'S ONLY ONE LEFT, AND IT'S AT THE NATIONAL NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM IN PENSACOLA.
THE NATIONAL NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM IS THE REPOSITORY FOR SOME OF THE TOP U.S.
FIGHTER PLANES.
I MET HISTORIAN HILL GOODSPEED A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS INVESTIGATING THE NC-4, THE FIRST AIRCRAFT TO FLY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
HI, HILL.
HI, ELYSE, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
- NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
- GOOD TO SEE YOU.
ALL RIGHT, SO HERE'S MY QUESTION TO YOU.
I HAVE THIS PHOTOGRAPH, AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THIS PROPELLER WAS USED ON THE TDR-1.
ARE THESE THE ORIGINAL PROPELLERS THAT ARE ON THIS PLANE?
THESE ARE NOT.
THESE ARE JUST REALLY PUT ON FOR DISPLAY PURPOSES.
DO THESE SERIAL NUMBERS OR MODELS MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?
REALLY, THEY DON'T.
YOU DO SEE THE U.S. AND THE ANCHOR.
THAT'S A SYMBOL THAT THIS WAS PRODUCED FOR THE U.S. NAVY.
HILL SAYS THE ALPHABET SOUP OF MARKINGS REFLECTS THE MANY MANUFACTURERS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO MAKING THE PROPELLER.
BUT HE SUSPECTS ONE NUMBER MAY PROVE AN ESPECIALLY GOOD LEAD.
WELL, THE CONTRACT NUMBER, THE NAVY HAD A CONTRACT NUMBER FOR ANY CONTRACT IT LET.
THE NAVY'S BUREAU OF AERONAUTICS RECORDS ARE IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE DRONE PROGRAM.
AND WAS IT A SECRETIVE THING?
THE TDR-1 PROGRAM WAS VERY SECRETIVE BECAUSE IT WAS INCORPORATING ALL OF THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND THAT WAS MAINLY TELEVISION.
HILL EXPLAINS THAT IN 1939, AS TELEVISION WOWED CROWDS AT THE WORLD'S FAIR, THE NAVY SAW ITS POTENTIAL MILITARY USES.
BY 1940, 97-POUND TVs WERE BEING TESTED IN CONJUNCTION WITH DRONES.
THERE WAS A CIRCULAR WINDOW IN THE NOSE OF THE TDR-1.
THAT WAS WHERE A CAMERA FOR TELEVISION WAS POSITIONED.
IMAGES OF THE DRONE'S PATH, FILMED BY THE CAMERA, WERE SENT VIA RADIO SIGNAL TO A PILOTED TBM AVENGER PLANE AS FAR AS 8 MILES AWAY.
AND IT WAS MODIFIED, SO THERE WAS ANOTHER PILOT WHO WAS SITTING BEHIND THE PILOT WHO WAS FLYING THE AVENGER AND ACTUALLY WATCHED IT ON TELEVISION AND COULD TELL WHEN TO CAUSE THE DRONE TO GO INTO THE TARGET.
SO IT WAS VERY FUTURISTIC, AND FOR THAT TIME IT WAS JUST UNIMAGINABLE TECHNOLOGY.
DID ANY OF THE TDR-1s SEE COMBAT IN WORLD WAR II?
YES, THE TDR-1s DID SEE COMBAT.
THERE WAS A GROUP CALLED STAG ONE WHICH ACTUALLY TOOK THEM INTO COMBAT IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
HILL SUGGESTS I SPEAK TO BOB BOTHFELD, AN AERONAUTICAL ENGINEER ON THE ORIGINAL STAG ONE PROGRAM.
BOB, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE DRONE PROGRAM.
I WAS ASSIGNED TO THIS OUTFIT IN 1943 RIGHT FROM CALTECH.
I DIDN'T KNOW A THING ABOUT IT UNTIL I GOT THERE.
BOB EXPLAINS THAT HE WAS SENT TO CLINTON, OKLAHOMA, AS PART OF STAG ONE, COMMANDED BY COMMODORE OSCAR SMITH, AND IT WAS TOP SECRET.
FOR TWO YEARS, I WASN'T ALLOWED TO TELL ANYONE WHERE I WAS OR WHAT I WAS DOING.
I COULD WRITE MY FAMILY AND TELL THEM THAT I WAS ALIVE, BUT THAT'S ALL.
BOB'S UNIT WORKED FOR A YEAR TESTING THE DRONES BEFORE STAG ONE SHIPPED OUT TO THE RUSSELL ISLANDS NEAR GUADALCANAL IN MAY 1944.
NO ONE KNEW IF THE DRONES WOULD WORK IN COMBAT, SO ON JULY 30th, FOUR TDRs WERE SENT ON A TEST RUN TO BOMB THE GROUNDED JAPANESE FREIGHTER YAMAZUKI MARU NEAR CAPE ESPERANCE.
EVENTUALLY, THE DRONES SERVED IN BATTLE, HITTING THEIR TARGETS 21 OUT OF 46 TIMES WITH NO LOSS OF AMERICAN LIFE.
BOB SAYS HIS UNIT KNEW THEY WERE DOING SOMETHING IMPORTANT.
IN THE ISLANDS, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF ASSEMBLING ALL THE ONES THAT THEY USED.
WE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING THAT WAS NEW AND DIFFERENT, AND TODAY WHAT THEY'RE DOING BLOWS MY MIND.
IT'S JUST AMAZING HOW WE'VE PROGRESSED.
I DEFINITELY FELT A LOT OF PRIDE AND STILL DO.
BOB HELPED THE MUSEUM ASSEMBLE THE DRONE ON DISPLAY, BUT AFTER 60-PLUS YEARS, HE CAN'T TELL IF OUR PROPELLER MATCHES.
HE DOES TELL ME THAT AEROMATIC, THE NAME ON OUR PROP, IS STILL IN BUSINESS.
[ ♪♪♪ ] HI, GUYS, IT'S ELYSE.
GOOD, I NEED A FAVOR.
I NEED YOU TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
I'M LOOKING FOR A CONTRACT NUMBER.
KENT TARVER IS THE OWNER OF AEROMATIC PROPELLERS IN FALLON, NEVADA.
THE COMPANY'S BEEN IN PRODUCTION SINCE 1940.
- HI.
- HI, ELYSE.
- NICE TO MEET YOU.
- I'M KENT.
- QUITE A PLACE YOU HAVE HERE.
- COME ON IN.
KENT TELLS ME THE AEROMATIC PROPELLER WAS A PERFECT FIT FOR A PILOTLESS DRONE.
AN AEROMATIC PROPELLER HAS AN AUTOMATIC VARIABLE PITCH OF THE BLADES.
THE DESIGN OF THE PROPELLER ENABLES IT TO HAVE BETTER CONTROL OVER THE SPEED AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PLANE.
THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO HAVING AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN YOUR CAR AS COMPARED TO A MANUAL STICK TRANSMISSION.
THERE'S NO PILOT CONTROL ON THIS PROPELLER; IT'S TOTALLY AUTOMATIC.
WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT OURS.
OKAY.
HERE ARE SOME PHOTOGRAPHS.
HERE'S THE LABEL.
OH, YEAH, THAT'S THE OLD ORIGINAL EGG-SHAPED LOGO.
I RECOGNIZE THAT.
YOU DO?
AND HERE'S THE WHOLE PROPELLER.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
OH, YES, I HAVE A MACHINE HERE THAT PROBABLY MADE THIS VERY PROPELLER.
COULD I SEE IT?
YES, MA'AM, STEP RIGHT THIS WAY.
ALL RIGHT.
- THIS IS A DUPLICATING LATHE.
- OKAY.
ONE SIDE OF THE DOUBLE LATHE HOLDS A PATTERN BLADE; THE OTHER SIDE IS LOADED WITH A RAW PIECE OF WOOD.
[ engine whirs softly ] USING THE PATTERN BLADE AS A GUIDE, THE SAW CREATES AN EXACT REPLICA: SAME WEIGHT, SHAPE, AND FEEL.
WHOO, DUSTY!
SO YOU SEE, WHAT WE DO IS MAKE TWO IDENTICAL BLADES, AND THESE BLADES ARE MARRIED TO THE HUB.
KENT EXPLAINS EACH PROPELLER HAS A HUB WITH AN OPENING, OR SPLINE, MADE TO FIT THE SHAFT OF A PARTICULAR ENGINE.
THIS PROPELLER'S MADE FOR A SIZE 30, WHICH IS USED ON A WRIGHT R-975 ENGINE.
KENT SAYS THAT ENGINE WASN'T ON THE TDR-1, SO OUR PROPELLER IS THE WRONG SIZE.
BUT HE THINKS OUR PROP MIGHT STILL BE FROM A DRONE.
THE ONLY TWO PLANES THAT USED THE R-975 ENGINE AND THE AEROMATIC PROPELLER DURING WORLD WAR II WERE THESNC FALCON AND THE TDR-3 DRONE.
KENT SAYS THE FALCON WAS A NAVY TRAINING PLANE, BUT THE TDR-3 WAS ANOTHER GENERATION OF NAVY DRONES.
KENT HAS NO WAY TO DETERMINE WHETHER OUR PROPELLER CAME FROM THIS MORE ADVANCED DRONE, BUT HE HAS A SUGGESTION FOR SOMEONE WHO MAY BE ABLE TO HELP.
THERE'S A MAN NAMED NICK SPARK WHO IS A REAL EXPERT ON THE DRONES OF WORLD WAR II.
OKAY; WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
I'M OFF TO RENO, NEVADA, TO MEET NICK SPARK.
IN THE MEANTIME, I GET WORD FROM THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES THAT THE CONTRACT NUMBER ON THE PROPELLER MAY BE A DEAD END.
HOPEFULLY NICK HAS SOME ANSWERS.
HE'S A DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER WHO SPENT YEARS RESEARCHING THE STORY OF AMERICA'S LOST DRONE PIONEERS.
HE SAYS THE FIRST DRONE HAD A FATAL FLAW.
THE TDR-3 WAS A SUCCESSOR AIRCRAFT.
IT WAS INTENDED TO BE FASTER BECAUSE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TDR-1 WAS A VERY SLOW AIRCRAFT, SO IT WAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO ENEMY ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE.
THE INTENTION WAS TO MAKE AN AIRCRAFT THAT WAS FASTER AND COULD CARRY A BIGGER PAYLOAD, AND IT HAD AN IMPROVED TELEVISION CAMERA IN IT THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED MUCH BETTER RESOLUTION AND POTENTIALLY BETTER RECEPTION, SO ALL AROUND IT WAS GOING TO BE A MUCH BETTER WEAPONS SYSTEM THAN THE TDR-1.
AND THE INTENTION WAS PROBABLY TO MAKE HUNDREDS OF THEM.
UNFORTUNATELY, THOUGH, IT WAS DEVELOPED LATE IN THE WAR, AND THE ENTIRE TDR-3 PROGRAM WAS CANCELLED AFTER THEY HAD ONLY DELIVERED ABOUT 14 OF THE AIRCRAFT.
NICK SAYS BOTH MODELS WERE BUILT BY A CALIFORNIA-BASED COMPANY NAMED INTERSTATE, WHO MARRIED CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS TELEVISION WITH OLDER DESIGNS AND AVAILABLE RESOURCES.
THEY DECIDED TO BUILD THEM OUT OF WOOD.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, THIS IS MADE DURING WORLD WAR II.
THERE WERE A LOT OF SHORTAGES.
Newsreel announcer: The Army needs wool, silk, cotton, leather...
THE DRONE PROGRAM IN PARTICULAR WAS EMBARGOED AGAINST USING MILITARY NECESSITY MATERIALS, SUCH AS METAL.
NICK SAYS INTERSTATE HAD TO BE CREATIVE, SO THEY TURNED TO A WOOD-MANUFACTURING EXPERT, THE RUDOLPH WURLITZER COMPANY, THE MAKER OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
WURLITZER HAD ALL SORTS OF PROPRIETARY TECHNIQUES TO BEND WOOD, AND SO WURLITZER, LIKE A LOT OF OTHER COMPANIES DURING THE WAR, TO DO THEIR PART FOR THE WAR EFFORT, SET ASIDE ALL THEIR CIVILIAN PRODUCTION, AND THE PEOPLE THERE STARTED BUILDING WHAT THEY WERE TOLD WAS A NAVY TRAINING PLANE.
THEY HAD NO IDEA, IN FACT, THAT THEY WERE BUILDING A SOPHISTICATED DRONE WEAPON.
AND THEY DID ALL THIS WORK IN ONE FACTORY IN DEKALB, ILLINOIS.
DEKALB, ILLINOIS?
WELL, THAT'S ONLY 30 MILES FROM WHERE JOE FOUND THIS PROPELLER.
DO YOU THINK THAT THIS PROPELLER COULD'VE COME FROM THE TDR-3?
WELL, I HAVE SOMETHING YOU MIGHT BE REALLY INTERESTED IN SEEING.
THIS IS AIR TRAIL'S PICTORIAL FROM 1946.
OKAY, JOE, THE ONLY QUESTION YOU ASKED ME WAS, WAS THIS PROPELLER FROM A TDR-1?
IN ORDER TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I WENT TO THE OWNER OF AEROMATIC, WHO MADE THE BLADES, AND HE SAID THAT ACCORDING TO THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE HUB, IT WAS NOT A PROPELLER THAT WAS MADE FOR A TDR-1.
OH, DISAPPOINTING.
THEN I WENT TO NICK SPARK, WHO'S AN EXPERT ON THE DRONE PROGRAM, AND THIS IS WHAT HE SHOWED ME.
Spark: A NICE, GLOSSY PHOTO OF THE TDR-3 ON THE FRONT COVER.
NICK SAYS THIS IS ONE OF THE ONLY PHOTOGRAPHS OF A TDR-3 HE KNOWS TO STILL EXIST.
AND THERE'S OUR PROPELLER.
I THINK SO.
IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'VE FOUND YOUR PROP.
IT SURE LOOKS LIKE THE PROP.
IT LOOKS AMAZINGLY SIMILAR, YEAH.
IT DOES LOOK LIKE A MATCH.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, I HAVE TO SAY, EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE YOUR PROPELLER, I STILL NEEDED SOMETHING TO SEAL THE DEAL.
I TELL JOE THIS KIND OF PROPELLER HAD ALSO BEEN USED IN A MORE CONVENTIONAL NAVY TRAINING PLANE, SO AT FIRST, I DIDN'T HAVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER FOR HIM.
BUT THEN I RECEIVED ANOTHER RESPONSE FROM THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES, WHO HAD DUG DEEPER INTO THEIR RECORDS.
THIS IS A COPY OF A MILITARY CONTRACT, AND IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR PIECE AND YOU READ THE CONTRACT NUMBER THAT'S ON YOUR PIECE, NX 16819, AND YOU LOOK AT THE COPY OF THIS MILITARY CONTRACT, THEY MATCH PERFECTLY.
AND THE CONTRACT IS FOR WHAT?
TDR-3 DRONE.
THAT'S RIGHT, FOR A TDR-3.
AND LOOK OVER HERE, WHAT DOES IT SAY?
DEKALB, ILLINOIS.
WHICH IS ONLY 30 MILES FROM WHERE YOU FOUND YOUR PROPELLER.
SO TO ME, IT'S A SLAM DUNK.
IT MAKES HOLDING ONTO THAT THING FOR 30 YEARS WORTH IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF MY WIFE WOULD SAY THAT, BUT IT DEFINITELY MAKES IT WORTH IT.
DRONE PLANE TECHNOLOGY HAS IMPROVED LIGHT-YEARS SINCE THESE PRIMITIVE WORLD WAR II PIONEERS.
TODAY, THERE ARE OVER 5,500 U.S. MILITARY DRONE PLANES IN USE.
OPERATED REMOTELY BY PILOTS IN THE UNITED STATES, MANY DRONES FLY OVER IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN FOR UP TO 22 HOURS STRAIGHT, BEAMING BACK LIVE-STREAMING VIDEO OF TROOP ACTIVITY AND ENEMY ENCAMPMENTS.
OTHERS TAKE A MORE ACTIVE ROLE, LAUNCHING DEVASTATING MISSILE ATTACKS AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD.
IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT TO ANIMATE ME INTO ONE OF THESE FILE FOLDERS.
FIRST, I'M VIDEOTAPED READING MY LINES AGAINST A PLAIN WHITE BACKGROUND.
NEXT, THIS VIDEO OF ME IS DIGITIZED INTO THE EDITING COMPUTER.
AN EDITOR LAYS ME OUT ON A TIMELINE ALONGSIDE THE OTHER IMAGERY THAT HE'LL USE TO ILLUSTRATE THE STORY.
HE DECIDES WHEN HE WANTS ME TO APPEAR ONSCREEN... AND WHEN HE DOESN'T.
AND HE CHOOSES APPROPRIATE ACCOMPANYING MUSIC.
[ ♪♪♪ ] ONCE THE IMAGES AND MUSIC ARE IN PLACE, I'M READY TO BE ANIMATED.
FIRST, A GRAPHICS PRODUCER USES THIS VIDEO OF ME TO BLOCK OUT THE TIMING OF THE ANIMATION AND DETERMINE WHEN TO CHANGE LAYOUTS.
NEXT, THE ANIMATOR COMPOSES THE BACKGROUNDS -- A SERIES OF PAGES WITHIN THE FOLDERS -- AND PLOTS OUT THE CAMERA MOVES.
HE THEN CHOOSES A LAYOUT FOR EACH IMAGE.
DEPENDING ON ITS SIZE AND THE LEVEL OF DETAIL WE WANT TO SEE, IT MAY BE DISPLAYED ALMOST FULL-SCREEN OR PLACED INSIDE A SMALLER POLAROID GRAPHIC.
THE NEXT STEP IS TO DECIDE HOW TO BRING EACH IMAGE ONTO THE FOLDER.
THE ANIMATOR CAN HAVE ME FLY IN FROM OFF-SCREEN AND BACK OUT AGAIN, OR HE CAN STACK ME UP ONE ON TOP OF ANOTHER.
AFTER THE ANIMATION IS COMPLETE AND THE STORY IS TOLD, ALL THAT REMAINS IS TO CLOSE THE FOLDER.
Tukufu: OUR NEXT CASE DECODES A MENACING-LOOKING CLUB AND ITS PUZZLING INSCRIPTION TO TEDDY ROOSEVELT.
AUGUST 6, 1912: A CROWD OF 14,000 BURST INTO THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE AS THE MAN OF THE HOUR, THEODORE ROOSEVELT, TAKES THE STAGE OF THE CHICAGO COLISEUM.
AFTER 32 YEARS, THE THICK-NECKED FORMER PRESIDENT HAS ABANDONED THE REPUBLICANS TO RUN AS THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY CANDIDATE.
THE ELECTION IS ONLY THREE MONTHS AWAY.
BRANDING THE MAJOR PARTIES "SOULLESS HUSKS," HE PROMISES A RADICAL PATH TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE.
VICTORY WILL MAKE HIM THE FIRST THIRD-TERM PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY.
THE FORMER ROUGH RIDER REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS MEN IN AMERICA, BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO WIN ROOSEVELT THE PRESIDENCY?
NOW T.J. AND LISA TICHY OF CHICAGO BELIEVE THEY MIGHT HAVE FOUND A MEMENTO FROM THE FIRST DAYS OF THAT FRENZIED CAMPAIGN.
AT FIRST, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, AND THEN WE SAW THE INSCRIPTION.
I'M TUKUFU ZUBERI, AND I'M ON MY WAY TO CHECK OUT THE TICHYS' DISCOVERY.
THIS IS AN ITEM THAT WE FOUND IN THE ATTIC OF A DESERTED HOUSE THAT WAS GOING TO BE TORN DOWN TO MAKE WAY FOR A SUBDIVISION.
I WANTED TO GO UP IN THE ATTIC TO SEE IF ANYTHING WAS IN THERE.
MM-HMM.
HE HANDED IT DOWN TO ME, AND LOOKING AT IT DOWN IN THE LIGHT, I NOTICED THERE WAS WORDS ON IT.
IT SAID, "BULL MOOSE WAR CLUB."
"BULL MOOSE," WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS?
WE KNOW ABOUT TEDDY ROOSEVELT BEING INVOLVED WITH THE BULL MOOSE PARTY, AND THAT WAS ALSO DURING THE TIME THAT WE KNOW THAT TEDDY ROOSEVELT COINED THE PHRASE "SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK."
SO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT IF THIS IS THE BIG STICK.
THAT'S RIGHT.
WHAT'S GOING ON UP HERE?
THIS LOOKS LIKE BLOOD.
WE DON'T KNOW, BUT IT WAS A WAR CLUB.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN TELL ME ABOUT THIS?
THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL WRITING ON IT YOU CAN BARELY SEE.
T.J. IS A FORMER POLICEMAN AND SAYS HE HAD AN EVIDENCE TECHNICIAN IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE ANALYZE THE INSCRIPTION.
THE TECHNICIAN COULD ONLY READ PART OF IT.
IT SAYS BASICALLY THAT IT WAS GIVEN TO CHIEF TEDDY ROOSEVELT ON AUGUST 29, 1912, BY A PERSON BY THE NAME OF D.S.D.
MERRIGAN.
WHAT CAN I FIND OUT FOR YOU?
IF THE CLUB WAS ACTUALLY GIVEN TO TEDDY ROOSEVELT.
AND TO SEE WHO THIS D.S.D.
MERRIGAN IS.
OKAY, I'LL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS I CAN.
THIS IS DEFINITELY AN OLD OBJECT.
WE HAVE A PIECE OF WOOD, AND THE HEAD OF IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S BEEN CARVED TO LOOK LIKE SOMETHING.
IT HAS SOME RED ON IT; IF THAT'S BLOOD, THAT'S SERIOUS.
WAS IT A WEAPON, WAS IT EVER USED, OR WAS IT SYMBOLIC FOR SOMETHING?
"BULL MOOSE WAR CLUB" IS CLEAR ENOUGH TO SEE.
EVERYTHING BELOW THOSE FOUR WORDS IS BARELY LEGIBLE.
BUT I CAN MAKE OUT SOME CLUES: "TAKEN FROM THE GREEN HILLS OF SOMETHING, VERMONT."
SOMETHING "TO THE GREAT CHIEF TEDDY ROOSEVELT ON AUGUST 29th..." THAT WOULD BE 1912.
"BY D.S.D."
-- AND HE SAID MERRIGAN.
LET'S SEE IF I CAN MAKE SOME SENSE OF THIS.
FIRST, WHAT IS A WAR CLUB?
THE DICTIONARY SAYS IT'S A CLUB-SHAPED IMPLEMENT USED AS A WEAPON, ESPECIALLY BY AMERICAN INDIANS.
ROOSEVELT'S DEALINGS WITH THE NATIVE PEOPLES WERE PROBLEMATIC.
HE ACKNOWLEDGED THE TERRIBLE INJUSTICE THEY SUFFERED BUT ALSO DESCRIBED THEM AS THE WEAKER RACE.
WHAT ABOUT THE DATE AUGUST 29, 1912?
EARLIER THAT MONTH, ROOSEVELT HAD BEEN NOMINATED FOR PRESIDENT BY THE NEWLY FORMED PROGRESSIVE PARTY, ALSO KNOWN AS THE BULL MOOSE PARTY.
THIS WAS FOUR YEARS AFTER HE LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE AS A SUPREMELY POPULAR TWO-TERM PRESIDENT WHO FOUGHT FOR A SQUARE DEAL FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS.
ROOSEVELT'S PLATFORM SUPPORTED WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE, NATIONAL HEALTH CARE, AND WELFARE FOR THE POOR.
HIS MAIN COMPETITION WAS DEMOCRAT WOODROW WILSON, WHO EMBRACED SOME OF THESE IDEALS.
ROOSEVELT ALSO FACED OFF AGAINST THE REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT, HIS FORMER VICE-PRESIDENT, WILLIAM TAFT.
TAFT ADAMANTLY OPPOSED PROGRESSIVE REFORM, WHICH HELPED PUSH ROOSEVELT AWAY FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
SO HE WAS IN A PRETTY TOUGH CAMPAIGN.
SO THE TERM "BULL MOOSE" IS ACCURATE FOR 1912, AND IT LOOKS LIKE HE WAS CAMPAIGNING IN VERMONT IN LATE AUGUST.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S TRACK DOWN THIS GUY D.S.D.
MERRIGAN.
SEARCHING THE GENEALOGICAL DATABASE, I CAN'T FIND ANYBODY ALIVE IN 1912 BY THAT NAME.
I NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT ELSE IS WRITTEN ON HERE.
I'M HEADING TO MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TO MEET DIRECTOR MARGARET HOLBEN ELLIS AT THE THAW CONSERVATION CENTER AT THE MORGAN LIBRARY.
SHE ONCE HELPED WES READ MARKINGS ON A MINIATURE PORTRAIT OF GEORGE WASHINGTON.
THAT'S SOME CLUB.
I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER HAD ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS AT THE MORGAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM.
IS THAT BLOOD?
I'M HOPING YOU CAN TELL ME.
IS THERE ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN GIVE US A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT IT ACTUALLY SAYS ON HERE?
WHAT DID YOU SAY THE DATE OF THIS CLUB WAS?
1912.
THE TYPE OF INK THAT WAS USED IN 1912 WAS MOST LIKELY AN IRON GALL INK.
AND WE KNOW THAT THAT TYPE OF INK WILL APPEAR DARKER UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, SO WE CAN START WITH THAT.
WE'RE TAKING THE CLUB INTO THE PHOTO STUDIO.
MARGARET'S ASSISTANT SETS UP THE ULTRAVIOLET CAMERA FOR A LONG EXPOSURE.
UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, THE BLOOD IS FLUORESCING THE SAME COLOR AS THE RED PAINT THAT APPEARS IN "BULL MOOSE."
SO IT'S RED PAINT?
SO THERE'S NO BLOOD ON THE CLUB, BUT THE IMAGING HAS REVEALED SOMETHING ELSE.
WOW.
OKAY, LET'S SEE WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE.
"TAKEN FROM THE GREEN MOUNTAINS "NEAR THE CITY OF RUTLAND, VERMONT.
"AND PRESENTED TO THE CH-- THE GREAT CHIEF TEDDY ROOSEVELT AUGUST 29, '12, BY..." D...
IT'S A SMALL R. DR. S.D.
MERRIAM.
YES.
"KNOWN AS CHIEF FLYING EAGLE, MADE BY HIS OWN HAND."
SO MERRIAM, NOT MERRIGAN, KNOWN AS CHIEF FLYING EAGLE.
I'M HEADING TO SAGAMORE HILL, THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S FORMER HOME IN LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, NOW RUN BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.
ROOSEVELT BIOGRAPHER PATRICIA O'TOOLE HAS WRITTEN EXTENSIVELY ON THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S BULL MOOSE YEARS.
HERE IT IS.
WOW.
PATRICIA'S NEVER HEARD OF A CHIEF FLYING EAGLE, BUT SHE THINKS THE STICK ITSELF IS LIKELY A PLAY ON A FAMOUS ROOSEVELT APHORISM.
HERE ARE SOME CLUBS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO HIM WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT.
THE "BIG STICK" FOR THEODORE ROOSEVELT, HE THOUGHT HE KNEW AN AFRICAN PROVERB, WHICH WAS "SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK AND YOU WILL GO FAR."
AND IT'S A VERY GOOD SUMMARY OF HOW HE THOUGHT ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY.
IF YOU WERE GOING TO THREATEN ANYTHING, YOU HAD TO HAVE A BIG STICK BEHIND IT.
PATRICIA SAYS THE METAPHOR TOOK ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN AND CAME TO SYMBOLIZE THE UNITED STATES' GROWING MILITARY MIGHT.
DID HE RECEIVE A LOT OF BIG STICKS LIKE THIS?
PROBABLY HUNDREDS.
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING DISTINCT ABOUT THIS ONE.
IT SAYS "BULL MOOSE WAR CLUB."
THIS IS THE ONLY THING I'VE EVER SEEN THAT'S REMOTELY LIKE THIS.
THE BULL MOOSE CAMPAIGN WAS THE MOST STRENUOUS CAMPAIGN EVER WAGED BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
THE PLATFORM WAS REALLY OUT THERE.
IT CALLED FOR OLD-AGE INSURANCE, A LIVING WAGE, THERE WAS TALK OF HEALTH INSURANCE.
PATRICIA SAYS ROOSEVELT RELISHED HIS ROLE AS THE POPULAR ROUGH RIDER, THE BELOVED MAN OF THE PEOPLE, AND TRIED TO USE THAT POPULARITY AS A THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATE.
Roosevelt over recording: I am not leading this fight as a matter of aesthetic pleasure.
I am leading because somebody must lead, or else the fight would not be made at all.
IN AN ERA WHEN THE SITTING PRESIDENT DIDN'T EVEN CAMPAIGN, ROOSEVELT WAS TIRELESS, OFTEN MAKING MULTIPLE SPEECHES AND APPEARANCES IN A DAY, RELYING ON HIS NAME BRAND TO DRAW THE CROWDS.
IT WORKED...ALMOST TOO WELL.
HE WAS IN MILWAUKEE; IT WAS OCTOBER 14th, SO THE ELECTION IS ABOUT THREE WEEKS AWAY, AND HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO GIVE A SPEECH TO AN AUDITORIUM FULL OF 10,000 PEOPLE.
AS ROOSEVELT ENTERED HIS CAMPAIGN VEHICLE, A GUNMAN SPRANG FROM THE CROWD AND FIRED A SINGLE SHOT.
[ gunshot fires ] THE BULLET PASSED THROUGH A SPECTACLE CASE AND 50-PAGE MANUSCRIPT BEFORE LODGING IN ROOSEVELT'S RIB.
HE HAD BEEN PREPARED FOR A MOMENT LIKE THIS FOR A LONG TIME, AND HE PUT HIS FINGERS TO HIS LIPS TO SEE IF HE COULD TASTE BLOOD, WHICH WOULD MEAN THAT THE BULLET HAD PUNCTURED HIS LUNG.
AND WHEN HE COULDN'T TASTE BLOOD, HE CONCLUDED THAT HE HAD A FLESH WOUND AND THAT HE WOULD BE FINE TO GO GIVE HIS SPEECH, WHICH HE DID.
HE WAS A TOUGH DUDE.
TOUGH GUY.
WOULD IT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE FOR SOMEONE TO PRESENT THIS CLUB TO TEDDY ROOSEVELT AS A GIFT AT A TALK THAT HE WAS GIVING?
POSSIBLE, BUT NOT LIKELY.
IMAGINE HIM GIVING A CAMPAIGN SPEECH AND SOME PERSON COMING FORWARD WITH A WEAPON THIS LARGE.
I THINK HIS BODYGUARDS WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL OVER THAT VERY QUICKLY.
PATRICIA DIDN'T KNOW OF ANY NATIVE-AMERICAN CONNECTION, BUT THIS WAR CLUB IS ADDRESSED TO THE GREAT CHIEF FROM CHIEF FLYING EAGLE.
A SEARCH FOR A CHIEF FLYING EAGLE PULLS UP A COUPLE OF MATCHES, BUT NONE SEEM RIGHT FOR THE TIME PERIOD.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I TRY THE CORRECT NAME I GOT FROM THE MORGAN LIBRARY'S PHOTO IMAGING?
OKAY, THIS IS BIZARRE.
"DR. S.D.
MERRIAM, THE GREAT INDIAN HERB DOCTOR."
THE TOP RESULT IS AN AD FROM THE 1885 GAZETTEER FROM BERKSHIRE COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
"DR. MERRIAM IS WIDELY KNOWN AS COPPEWAY, "THE GREAT INDIAN MEDICINE MAN, THE CHIEF MEDICINE MAN OF THE WORLD."
MERRIAM CLAIMS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE STUDYING HERBAL MEDICINE AMONG INDIAN TRIBES.
I THINK IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT THIS IS OUR GUY.
I MEAN, IT GOES ON.
OVER 5,000 PATIENTS CURED OR BENEFITED FROM HIS ACTIONS, ACCORDING TO HIM.
PERHAPS MERRIAM WAS JUST A SAVVY DOCTOR USING NATIVE-AMERICAN MEDICINE AS A LURE TO WIN PATIENTS.
CENSUS RESULTS DO LIST HIM AS A PHYSICIAN, BUT I'M NOT FINDING ANY CONNECTION TO POLITICS OR ROOSEVELT.
OH, WOW.
THIS IS FROM THE 1880 CENSUS FROM WINDSOR, VERMONT.
"PRISON."
CONVICTED OF ASSAULT AND SENTENCED TO THREE AND A HALF YEARS.
WHY WOULD THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S STAFF ALLOW THIS PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL TO EVEN GET CLOSE TO HIM WITH THIS STICK?
OR DID HE?
I'M HEADING NORTH TO RUTLAND, VERMONT.
JIM DAVIDSON OF THE RUTLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY HAS AGREED TO SEARCH THEIR ARCHIVES FOR INFORMATION ON ROOSEVELT'S AUGUST 29th VISIT.
Tukufu: SO THIS IS THE WAR CLUB.
WOW.
THIS IS WHAT IT SAYS.
"PRESENTED TO THE GREAT CHIEF TEDDY ROOSEVELT "AUGUST 29, 1912, BY DR. S.D.
MERRIAM, KNOWN AS CHIEF FLYING EAGLE."
JIM SAYS HE'S NEVER HEARD OF DR. MERRIAM, BUT AUGUST 29, 1912, WOULD HAVE BEEN AN IDEAL DAY FOR HIM TO VISIT RUTLAND.
BECAUSE THIS WAS FAIR WEEK, MAJOR ONCE-A-YEAR BIG EXTRAVAGANZA.
AND, OF COURSE, IT'S A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN TIME.
JIM TELLS ME OVER 12,000 SIGHTSEERS FROM THE SURROUNDING AREA VISITED RUTLAND ON AUGUST 29th FOR THE ANNUAL RUTLAND FAIR.
ROOSEVELT'S CAMPAIGN STOP COINCIDED WITH THE MASS GATHERING.
JIM SHOWS ME THE ONLY KNOWN PHOTOGRAPH OF ROOSEVELT'S 1912 VISIT.
ACCORDING TO THE CAPTION, 5,000 PEOPLE HEARD HIM SPEAK.
IF HE COULD PUT ON A GOOD SHOWING IN VERMONT, THEN PERHAPS HE COULD INFLUENCE THE NATIONAL MEDIA THAT THIS GUY IS A REAL, VIABLE CANDIDATE.
IF DR. MERRIAM, OR CHIEF FLYING EAGLE, PLANNED TO PRESENT ROOSEVELT WITH THIS WAR CLUB, HE'D BE SURE TO HAVE A LARGE AUDIENCE.
BUT THERE'S NO SIGN OF HIM OR THE CLUB IN THE PHOTO OR CAPTION.
I MEAN, IF SOMEBODY'S GOING TO GIVE HIM THIS THERE, I THINK THEY MIGHT MENTION IT.
LET ME GO SEE IF WE CAN GET A NEWSPAPER AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
RUTLAND NEWSPAPER.
WE SEE THAT THE ELECTION IS GOING ON... AH, HERE'S THE ARTICLE.
"BULL MOOSE CAME, HE SAW, HE --?
"WELL, ANYWAY, A LOT OF FOLKS HEARD ROOSEVELT SPEAK.
WAIT A MINUTE, LOOK WHAT IT SAYS HERE.
WHAT WE FIND IN THE RUTLAND HERALD CLOSES THE CASE ON THE TICHYS' MYSTERY CLUB.
FIRST OF ALL, LET ME JUST TELL YOU I HAD A LOT OF FUN TRYING TO FIND ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS.
I TELL THE TICHYS WE DETERMINED THE NAME ON THE CLUB WAS NOT D.S.D.
MERRIGAN BUT DR. S.D.
MERRIAM, ALSO KNOWN AS CHIEF FLYING EAGLE.
WOW, THAT'S GREAT.
THAT'S A SHOCK.
YEAH, A DOCTOR.
SO WHAT IS THE CHIEF FLYING EAGLE?
I TELL THEM S.D.
MERRIAM WAS A NEW ENGLAND DOCTOR WHO PROMOTED INDIAN REMEDIES.
HOWEVER, WE COULDN'T CONFIRM THAT TEDDY ROOSEVELT WAS GIVEN THIS WAR CLUB UNTIL WE WENT TO RUTLAND, VERMONT.
"AN INDIAN IN TRIBAL DRESS WAS PROMINENT DURING THE AFTERNOON, "GIVING THE MOOSE CRY THROUGH A BIG MEGAPHONE "AND CARRYING A BIG STICK, THE TOP OF WHICH WAS CARVED TO RESEMBLE A MOOSE HEAD."
THAT DOES LOOK LIKE A MOOSE HEAD, RIGHT?
"THE BIG STICK WAS LATER PRESENTED TO MR.
ROOSEVELT."
IT SEEMS MERRIAM SEIZED AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE SPOTLIGHT WITH THE LARGER-THAN-LIFE TEDDY ROOSEVELT.
HEY, I THINK WE'VE SCORED.
WE HAVE THE BIG STICK.
WOW, THE MOOSE HEAD, ABSOLUTELY.
NOW YOU CAN SEE THAT.
YOU'VE GOT A PIECE OF HISTORY ON YOUR HANDS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.
YEAH, IT'S JUST TOO INCREDIBLE FOR WORDS.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK.
YOU ANSWERED ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS AND THEN SOME.
ON NOVEMBER 5, 1912, OVER 4 MILLION AMERICANS IN 48 STATES CAST THEIR BALLOTS IN FAVOR OF THE BULL MOOSE.
ROOSEVELT BEAT TAFT, BUT BY SPLITTING THE REPUBLICAN VOTE, HE HELPED PAVE THE WAY FOR WOODROW WILSON'S LANDSLIDE VICTORY.
THE BULL MOOSE PARTY COLLAPSED IN 1916, BUT ROOSEVELT'S STRONG CANDIDACY PUSHED WILSON TO FURTHER EMBRACE THE PROGRESSIVE IDEALS AND POLICIES TO WHICH THEY BOTH SUBSCRIBED.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT BECAME THE ONLY THIRD-PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TO EVER COME IN SECOND PLACE.
TO WATCH A SILENT FILM OF T.R.
'S 1912 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.
TEDDY ROOSEVELT WASN'T THE ONLY THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATE IN THE 1912 ELECTION WHO MADE AN IMPRESSION.
IWW FOUNDER AND LABOR FIREBRAND EUGENE DEBS ALSO RAN FOR PRESIDENT THAT YEAR ON THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF AMERICA TICKET.
IT WAS HIS FOURTH PRESIDENTIAL BID IN A ROW AND A HIGH POINT FOR DEBS AND THE SOCIALIST PARTY, WHO CAPTURED 6% OF THE VOTE NATIONWIDE.
DEBS RAN AGAIN FOR PRESIDENT IN 1920 AGAINST WARREN G. HARDING, BUT THIS TIME HE CAMPAIGNED FROM BEHIND BARS.
TWO YEARS EARLIER, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT CONVICTED DEBS FOR VIOLATING THE ESPIONAGE ACT.
HIS CRIME: MAKING ANTIWAR SPEECHES.
SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS AT THE ATLANTA FEDERAL PENITENTIARY, DEBS MADE THE MOST OF HIS IMPRISONMENT.
ONE OF DEBS' CAMPAIGN SLOGANS INCLUDED "FROM THE JAIL HOUSE TO THE WHITE HOUSE."
DEBS MANAGED TO WIN 3.5% OF THE POPULAR VOTE, OR ABOUT A MILLION VOTES.
CELEBRITIES CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND MAE WEST SUPPORTED DEBS' RELEASE, WHILE WOODROW WILSON ADAMANTLY OPPOSED HIS PARDON.
EVENTUALLY, EUGENE DEBS DID GO STRAIGHT FROM PRISON TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
PRESIDENT HARDING ORDERED DEBS' RELEASE ON CHRISTMAS DAY, 1921, AND RECEIVED HIM AS A GUEST AT THE WHITE HOUSE THE VERY NEXT DAY.
Eduardo: OUR LAST CASE ASKS HOW THIS LETTER MIGHT BE CONNECTED TO AMERICA'S EARLY EFFORTS TO HONOR ITS WAR DEAD.
1864: FOR THREE GRIM YEARS, CONFEDERATE AND UNION FORCES HAVE CLASHED ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
TROOPS ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE, AND COMMUNICATIONS ARE CHAOTIC.
WITH CASUALTIES IN THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, ACCURATE RECORDS OF BATTLEFIELD DEAD AND INJURED ARE VIRTUALLY NONEXISTENT.
HOW CAN WORRIED FAMILY MEMBERS LEARN THE FATE OF MISSING LOVED ONES?
ARE THEY DEAD, INJURED, OR SNARED IN A PRISONER-OF-WAR CAMP?
NOW, ALMOST 150 YEARS AFTER THE WAR'S END, BILL KRUCZEK FROM OSCEOLA, INDIANA, HOLDS A LETTER ABOUT ONE SUCH SOLDIER, AND IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY CLARA BARTON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS.
I THINK IT COULD BE A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF CIVIL WAR HISTORY.
I'M EDUARDO PAGAN, AND I'M MEETING BILL KRUCZEK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS LETTER.
- COME ON INSIDE.
- THANK YOU.
WHERE DID YOU GET THE LETTER FROM?
I WAS AT AN ESTATE SALE IN HUMMELSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.
I BOUGHT A BOX FULL OF BOOKS.
SOME OF THE BOOKS WERE WATER-DAMAGED, SO I STARTED TO THROW THEM AWAY, AND AS I WAS THROWING THEM AWAY, I CAME ACROSS THIS LETTER.
AT FIRST, BILL DIDN'T RECOGNIZE CLARA BARTON'S NAME.
IT WAS THE CONTENTS OF THE LETTER THAT HE FOUND INTRIGUING.
THE LETTER TALKS ABOUT A SOLDIER WHO DIED... FOR BILL, THE FATE OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS IS PERSONAL.
HE IS A FORMER MARINE.
HIS SON IS A CADET AT THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY.
HE ALSO HAS AN ANCESTOR WHO DIED AT THE NOTORIOUS CONFEDERATE PRISON CAMP IN ANDERSONVILLE, GEORGIA.
WHILE I WAS READING ABOUT ANDERSONVILLE, I CAME ACROSS THE NAME CLARA BARTON SEVERAL TIMES.
I WAS WONDERING, IS IT THE SAME CLARA BARTON WHO SIGNED THIS LETTER?
WHAT QUESTIONS CAN I PURSUE FOR YOU?
WELL, I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU COULD TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE MEN THAT THE LETTER IS WRITTEN ABOUT, AND IF THIS LETTER WAS WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY CLARA BARTON, THE FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS.
THIS LETTER APPEARS TO BE QUITE OLD, AND IT'S IN FRAGILE CONDITION.
"OFFICE OF CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE FRIENDS OF THE MISSING MEN "OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 30, 1866."
WE KNOW THAT THAT WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
"I AM IN RECEIPT OF COMMUNICATION "FROM THE ADJUTANT GENERAL OF PENNSYLVANIA, "WHICH SAYS ISRAEL BROWN, COMPANY C, 184th PENNSYLVANIA, DIED NOVEMBER 10, 1864, AT FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA."
AND IT DOESN'T SAY HOW HE DIED.
THE LETTER FINISHES OFF, "I AM VERY TRULY YOURS, CLARA BARTON."
NOW, LOOKING AT THE ENVELOPE, IT LOOKS EQUALLY OLD, BUT VERY CLEARLY IN A PRE-PRINTED FORM IT SAYS IN THE UPPER LEFT "CLARA BARTON, GENERAL CORRESPONDENT."
AND THEN IN HANDWRITING IT IS ADDRESSED TO J. BLAIR WELCH, BURNT CABINS, PENNSYLVANIA.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW THIS UNION SOLDIER DIED.
BUT FIRST, I NEED TO FIGURE OUT IF CLARA BARTON WROTE THIS LETTER.
HI, ELIZABETH.
ELIZABETH BROWN PRYOR IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK CLARA BARTON, PROFESSIONAL ANGEL.
SHE ASKS ME TO MEET HER IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AT THE ORIGINAL SITE OF THE FRIENDS OF THE MISSING MEN OFFICE, THE SAME OFFICE LISTED IN OUR LETTER.
IT WAS ALSO CLARA BARTON'S BOARDING-HOUSE ROOM.
ELIZABETH, DO YOU THINK IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THIS LETTER WAS PRODUCED HERE IN CLARA BARTON'S OFFICE?
WELL, IT'S CERTAINLY ON THE STATIONERY, THE FORM LETTER THAT THEY USED FROM THIS OFFICE.
NOW, I SUSPECT YOU'VE SEEN CLARA BARTON'S SIGNATURE MANY, MANY TIMES.
MANY TIMES.
WHAT DO YOU THINK, DID SHE SIGN THIS LETTER?
WELL, I'M NOT A HANDWRITING EXPERT, BUT CLARA BARTON HAD A VERY DISTINCTIVE AUTOGRAPH.
ELIZABETH SHOWS ME A LETTER WITH AN AUTHENTICATED CLARA BARTON SIGNATURE, AND THE DIFFERENCES ARE UNMISTAKABLE.
NOW, THAT IS A DIFFERENT SIGNATURE.
IT'S MUCH MORE CONSTRAINED, ISN'T IT?
AND IT'S REALLY QUITE DISTINCTIVE.
AND HER SIGNATURE DOESN'T CHANGE THROUGHOUT HER LIFE.
CLARA BARTON PROBABLY DIDN'T SIGN THIS LETTER, BUT SOMEBODY WITH HER BLESSING HAD SIGNED ON HER BEHALF.
WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE PURPOSE OF THIS OFFICE?
WELL, THE PURPOSE OF THE OFFICE WAS, IN ESSENCE, TO TRY TO PIECE TOGETHER INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE WHO WERE LISTED AS MISSING DURING THE CIVIL WAR, OF WHICH THERE WERE TENS AND TENS OF THOUSANDS, IF NOT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS.
ELIZABETH EXPLAINS HOW THE MASSACHUSETTS-BORN CLARA BARTON FOUNDED THE RED CROSS IN 1881.
BUT HER MOTIVATION AND REPUTATION HAD BEEN DRAWN FROM HER EXPERIENCES IN WASHINGTON DURING THE CIVIL WAR, MORE THAN A DECADE EARLIER.
WHEN THE WAR BROKE OUT, LINCOLN CALLED FOR VOLUNTEERS TO DEFEND THE CITY, AND SOME OF THE FIRST THAT ARRIVED CAME FROM MASSACHUSETTS.
CLARA HAD STARTED HER CAREER AS A TEACHER IN MASSACHUSETTS.
AND A LOT OF HER PUPILS WERE IN THAT REGIMENT.
AND SHE WENT UP THERE TO VISIT THEM AND FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAD VERY FEW OF THE BASIC NECESSITIES THEY NEEDED.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE SOCKS, THEY DIDN'T HAVE FOOD.
THE UNION ARMY REALLY WAS TOTALLY UNPREPARED, CERTAINLY AT THAT STAGE.
SHE JUST TOOK IT UPON HERSELF TO SAY, "I'M GOING TO CLOSE THE GAP."
SO SHE STARTED COLLECTING SUPPLIES AND DISTRIBUTING THEM.
CLARA THEN TENDED TO THE WOUNDED DURING SOME OF THE WORST FIGHTING OF THE WAR.
AT ONE POINT AT THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM, WHEN SHE OFFERED TO HELP A SURGEON WHO WAS AMPUTATING LIMBS AND THEY HAD RUN OUT OF BANDAGES, THEY WERE TYING THEM UP WITH GREEN CORN LEAVES, HE SAID, "DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND IT?"
BECAUSE ALL OF HIS ASSISTANTS HAD RUN AWAY AT THAT POINT.
AND SHE SAID, "IF YOU CAN STAND IT, I CAN STAND IT."
AND THEY WERE BEING DIRECTLY BOMBARDED BY ARTILLERY IN THIS LITTLE HOSPITAL AT THAT POINT IN TIME, SO SHE WAS QUITE REMARKABLY COURAGEOUS.
WELL, THEN HOW DID SHE GO FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO THIS OFFICE?
SHE SAW THAT DYING SOLDIERS WERE VERY NERVOUS ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY MIGHT DIE IN OBSCURITY, THAT THEIR FAMILY WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM, AND SO HER NOTEBOOKS ARE FILLED WITH THESE LITTLE JOTTINGS OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES TO TELL PEOPLE WHAT HAD HAPPENED, WHAT THE FATE OF THIS SOLDIER WAS.
PRESIDENT LINCOLN ORDERED THE ARMY TO HELP CLARA, AND THE FRIENDS OF THE MISSING MEN OFFICE BECAME A CLEARINGHOUSE, CONNECTING FAMILY MEMBERS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR LOVED ONES.
HOW DID SHE ACQUIRE INFORMATION TO RESPOND TO THE LETTERS THAT SHE RECEIVED?
SHE WOULD PUT TOGETHER THESE VERY LONG LISTS OF NAMES AND HAVE THEM PRINTED IN THE NEWSPAPER, HAVE THEM PUT UP IN POST OFFICES IN HOPES THAT SOMEBODY WOULD COME BACK TO HER WITH INFORMATION.
SHE WAS RECEIVING ABOUT 150 LETTERS A DAY, 63,000 SHE CLAIMS BY THE END OF THE TIME THAT SHE WAS WORKING HERE.
ELIZABETH EXPLAINS HOW CLARA HAD GOTTEN CRUCIAL AND EARLY HELP IN HER CAREER FROM A YOUNG SOLDIER, DORRANCE ATWATER, WHO HAD FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE OF ONE OF THE MOST HORRIFIC PRISON CAMPS OF THE ENTIRE CIVIL WAR.
DORRANCE ATWATER HAD BEEN TAKEN PRISONER QUITE EARLY ON AND HAD BEEN SENT TO ANDERSONVILLE, WHERE HE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO COPY THE DEATH ROLLS THERE.
AND AS HE SAW WHAT THE LEVEL OF ATROCITY WAS AT ANDERSONVILLE, HE MADE AN EXTRA COPY EVERY DAY AND HE HID IT IN THE LINING OF HIS COAT.
AND WHEN HE WAS FINALLY RELEASED IN 1865, HE TOOK THIS COPY OF THE DEATH ROLL, WHICH HAD 13,000 NAMES ON IT.
I'M TRYING TO WRAP MY MIND AROUND THAT FIGURE.
- 13,000 DEATHS.
- 13,000 DEATHS.
SO WHEN CLARA BARTON SAW THIS, SHE RECOGNIZED ITS SIGNIFICANCE ON MANY LEVELS.
WHAT ABOUT THE MEN MENTIONED IN THIS LETTER, ISRAEL BROWN AND J. BLAIR WELCH?
THE OWNER WANTED TO FIND OUT SOMETHING ABOUT THEM.
WELL, I COULDN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY WHO THEY WERE, BUT IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THE PERSON THAT THE LETTER IS BEING SENT TO, J. BLAIR WELCH, IS SOMEBODY WHO'S INQUIRED ABOUT ISRAEL BROWN.
WHO WAS THIS SOLDIER, AND HOW DID HE DIE?
WELL, HERE I SEE THAT THE 184th REGIMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA WAS INVOLVED IN SOME MAJOR CAMPAIGNS.
BUT THESE WERE ALL FOUGHT ON VIRGINIA SOIL, AND WE KNOW THAT ISRAEL BROWN DIED IN FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA.
HAD ISRAEL BROWN BEEN CAPTURED ELSEWHERE AND PERHAPS HELD AS A PRISONER OF WAR?
HERE'S A LIST OF ANDERSONVILLE PRISON RECORDS, AND IF I TYPE IN ISRAEL BROWN'S NAME, IT SAYS THAT HE WAS HELD AT ANDERSONVILLE AND SURVIVED.
AND THIS IS INTERESTING, TOO: IT SEEMS THAT IN 1864, CONFEDERATE OFFICIALS DISPERSED THOUSANDS OF THE ANDERSONVILLE PRISONERS TO CAMPS THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH, AND ONE OF THESE LOCATIONS WAS FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA.
DID ISRAEL BROWN DIE AT THAT CAMP?
I WANT TO CONFIRM THAT.
BUT FIRST, EXACTLY WHO WAS CLARA BARTON WRITING TO IN BURNT CABINS, PENNSYLVANIA?
I'M MEETING LOCAL HISTORIAN KEN KEEBAUGH IN BURNT CABINS, THE HOME OF J. BLAIR WELCH.
I LOVE THIS PLACE.
IT HAS A GREAT HISTORIC FEEL TO IT.
YEAH, I LOVE IT HERE, TOO.
MY FAMILY'S LIVED IN THIS AREA SINCE ABOUT 1773.
CAN YOU TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT THESE MEN, ISRAEL BROWN AND J. BLAIR WELCH?
WE'RE STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF J. BLAIR WELCH'S STORE RIGHT NOW.
IT WAS A DRY GOODS STORE, AND IT DATES BACK TO THE 1850s.
I HAVE SOMETHING HERE I WANT TO SHOW YOU.
THIS IS AN ATLAS OF BURNT CABINS DURING THE 1800s, AND YOU CAN SEE HERE WHERE THE BROWN FAMILY LIVED, AND OVER HERE YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE WELCH FAMILY HAD THEIR STORE.
SO THEY WERE NEIGHBORS.
YES, THERE WAS ONLY ABOUT FIVE DOORS BETWEEN THEM, AND IN A SMALL COMMUNITY, EVERYONE KNEW ONE ANOTHER.
CAN YOU TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT ISRAEL BROWN?
YES, ISRAEL BROWN WAS ABOUT 38 YEARS OLD NEAR THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR IN 1864.
HE WAS A FATHER OF SIX CHILDREN, THREE OF WHOM DIED IN ONE MONTH ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE HE ENLISTED.
OH, THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT TIME IN HIS LIFE.
YES, A LOT OF CHILDREN IN THIS AREA DIED OF DIPHTHERIA DURING THAT TIME PERIOD.
KEN HAS MADE AN ADDITIONAL DISCOVERY... - HAVE A SEAT, PLEASE.
- THANK YOU.
WHICH HE OFFERS TO SHOW ME AT THE FULTON COUNTY LIBRARY.
THIS IS THE DAILY EVENING BULLETIN FROM PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, DATED JUNE 1, 1866, AND HERE IS A LIST OF MISSING SOLDIERS.
"THE MISSING" BY CLARA BARTON.
"EACH NAME HERE ENROLLED IS TAKEN "FROM THE LETTER OF SOME RELATIVE OR FRIEND "WHO HAVE WRITTEN TO ME ASKING MY AID IN THEIR PAINFUL SEARCH; "AND IN THEIR BEHALF I APPEAL TO YOU "TO GIVE SUCH FACTS RELATIVE TO THE FATE OF THESE MEN AS YOU MAY RECOLLECT OR CAN ASCERTAIN."
AND THEY'RE A LIST OF NAMES.
AND THERE HE IS, ISRAEL BROWN, 184th REGIMENT.
SO CLARA BARTON MUST HAVE ADDED HIS NAME TO THIS LIST AFTER SHE RECEIVED THE LETTER FROM J. BLAIR WELCH.
ISRAEL BROWN HAD ONLY BEEN IN THE ARMY FOR SIX MONTHS BEFORE DYING.
MARK BUYCK IS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE FRIENDS OF THE FLORENCE STOCKADE IN FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA.
HELLO, EDUARDO, WELCOME TO FLORENCE.
THANK YOU; IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU.
NOW, WE KNOW THAT ISRAEL BROWN MUSTERED INTO THE 184th PENNSYLVANIA REGIMENT, WE KNOW THAT HE WAS A PRISONER OF WAR IN ANDERSONVILLE PRISON, BUT THAT HE DIED IN FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA.
CAN YOU TELL ME HOW THAT MIGHT'VE HAPPENED?
THE CONFEDERATE PRISON OFFICIALS AT ANDERSONVILLE REALIZED THAT IF SHERMAN SHOULD CAPTURE ATLANTA, THAT THERE WERE THESE 35,000 MEN THERE THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE RE-ARMED AND FIGHT AGAINST THE SOUTH, SO THEY DEVELOPED THIS PLAN TO BUILD ADDITIONAL PRISONS.
ONE WAS RIGHT HERE IN FLORENCE.
MARK WALKS ME TO A PEACEFUL SPOT WHERE THE GRIM PRISON ONCE STOOD.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE HERE?
IT WAS A 23.5-ACRE ENCLOSURE THAT HELD BETWEEN 15,000 AND 18,000 MEN.
EIGHTEEN THOUSAND MEN RIGHT HERE?
RIGHT HERE.
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF SANITATION.
SHELTER WAS IMPROVISED.
PRISONERS WOULD BUILD WHAT THEY CALLED SHEBANGS.
THEY WOULD DIG A HOLE MAYBE 2, 3, 4 FEET DEEP, FIND WHATEVER KIND OF CLOTH OR MAYBE PINE BOUGHS THAT THEY COULD STRETCH OVER THE TOP, AND THERE WOULD BE FOUR OR FIVE MEN THAT WOULD LIVE IN THESE HOLES.
IT SOUNDS THAT, AT BEST, CONDITIONS WERE HORRIBLE.
2,800 UNION TROOPS DIED HERE IN THE APPROXIMATELY FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS THAT THE STOCKADE WAS IN OPERATION.
MOST OF THEM WERE BURIED IN WHAT IS NOW THE FLORENCE NATIONAL CEMETERY.
I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT, THANK YOU.
LET'S GO LOOK.
I SEE ROW AFTER ROW AFTER ROW OF UNKNOWN SOLDIERS BURIED HERE.
MANY OF THEM HAVE OVER 100 SOLDIERS IN EACH ROW.
THERE ARE 16 TRENCHES, EACH ONE CONTAINING OVER 100 MEN, AND THEY WOULD BE PLACED SIDE BY SIDE IN THESE TRENCHES AND THEN THE REMAINS COVERED.
HAD ISRAEL BROWN BEEN BURIED HERE?
I HAVE A RECORD HERE FROM A DOCUMENT FOUND IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
IT'S TIME TO REPORT BACK TO BILL.
AND AFTER LOOKING AT MANY, MANY DOCUMENTS, I AM CONFIDENT THAT THIS LETTER CAME OUT OF CLARA BARTON'S OFFICE FOR THE FRIENDS OF THE MISSING MEN OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
WOW.
THE LETTER WAS LIKELY SIGNED ON BEHALF OF BARTON, BUT IT HAD COMPELLED ME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ISRAEL BROWN AND J. BLAIR WELCH.
WE KNOW THAT THEY WERE NEIGHBORS.
ISRAEL BROWN ENLISTED IN THE ARMY IN MAY OF 1864, AND SIX MONTHS LATER, HE HAD DIED IN FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA.
WE DON'T KNOW THE EXACT BATTLE THAT RESULTED IN HIS CAPTURE, BUT THERE'S ONE THING THAT WE DO KNOW FOR SURE.
IT'S A ROLL OF FEDERAL DEATHS AT SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, AND FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA, DURING OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF 1864.
THERE IS AN ISRAEL BROWN, COMPANY C, 184th PENNSYLVANIA INFANTRY, WHO DIED IN FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA, ON NOVEMBER 10, 1864.
SO YOU THINK IT'S POSSIBLE THAT HE COULD BE BURIED HERE?
I BELIEVE HE IS BURIED HERE.
THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF CLARA BARTON AND HER OFFICE, THE BROWN FAMILY AND ISRAEL BROWN'S FRIENDS WERE ABLE TO SECURE SOME CLOSURE AND KNOW THAT HE IN FACT HAD DIED IN FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA.
I TELL BILL THAT OUR BEST ASSUMPTION IS THAT IN SUCH A SMALL TOWN AS BURNT CABINS, WELCH SURELY PASSED NEWS OF BROWN'S DEATH ON TO HIS FAMILY.
YOUR LETTER REPRESENTS THE EFFORTS OF PEOPLE LIKE CLARA BARTON, WHO WORKED TO BRING CLOSURE TO THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO HAD SERVED ON BEHALF OF OUR NATION.
BUT IT ALSO REMINDS US OF THE HORRIBLE AND DEVASTATING COSTS THAT THAT WAR HAD, WHERE THERE ARE STILL THOUSANDS WHO REMAIN MISSING.
I'M A LITTLE OVERWHELMED, I MEAN, TO THINK THAT THIS LETTER, WRITTEN 147 YEARS AGO, HAS SURVIVED AND THIS SOLDIER IS STILL BEING REMEMBERED EVEN TODAY.
AFTER FOUR TIRELESS YEARS AT THE FRIENDS OF THE MISSING MEN OFFICE, DOCTORS PERSUADED CLARA BARTON TO TAKE A REST.
SHE LEFT FOR EUROPE BUT DIDN'T REST.
INSTEAD, BARTON OFFERED HER SERVICES TO THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS, A RELIEF ORGANIZATION FOUNDED JUST SEVEN YEARS EARLIER.
AFTER CARING FOR THE WOUNDED DURING THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR, SHE RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1873.
ON MAY 21, 1881, BARTON HELD THE FIRST MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF THE RED CROSS AT HER APARTMENT ON I STREET IN WASHINGTON, D.C. BARTON CONTINUED HER WORK AS A PROFESSIONAL ANGEL UNTIL HER DEATH AT THE AGE OF 90 IN 1912.
IN SPITE OF CLARA BARTON'S EFFORTS, FEWER THAN 60% OF THE CIVIL WAR DEAD WERE IDENTIFIED.
THE REMAINS OF THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS ARE INTERRED IN UNMARKED GRAVES.
ARMY COLONEL AND CHAPLAIN CHARLES C. PIERCE WAS DETERMINED TO CHANGE THAT.
DURING THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BEGAN RETURNING THE BODIES OF SOLDIERS KILLED ON FOREIGN SOIL.
IN 1899 IN THE PHILIPPINES, THE ARMY PUT PIERCE IN CHARGE OF THE NEWLY FORMED QUARTERMASTER'S OFFICE OF IDENTIFICATION.
HE RECOMMENDED THAT THE ARMY ISSUE AN IDENTITY DISK TO EACH SOLDIER.
IN DECEMBER 1906, THE WAR DEPARTMENT TOOK ACTION.
IT REQUIRED SOLDIERS TO WEAR AN ALUMINUM IDENTIFICATION TAG THE SIZE OF A SILVER DOLLAR AND STAMPED WITH THAT SOLDIER'S NAME AND RANK.
BUT WHAT ABOUT SERIAL NUMBER?
BY 1918, DURING WORLD WAR I, THE ARMY WAS OVERWHELMED WITH SOLDIERS WHO HAD THE SAME NAME, SO THEY ISSUED EACH MAN A SERVICE NUMBER.
THE FIRST, NUMBER ONE, WENT TO ARTHUR B. CREAN, A MASTER SERGEANT FROM CHICAGO.
BY WORLD WAR II, THE SHAPE OF THE TAGS HAD CHANGED FROM A ROUND DISK TO AN OVAL.
THEY WERE GIVEN THE NICKNAME DOG TAGS.
SOME SAY IT'S BECAUSE THEY LOOKED LIKE THE TAGS GIVEN TO ANIMALS.
OTHERS INSIST THEY REMINDED SOLDIERS THEY LIVED A DOG'S LIFE.
LET YOUR MYSTERY UNLOCK AMERICAN HISTORY.
YOU KNOW, AT HISTORY DETECTIVES, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THAT NEXT GREAT CASE, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
THE CRITERIA IS SIMPLE.
THE MYSTERY MUST BE CONNECTED TO AN OBJECT.
[ playing quick, random notes ] AND THE OBJECT HAS TO BE TIED TO AMERICAN HISTORY.
TO SUBMIT YOUR CASE, GO TO HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org, THEN CLICK "SUBMIT YOUR STORY."