Scope and Content Note
The papers of Bladen Dulany (1792-1856) span the years 1817-1855, with the bulk of the material falling in the period 1851-1854. They consist of journals, a letterbook, official correspondence, orders to duty, bills, receipts and inventories, and printed matter.
The papers are concerned primarily with Dulany’s duty as commander of the Pacific Squadron from 1852 to 1855. Extensive official correspondence consists of original letters as well as copies of letters sent and received. Prominent among Dulany’s correspondents are Augustus Ludlow Case, John Randolph Clay, Edmund Ross Colhoun, William Montgomery Crane, Jefferson Davis, Thomas A. Dornin, William A. Graham, William A. Harris, William W. Hunter, John Pendleton Kennedy, Charles S. McCauley, William D. Salter, Luther Severance, Solomon Sharp, William A. Sinclair, Waters Smith, Thomas William Ward, Philo White, and John Brown Williams.
Among the subjects documented in the papers are Dulany’s investigation of the duel between Samuel W. Downing and Thomas Smith at Gibraltar in 1820; correspondence with George Bancroft concerning Dulany’s furloughs; and Dulany’s tour of duty as commander of the South Pacific Squadron during which time he had to deal with such matters as Peru’s territorial claims to the Chincha Islands; harassment of American traders, merchants, and seamen by Chilean, Peruvian, and Mexican government officials; a proposal that the United States annex the Hawaiian Islands; and the United States State Department’s request for the squadron to assist the British in the search for Benjamin Boyd at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.