July 15 is the 196th day of the Gregorian Calendar year, Sweetmorn, Confusion 50, 3185 YOLD (discordian), And let us not forget 13.0.6.11.17 by the Mayan Long Count
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Dunno much about Mistah Zebulon Pike, and less abut his crew, but they sallied forth from Fort Bellefontaine on this day 1n 1806 to "explore the west", or, more correctly to ascertain what it was that Jefferson bought with his Louisiana Purchase. At least, that's the official story. They were a military expedition, just in case somebody didn't feel overmuch like being "explored". One the way, they spotted but failed to summit "Pike's Peak".It seems that they informed assorted Indian tribes that they were now ruled by the US, no doubt pleasing them greatly, and managed to get seriously lost as well. Not lost as in "geez boss, where are we?" but lost as in "well my, my, my, looks we're down in "Mexico" guys." Keep in mind that this wasn't exactly Terra Incognita that they were "exploring", Indians were still present in moderate numbers, along with assorted trappers and such, and it had been explored by the Spanish and French starting some 200 years earlier.I'll let the wiki, an often reliable source of official narratives, tell the tale. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_Expedition)
Pike's company made several errors and ended up in Spanish territory in present-day Southern Colorado, where the Americans built a fort to survive the winter. Captured by the Spanish and taken into Mexico in February, their travels through present-day New Mexico, Mexico, and Texas provided Pike with important data about Spanish military strength and civilian populations. Although he and most of his men were released because the nations were not at war, some of his soldiers were held in Mexican prisons for years, despite US objections.and, further on:
Pike next intended to travel to the headwaters of the Red River and head downstream to the Mississippi and relative safety in the lowlands. But, the company had gotten confused in its bearings, and they made several blundering steps trying to find the river. They were not equipped for a mountain expedition, nor for hard winter weather. Heading north, the party found the South Fork of the Platte River and, following it upstream, came to what they thought were the headwaters of the Red. Turning back downstream, they returned to the point at which they had left the Arkansas originally. They had executed a large loop, taking weeks of precious travel time. Hungry, cold, and exhausted, the party headed south over the mountains. Several men were left behind as they dropped from fatigue, but Pike doggedly pressed on. By January 30, he and the ten men still with him came to the Rio Grande at a point near Alamosa in present-day southern Colorado and then part of the Spanish empire. Pike mistook the Rio Grande for the Red River he had been seeking. Here, he built a fort and attempted to collect the rest of his men, who were strewn across miles of mountains behind him.Mandatory digression uno: The magnetic compass was invented at least as early as 206 BCE by the Chinese but its first recorded use in Europe and the Islamic world didn't occur until around 1190 CE. It was, nontheless, de rigeur for "explorers" by the 1800s.
- Mandatory digression dos: The southwestern boundary of the Louisiana Purchase flirted with the Tejas-Oklahoma border, but ran through and included most of the Tejas panhandle before turning north in NE New Mexico. However, in every treaty addressing this "parcel", including the one wherein Spain ceded it back to France just weeks before the purchase that border was somewhat ill defined. Team Jefferson, oddly enough, held that it should be the Rio Grande, where by magikal coincidence, Pike and crew wound up and built their fort after the miraculous failure of both their early magnetic GPS and Polaris, the pole star, to give them any clue as to their whereabouts and direction of travel. It is amazing how often these freaky coincidences occur whenever the US is involved in, a party to, or part of something, truly amazing.
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Narrative crushing quibble the first: They were not "Captured by the Spanish and taken into Mexico..."; Mexico did not exist in 1806. Pike's army detachment invaded Nuevo España, which lasted until the Grito de Dolores on 09-16-1810. Nuevo España was intimately aware of the parcel in question and its historical presumptive borders and was probably being apprised of Pike's wanderings by locals and possibly scouts. They were, after all, not all that far from Santa Fe, founded in 1610 and most likely very interested in US army troops wandering around in their neighborhood. The responsible parties on at least the Spanish side may be presumed to have been very well versed in cartography, the use of the compass, the basics of celestial navigation and time keeping, etc. For the record: Nuevo España was home to the first printing shop, first university, first public park, and first public library in the Americas, all dating from the 1500s except the library which dates to 1646. It was a prime colony of one of the greatest empires in history, which, as it faded was being brought into Napolean Bonaparte's hegemony. Its governance was in the hands of folks not easily fooled, swindled or robbed.
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Bout those prisoners: It seems hardly likely that the government of Nuevo España, after capturing Pike and his troops and discussing things with the US, would release all but a few and hold some seemingly random selection on a whim or somesuch. By the official narrative, all of the troops were hungry and there were stragglers. Soldiers during the era at issue relied heavily upon foraging, especially when the supply train was outrun. It is virtually certain that there were foragers, both among the stragglers, and official foraging details sent out under orders. It is more than likely that some such incidents would've qualified as depradations upon the locals insofar as the troops were in a foreign country subject to foreign dominion and control. -
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Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift, look out kid, ...
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On this day in history:
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1799 – The Rosetta Stone was found which then became a key to translating Egytian hieroglyphics 1806 – The Pike expedition set forth, putatively to "explore" parts of the Louisiana purchase. 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte surrendered. 1834 – The Spanish Inquisition was officially disbanded after over 350 years, heh, wink, wink, nudge, nudge. 2003 – AOL Time Warner disbanded Netscape. The Mozilla Foundation was established on the same day.
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Born this day in: 1606 – Rembrandt, painter 1796 – Thomas Bulfinch, mythologist 1858 – Emmeline Pankhurst, political activist and suffragist 1919 – Iris Murdoch, novelist and philosopher 1930 – Jacques Derrida, philosopher 1944 – Millie Jackson, singer and songwriter 1945 – Peter Lewis, singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1946 – Linda Ronstadt, singer, songwriter, producer, and actress 1947 – Roky Erickson, singer, songwriter, and musician 1951 – Gregory Isaacs, singer and songwriter 1952 – Marky Ramone, drummer and songwriter 1956 – Joe Satriani, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
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Died this day in: 1015 – Vladimir the Great, Grand prince of Kievan Rus' 1904 – Anton Chekhov, playwright and short story writer 1982 – Bill Justis, saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
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Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: Feast of Vladimir the Great (Eastern Orthodox; Catholic Church)
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Music goes here, iirc, well,
So, Justice for all, right?
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The Spanish word for beutiful is Linda, and her voice certainly was. I suspect that she will get the rest of the air time, and, in honor of Captain Pike's brief stay in Neuvo España,maybe some from Canciones de mi Padre --
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willin'
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something different
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La Cigarra
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desperado
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so pitiful
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Y Andale
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when
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Los Laureles
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long long time
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mariachi static on the radio
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whose radio?
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Image is summit of Pike's Peak
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It's an open thread, so do your thing
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Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com