Offered Here:

The 1855 Key to the Solar Compass by William A Burt.
 
The 1855 Key to the Solar Compass is a very special book. Burt's Solar Compass was the required surveying instrument for many of the public land surveys in the Western half of the United States. As the popularity of solar compasses grew, William A Burt (the inventor of the Solar Compass and author of the book) was frequently asked for information on how to use a solar compass. Burt authored the book to answer all the questions and provide Deputy Surveyors with insights that Burt had acquired over his many years of surveying public lands.  The 1855 Key was the first book that provided surveyors with the information they needed to use a solar compass competently.
  
This book has a much more important story to tell than just surveying, however. This book witnessed one of the most important events in American history - the end of the Civil War.

The notation on the first free leaf:

Presented to St. M. F. Maury With the respects of the Author

M. F. Maury is unquestionably Matthew Fontaine Maury. Matthew was the Superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory and Hydrographical Office from 1854 to 1861. Maury was nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas" and "Father of Modern Oceanography and Naval Meteorology" and later, "Scientist of the Seas" for his extensive works in his books, especially The Physical Geography of the Sea (1855), the first such extensive and comprehensive book on oceanography to be published. Maury made many important new contributions to charting winds and ocean currents, including ocean lanes for passing ships at sea.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Maury (a Virginian) resigned his commission from the US Navy and joined the Confederacy. He spent a considerable amount of time in Europe during the war, and helped acquire a ship, the CSS Georgia, for the Confederacy. Please see the lengthy Wikipedia write-up on Maury for more details.

The second front free leaf is signed:

R. L. Maury

This must be Matthew Maury's son, Richard Launcelot Maury.

According to online sources, Richard Maury fought bravely for the Confederacy throughout the Civil Way, and was wounded a number of time while reaching the rank of Colonel. According to one online source, Richard was in Richmond VA in April 1865 right before the Union Army entered the city.

The final front free leaf of the book leaves one speechless when you figured out the who, when and where:

Stephen P. Jocelyn
1st Lt. 115 U.S.C Infantry
Richmond, VA
April 3rd 1865

The Union Army finally battled its way into the Confederate Capitol of Richmond VA on April 3, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. (Lee formally surrendered at Appomattox on April 9, 1865).

The 115the Regiment was a Colored Infantry Regiment. General Grant no doubt was was trying to humiliate the South by having a Colored Regiment lead the way into the Confederate Capitol.

Stephen Jocelyn was a white officer and company commander in the Colored Regiment, and apparently came across this book on the day his company entered the Confederate Capitol. Official sources definitely place Jocelyn in Richmond VA on April 3, 1865.

Jocelyn would later serve in the U. S. Army for most of his life, fighting in many theaters during a long and distinguished career. At the end of his career, Jocelyn was a Member of the General Staff U.S. Army and chief of staff Pacific Division, and ultimately retired as a Brigadier General.

This book takes you back in time, to one of the most important events in our country's history, in a way that almost no other book can.

Condition of the Book:

1855 Solar Compass Key
Very nice shape.  Lightly used.  Re-dyed cover, although the cover is pretty stiff.


Price: SOLD
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