When I arrived in Washington (actually, Ronald Reagan Airport), I hopped on the Metro and went to the National Archives. It had just reclosed
and a couple of things I wanted to research would have to wait. Plan 2 called for going off to the Library of Congress which done with all speed (considering I was carrying at least 30 pounds on my back since I wouldn't reached my abode on the East Coast until the evening). Thankfully the Library of Congress (like the National Archives) has a place to drop off all your personal belongings (you may bring in a notebook computer but no paper - they provide the latter). I found quite a few items but for one I had to check the copyright to ensure that it wasn't renewed (it wasn't).
On Saturday I ran around with some friends there and even saw Spamalot. Finally figured out that dread French taunt, "You silly English Ka-neg-gits" meant "You silly English Knights."
Went briefly to the American History Museum to see if they corrected a gun exhibit which I informed them was incorrectly labelled. Well, the entire exhibit was gone with the wind (thanks to remodelling) so that's taken care of. Afterwards I went to the Natural History Museum and was delighted to find a Lewis & Clark exhibit there. They had an airgun which wasn't
the Lewis & Clark airgun. It was more along the lines of a Girandoni (think Austro-Hungarian military repeater airgun). A docent heard me describe the airgun and then engaged me conversation about airguns of the period. Thanks to my research, I could speak authoritively on it (see Chapter 3 when it comes out).
On Sunday, I visited the Smithsonian's American Indian Museum. They have quite a nice collection of guns there including Geronimo's, Chief Joseph, one hobbled together by an Indian gunsmith and some modern guns like the M-16A1 and the German G-3 (how did that get there?). More importantly, they had a lot of pipe tomahawks on display (yay!) but some of the exhibit drawers couldn't be opened all the way.
I wish they had more exhibit space so that more tribes could participate (some are permanent displays and others are rotated with guest curators from a particular tribe). After that museum, I went to the Renwick Gallery and had to walk by the Whitehouse (of all the times I've been to D. C., this was the first time I walked by that place). Two whole protestors out there. Yawn.
Wanted to see the Grant Wood painting, American Gothic, but it had returned to Chicago. His dentist posed for the father and his sister Nan for the spinster daughter (and her face isn't as pinced as in the painting).
Monday was back to the Library of Congress where I found a pamphlet that I didn't have time to fish out on Friday. It was by a key player and I'm grateful to say that of that topic, NOTHING was learned. That confirmed that my research in that area was exhaustive.
I barely got back to Ronald Reagan to catch my flight home.
Anyway, today I went to Duncan Mills in CA to see Civil War Days. It was fun to speak with a lot of reenactors and see their toys. Enough rambling. Now, here's our bedtime story:
“[A] detachment under First Sergt. Barrett was sent across the ‘Nine-mile Road’ to look after a part of the regular picket line, where several of our infantry men had been shot. Locating the enemy’s position, four of our Sharpshooters deployed, two on each side of the road, and advanced carefully through the brush some 200 yards where they lay quietly watching for further developments; but seeing or hearing nothing they rigged up a stick with a hat and coat, and shoved it out across the roadway, when instantly a report was heard and a bullet passed through the coat. The puff of smoke seeming to issue from the center of a tree 100 yards distant, the Sharpshooters then crawled forward to either side of the road, keeping under cover as much as possible, firing at the right and left side of the tree, the result being of a very damaging character to the concealed Johnny, he receiving his quietus. The company was frequently called on to perform service of this kind, to locate lurking foes and silence their guns.”