Joshism
Captain
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
- Location
- Jupiter, FL
Dr. James Alexander Henshall (1836-1925) was born, raised, and educated in Baltimore, Maryland. He moved with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio as a teenager but returned later to Baltimore to earn his medical degree. Describing himself as sympathetic to the South, but not supportive of the Confederacy he volunteered as an assistant surgeon for a 90-day Union regiment in Ohio, but the regiment was disbanded due to the change to 3-month enlistments. During most of the American Civil War he was a civilian doctor in Cynthiana, Kentucky (north of Lexington). He subsequently practiced medicine in New York City and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin before returning to Cincinnati on and off.
During his lifetime he made several winter trips to Florida, the first two of which were compiled and published as Camping and Cruising in Florida. Henshall subsequently became a friend and travel companion of Judge Nicholas Longworth, future son-in-law of Theodore Roosevelt. His greatest interest in life, besides traveling, was fish and fishing, particular black bass. He wrote several books about fishing, most notably Book of the Black Bass. He spent 20 years supervising US Fish Commission fish hatcheries in Bozeman, MT and Tupelo, MS.
After retiring in 1917, Dr. Henshall penned a series of 27 autobiographical articles for Forest & Stream magazine that were published 1919-1921. He worked to edit the articles for subsequent publication as a book, but was hindered by failing eyesight. The autobiography was never published and his revised manuscript probably lost, but in 2008 the original magazine articles were compiled and published with an Introduction and Annotations (as Endnotes), but unfortunately no Index. The 2nd Edition adds an Epilogue with information about the autobiography's troubled history.
Having just finished reading this book and finding that, according to the search, Henshall's name has never before been mentioned on these forums, I thought I would share some of the Civil War related material covered in the book in this thread (more posts to follow).
During his lifetime he made several winter trips to Florida, the first two of which were compiled and published as Camping and Cruising in Florida. Henshall subsequently became a friend and travel companion of Judge Nicholas Longworth, future son-in-law of Theodore Roosevelt. His greatest interest in life, besides traveling, was fish and fishing, particular black bass. He wrote several books about fishing, most notably Book of the Black Bass. He spent 20 years supervising US Fish Commission fish hatcheries in Bozeman, MT and Tupelo, MS.
After retiring in 1917, Dr. Henshall penned a series of 27 autobiographical articles for Forest & Stream magazine that were published 1919-1921. He worked to edit the articles for subsequent publication as a book, but was hindered by failing eyesight. The autobiography was never published and his revised manuscript probably lost, but in 2008 the original magazine articles were compiled and published with an Introduction and Annotations (as Endnotes), but unfortunately no Index. The 2nd Edition adds an Epilogue with information about the autobiography's troubled history.
Having just finished reading this book and finding that, according to the search, Henshall's name has never before been mentioned on these forums, I thought I would share some of the Civil War related material covered in the book in this thread (more posts to follow).