- Joined
- Mar 1, 2019
This arcane subject fascinated me enough to research and write an essay about it. This seems as good a place to publish it as any, and I would welcome feedback of any and all kinds. My own conclusions differ from several folks I very much respect: e.g. Gary Joiner.
Pittsburg/h was one of the city-class ironclads built by James Buchanan Eads for the Western Gunboat Flotilla (later called the Mississippi Squadron), and had a notable naval history, including engagements at Fort Donelson, Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, and the Red River Expedition. But scholars still argue about how its name should be spelled. As I discovered, the issue seems to turn on the rather quirky subject of burg/burgh place names in 19th-century America, in which Washington bureaucrats with too much time on their hands became deeply invested.
Pittsburg/h was one of the city-class ironclads built by James Buchanan Eads for the Western Gunboat Flotilla (later called the Mississippi Squadron), and had a notable naval history, including engagements at Fort Donelson, Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, and the Red River Expedition. But scholars still argue about how its name should be spelled. As I discovered, the issue seems to turn on the rather quirky subject of burg/burgh place names in 19th-century America, in which Washington bureaucrats with too much time on their hands became deeply invested.