April 16, 2021
Charles Lanman Green (1841-1922)
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As you pass a historical house do you wonder about who has lived there and what their life was like? Thanks to Friends' supporter, David Lake, this week's Musings from Main will answer these questions for one of the more familiar historic houses located on the south end of Main Street, "The Ponderosa."
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Who is this man in his Navy dress uniform? Hint: he lived in the house commonly referred to as "The Ponderosa" on Main Street.
No, it is not Commodore Green. But you are close. It’s his oldest son, Charles Lanman Green. Charles was born in South Windsor in 1841. The house on Main Street (pictured below circa. 1940), was designed for the Green family by the noted architect Alexander Jackson Davis. The family moved into their new home in 1851. |
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Charles left home in 1860 at age 19 to intern as an office clerk in New York City. When the Civil War began, he returned home in 1861 to become the shipboard secretary to his father, Commodore Green, who captained the sloop Jamestown on blockade duty off the North Carolina and Florida coasts. When his father relinquished that command for health reasons in 1862, Charles began medical school in New York City. |
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(Above) "The United States Sloop of War 'Jamestown' driving the 'Alvarado' Ashore, near Fernandina, Florida." U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph, NH 58885 - Naval History and Heritage |
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Interrupting his studies, Charles joined the Pennsylvania Volunteers in 1863 as a medical doctor (then called surgeon). He only served for about 90 days because his unit was disbanded after the Battle of Gettysburg when General Lee retreated across the Potomac to Virginia and the immediate threat to Pennsylvania ended.
Charles returned to New York City to complete medical school. Upon graduating in 1864, he became a surgeon in the U.S. Navy. He served on a number of Civil War vessels, including the USS Arizona. In 1865, the Arizona caught fire and sank in the Mississippi River after its magazine exploded. In a perilous escape, Charles swam to safety in the dark of night. |
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Charles’ naval career continued after the war. In 1866-67, he was surgeon on the Miantonomoh, the first ironclad to cross the Atlantic on a 17,000-mile journey to the world’s major ports. Its mission was to show off the might of the U.S. Navy while assessing the capabilities of the other sea-going powers. The ship was received with fanfare at every port, and the officers were lavishly entertained by the local royalty and first citizens. Charles kept his perspective, noting brashly in his diary that their hosts “must recollect that we are all Lords and Ladies in the United States, and do not consider them our superiors in any respect.”
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Charles’ final duty station was aboard the Nipsic where he crossed swords with a contentious captain over the captain’s treatment of his crew.
While the ship was stationed off the coast of Panama in 1869, the captain ordered Charles to remove an injured seaman from the “sick list” so he could be returned to deck duty chipping paint in the hot sun. Charles refused on medical grounds and was court-martialed for disobeying orders. His ten-day trial at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. was a cause célèbre, pitting the medical profession again the old guard admirals. Can you guess the outcome?
-David Lake- |
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(Above) "This ship is either Nipsic (1863-1873) in her configuration of 1869-1873, or Yantic (1864-1929) in her configuration of 1872-1897. Nipsic was rebuilt at the Washington Navy Yard in 1869"-courtesy of
Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 45212 |
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The Rest of the Story
Thanks to David for this installment of Musings on the Main. It’s a preview of his biography of Charles Lanman Green that is a work in process. His wife Prudence is the great-granddaughter of Charles. David has a trove of source materials, including Civil War diaries and letters, but he is seeking additional information, particularly with respect to Charles’ formative years in South Windsor. If you have pertinent letters, photographs or other information that you are willing to share,
please email David Lake at fdavidlake@gmail.com. |
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Please forward this email to anyone who might have information about Charles Lanman Green. |
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