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From: "Shirley A. Weber" <>
Subject: Our Alcoholic Ancestors
Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 19:44:41 -0800


Read this article many years ago and kept it as I found it hard to
believe. The article appeared in the Washington Post and was picked up
by a local paper THE BENTON COUNTY ENTERPRISE, January 26, 1967. The
paper was published in the town of Warsaw, Missouri.

Harold Peterson, chief curator of the National Park Service, gave a
lecture at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. One tidbit may give us more
insight into our ancestors habits.

Apparently a little cup now and then didn't impair the efficiency of
the Revolutionary navy, if the following story related by Peterson is to
be believed:
On August 23, 1779, the USS Constitution set sail from Boston loaded
with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of fresh water, 74,000 cannon
shot, 11,500 pounds of black powder and 79,00 gallons of rum. Her
mission: To destroy and harass English shipping.

On October 6, she made Jamaica, took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300
gallons of rum. Three weeks later, the Constitution reached the Azores,
where she provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 64,300 gallons of
Portuguese wine.

On November 18, the ship set sail for England, where her crew captured
and scuttled 12 English merchant vessels and took aboard their rum.
But the Constitution had run out of shot, and she made her way unarmed
up the Firth of Clyde for a night raid. Nonetheless her landing party
captured a whisky distillery, transferred 40,000 gallons aboard and
headed for home.

On February 20 1780, Peterson continued, the Constitution arrived in
Boston with no cannon, no shot, no food, no powder, no rum, no whisky
and 48,600 gallons of water.

Cheers---Shirley

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