Finding Aid - Peabody Essex Museum

MH 31 James Armstrong Papers
capture of the barrier forts near Canton in 1856. In September 1860, Captain Armstrong was
appointed commander of the navy yard at Pensacola (Warrington), Florida. On January 13, 1861, he
surrendered the facility without resistance to a force of militia from Florida and Alabama. For this
action he was court-martialed and relieved of duty for a period of five years. In 1866, he was
promoted to commodore.
Armstrong married Hannah Crowninshield (1789-1834) on March 29, 1819, in the
Crowninshield house in Salem, Massachusetts where the Reverend William Bentley resided. Hannah
was a talented portrait painter; she died at age 45 on May 4, 1834. Armstrong married Elizabeth
Crowninshield (1794-1870), Hannah’s sister, in 1836. Armstrong did not have any children. He died
on August 27, 1868. He was buried at Harmony Grove Cemetery, in Salem.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The James Armstrong Papers include correspondence, log books, order books, court-martial
papers, personal papers, and financial records created by James Armstrong throughout his career in
the United States Navy. This collection is arranged into four series.
Series I. Early Naval Career Papers include a personal liberty pass and prisoner of war
certificate issued to Armstrong while a British prisoner during the War of 1812, papers related to
changes of command and Armstrong’s appointment as commander of the East Indies and China Sea
Squadron, correspondence, and the book, Vedute Antiche, accompanied by handwritten notes.
Series II. China and the Second Opium War Papers include correspondence, letter books,
and order and survey books from the U. S. Flag Ship San Jacinto. The bulk of this series is
correspondence and letter books, arranged chronologically. Two letter books were separated because
of preservation issues and these letters have been arranged chronologically with the rest of the loose
correspondence. Early correspondence is related to the activities of vessels and officers under
Armstrong’s command, hostilities between Britain and the Chinese in the vicinity of Canton, the
protection of American business interests in the area, and the capture of the Barrier Forts at Canton
in 1856. Armstrong corresponded with various American and foreign consular representatives,
including United States Consuls Oliver H. Perry, Henry P. Blanchard, and Caleb Jones, and United
States Commissioner Peter Parker. These letters relate primarily to pending United States and China
treaty revisions and potential Chinese attacks against foreign vessels moored in the waters near
Canton. Later correspondence relates to Armstrong’s decision to relieve himself of duty due to
illness, and the order of Fleet Surgeon Maxwell Wood to accompany him back to the United States.
The Navy Department disallowed Armstrong’s claim and reprimanded him for ordering Wood back
to the United States. There is also one folder containing copies of correspondence of Commander
Andrew H. Foote, master of the U. S. Steam Frigate Portsmouth, and a colleague of Armstrong’s.
Series III. Pensacola Navy Yard and Court-Martial Papers include correspondence and
court papers related to Armstrong’s appointment as commander of the Pensacola, Florida navy base,
his surrender of the facility to the Florida militia in January 1861, and his subsequent court-martial.
Correspondence includes communications with Secretary of the Navy, Isaac Toucey, general orders
regarding the operation of the Pensacola Navy Yard, and a description of the surrender of the
Pensacola Navy Yard to the Florida State militia in January, 1861. Court-martial documents include
the official charges against Armstrong, depositions of witnesses, a transcript of the evidence
presented at the court-martial, and correspondence with Armstrong’s defense counsel, P. Phillips.
Series IV. Personal Papers include correspondence, photographs, and financial records.
This series is divided into two subseries. Subseries A. Correspondence and Notes include letters to
Hannah Armstrong while Armstrong was on assignment in Gibraltar, letters from Armstrong’s
brother William discussing the court-martial, and a letter from Armstrong’s mother, Elizabeth
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©2012, Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum