Charles Wilkes

Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer and explorer. He is particularly noted for his 1838–1842 Pacific expedition as well as for his role in the Trent Affair during the Civil War.

The South Seas expedition

In 1838, Wilkes was appointed to command an exploring and surveying expedition in the Southern Seas, authorized by Congress in 1836. The United States Exploring Expedition, commonly known as the Wilkes Expedition, included naturalists, botanists, a mineralogist, taxidermists and a philologist, and was carried by the sloops-of-war Vincennes (780 tons) and Peacock (650 tons), the brig Porpoise (230 tons), the store-ship Relief, and two tenders, Sea Gull (110 tons) and Flying Fish (96 tons).

Related Topics:
1838 - Congress - 1836 - United States Exploring Expedition - Naturalist - Botanist - Mineralogist - Taxidermist - Philologist - Sloops-of-war - ''Vincennes'' - ''Peacock'' - Brig - ''Porpoise'' - ''Relief'' - ''Sea Gull'' - ''Flying Fish''

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Leaving Hampton Roads on August 18, 1838, it stopped at the Madeira Islands and Rio de Janeiro; visited Tierra del Fuego, Chile, Peru, the Tuamotu Archipelago, Samoa, and New South Wales; from Sydney sailed into the Antarctic Ocean in December 1839 and reported the discovery "of an Antarctic continent west of the Balleny Islands"; visited Fiji and the Hawaiian Islands in 1840, explored the west coast of the United States, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, the Columbia River, San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento River, in 1841, and returned by way of the Philippines, the Sulu Archipelago, Borneo, Singapore, Polynesia and the Cape of Good Hope, reaching New York on June 10, 1842.

Related Topics:
Hampton Roads - August 18 - 1838 - Madeira Islands - Rio de Janeiro - Tierra del Fuego - Chile - Peru - Tuamotu - Samoa - New South Wales - Sydney - Antarctic Ocean - 1839 - Balleny Islands - Fiji - Hawaiian Islands - 1840 - Strait of Juan de Fuca - Puget Sound - Columbia River - San Francisco Bay - Sacramento River - 1841 - Philippines - Sulu Archipelago - Borneo - Singapore - Polynesia - Cape of Good Hope - June 10 - 1842

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Wilkes was court-martialled on his return, but was acquitted on all charges except that of illegally punishing men in his squadron. For a short time he was attached to the Coast Survey, but from 1844 to 1861 he was chiefly engaged in preparing the report of the expedition. Twenty-eight volumes were planned but only nineteen were published. Of these Wilkes wrote the Narrative (1845) and the volumes Hydrography and Meteorology (1851). The Narrative contains much interesting material concerning the manners and customs and political and economic conditions in many places then little known. Other valuable contributions were the three reports of James Dwight Dana on Zoophytes (1846), Geology (1849) and Crustacea (1852-1854).

Related Topics:
Court-martial - 1844 - 1861 - 1845 - Hydrography - Meteorology - 1851 - James Dwight Dana - Zoophyte - Geology - Crustacea

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In addition to many shorter articles and reports, Wilkes published the major scientific works Western America, including California and Oregon (1849) and Theory of the Winds (1856).

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