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Bushnell, David (1740-1826) [Army return]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.02569 Author/Creator: Bushnell, David (1740-1826) Place Written: s.l. Type: Manuscript document signed Date: 26 September 1783 Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 21.5 x 32.8 cm.

Summary of Content: Return for the corps of sappers and miners at Constitution Island, New York.

Background Information: David Bushnell built the first man-propelled submarine boat, called the "American Turtle." It featured a wooden magazine containing gunpowder and a clock mechanism for igniting it at any particular time. ...Although he was not successful in his attempts to destroy British ships during the American Revolution, he is recognized as the father of the modern submarine. While it could not be definitively confirmed that the writer of this document is the same Bushnell as the inventor of the submarine, it appears likely, as the inventor served as Captain of a corps of sappers and miners during the Revolution. David Bushnell's birth date appears as 1740 in most sources. His death date appears as either 1824 or 1826.See More

People: Bushnell, David, 1740-1826

Historical Era: The New Nation, 1783-1815

Subjects: Muster Rolls and ReturnsMilitary HistoryContinental ArmyScience and Technology

Sub Era: Creating a New Government

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