prarie

According to the official military historians: "1912 Cuba A negro uprising, organized by the “Independientes de Color”, occurred in Cuba during May, 1912, assumed such proportions that on the 23rd of May the Navy Department ordered marines to the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. U.S.S. Prairie and U.S.S. Paducah A provisional brigade of marines consisting of 69 officers and 2,008 enlisted men, under the command of Colonel Lincoln Karmany, U.S.M.C., was assembled at Philadelphia, Pa., and Norfolk, Va., for temporary foreign tropical shore service. The First Regiment, consisting of 29 officers and 756 men under the command of Colonel George Barnett, U.S.M.C., embarked on board the U.S.S. Prairie, at Philadelphia, Pa., and sailed on May 23, 1912, for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the U.S.S. Praire arrived on May 28, 1912, and the regiment disembarked, less Company A, and went into camp." www.history.navy.mil/library/online/haiti_list_exp.htm#1911

If this is from the same photo shoot as the LoC photo titled "Boston Marines going on PRAIRIE" (photo dated 3/11), then the following excerpt from "A History of the 1st Marines," by Maj John H Johnstone, probably tells us what's going on: "The 1st Regiment, 1st Provisional Brigade, was organized aboard the USS PRAIRIE on 8 March 1911 for temporary foreign shore service in Cuba. Actually, this maneuver was designed as a show of force to dissuade Mexican rebel activities near the border of the United States. The Marine Corps, having demonstrated its readiness and ability to move quickly from either coast to troubled areas, returned the regiment to Philadelphia by 22 June with the knowledge that it could be readily mobilized if again needed." A reader of Brainiac (my column/blog in/for the Boston Globe's Ideas section) sent the excerpt. Here's a blog entry dedicated to guesses about the other photo.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Prairie_(AD-5)

this may be part of the same operation headed to cuba described in a comment under www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163505442/in/p...

If this is the Spanish American War ("Remember the Maine!" I notice that the LoC has a number of photos of the Maine's wreckage), the dates are off. Should be 1898.

No, I think the picture is correctly dated March, 1911, when troops and ships were being massed to put up a show of arms toward Mexico and the revolutionaries there.

A reader of the Boston Globe's Ideas section, where I published this photo last Sunday, sent along this excerpt from "A History of the 1st Marines," by Maj John H Johnstone. It confirms your point, Artolog. "The 1st Regiment, 1st Provisional Brigade, was organized aboard the USS PRAIRIE on 8 March 1911 for temporary foreign shore service in Cuba. Actually, this maneuver was designed as a show of force to dissuade Mexican rebel activities near the border of the United States. The Marine Corps, having demonstrated its readiness and ability to move quickly from either coast to troubled areas, returned the regiment to Philadelphia by 22 June with the knowledge that it could be readily mobilized if again needed."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Prairie_(AD-5)

www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/pietown.html?c... Great article with the history of Pie Town inspired by these photographs.

This is the same image as #5 at page 55. Catalog number is the same for both images. This image appears to have the more accurate description.

JohnInKansas, Thanks for spotting this and for providing the reference information. We've replaced the incorrect image at page 55 with a black-and-white copy of the correct view. We'll try to get the correct color slide uploaded soon.

Amazing to see this. What a world we live in, that we can look back in time like this. We are most fortunate.

Wow, the horses looked so much better back then. Nice lateral clearance on that horse on the left. Beautiful picture, im glad that they are on display =)

This is something I would have loved to see with my own eyes.

what a beautiful vision

What is really amazing is that the white men were the real savages.