Abner Doubleday
A Union general who fired the first defensive shot of the Civil War and later became entangled in the myth of baseball's invention.
1819–1893 (age 74)·Union Army general·Birthday: June 26
Biography
Abner Doubleday's historical footprint is a curious blend of verified military service and enduring, if inaccurate, folklore. Born in 1819 in Ballston Spa, New York, he was a career U.S. Army officer and a West Point graduate. His moment in history arrived on April 12, 1861, when, as a captain at Fort Sumter, he was given the honor of firing the first cannon shot in defense of the fort, marking the opening engagement of the Civil War. He rose to the rank of major general, commanding divisions at Second Bull Run and Antietam. At Gettysburg, he briefly commanded the I Corps after General John Reynolds was killed, helping to stabilize the Union left on the first day, though he was controversially relieved by General Meade. After the war, he patented a design for a cable car railway in San Francisco. He spent his final years in New Jersey as a prominent Theosophist. Despite his solid military record, Doubleday is most widely, and incorrectly, remembered due to a 1907 commission's report that credited him with inventing baseball in Cooperstown, New York—a myth he never promoted himself.
#1 When Abner Was Born
The biggest hits of 1819
Abner's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1819Born
1824Started school
1832Became a teenager
1835Could drive
1837Could vote
1840Turned 21
1849Turned 30
1859Turned 40
1869Turned 50
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 60
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1889Turned 70
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1893Died at 74
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
Key Achievements
- Fired the first defensive shot for the Union at the Battle of Fort Sumter, beginning the Civil War.
- Commanded a division at the Battle of Antietam and briefly led the I Corps at the Battle of Gettysburg.
- Received a U.S. patent for the cable car railway system in San Francisco in 1871.
- Served as president of the Theosophical Society from 1879 until his death in 1893.
Did You Know?
He was a lifelong student of military strategy and authored several books on the subject.
Doubleday never claimed to have invented baseball, and historians agree he had nothing to do with it.
He was the first to witness the 'telegraphic signal' sent by Abraham Lincoln on May 24, 1844.
The Doubleday Field baseball stadium in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, is named for him due to the disproven myth.
“The first shot was fired, and I gave the order to fire back.”
