Title: Rear Admiral Nathan Crook Twining Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1864-1927 (bulk 1885-1924)

Creator:

• Twining, Nathan Crook, 1869-1924

Call Number: Wis Mss CR

Quantity: 5.0 cubic feet (13 archives boxes and 3 flat boxes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Location:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of Nathan Crook Twining, mostly from 1885 to 1924, a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy. The papers contain correspondence, scrapbooks, journals and log books, and navy reports. The materials cover his career in the Navy including the Spanish-American War, travel around the world with the “Great White Fleet,” World War I and work with the United States Naval War College. Also included is a diary between his father and his father’s first wife kept in 1864 during the American Civil War and genealogical material concerning the Twining family.

Language: English, French, Spanish

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000cr

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

Nathan Crook Twining was born in Boscobel, Wisconsin, January 17, 1869, to Nathan Crook Twining and his second wife, Mary Jane Rennie. His father served during the American Civil War in the 40th Wisconsin Infantry, Company C.

Twining graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1889, and married Caroline Baker the following year. In 1891 he was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy and rose to the permanent rank of Rear Admiral in 1921. During the Spanish-American War he served on the USS Iowa (BB-4). Later he served as the executive officer of the USS Kearsarge (BB-5) when the ship was part of the "Great White Fleet" circumventing the globe. Twining was Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance from June 7, 1911 to October 6, 1913 and during the bombardment of Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1914 he commanded the USS Tacoma (CL-20). During World War I he served as Chief of Staff to Admiral William Sims commanding United States Naval Forces in European waters from 1917 to 1918 as well as serving on the Allied War Council. After the war he commanded the USS Texas (BB-35), 1918-1919; was chief of staff to the commander of the Pacific Fleet, 1919-1921; and served as naval attaché to the U.S. Embassy in London, 1921-1922. Twining retired in early 1923 and died July 4, 1924 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. He is buried with his wife in Arlington Cemetery.

Nathan C. Twining was the uncle of United States Air Force General Nathan F. Twining and United States Marine Corps General Merrill B. Twining, both of whom served during World War II.

In 1943 the destroyer USS Twining was named in his honor.

The papers of Rear Admiral Nathan Crook Twining, mainly from 1885 until his death in 1924, cover much of his career in the United States Navy. The papers are incomplete as some of his papers were lost or destroyed prior to their donation to the Historical Society. Some documents are original materials created by Twining, such as copies of outgoing correspondence and speeches, while other materials were gathered in scrapbooks of his travels and in subject files in connection to the United States Naval War College. His experiences in the Spanish-American War, travel with the “Great White Fleet,” and in World War I are represented in correspondence, scrapbooks, journals and log books, and navy reports. Also included is a small set of materials pertaining to his family.

The Correspondence series is mostly letters from the beginning and the end of Twining’s career. The letters to his brother Clarence Twining written between 1886 and 1917 refer mainly to family and budgetary matters. A few discuss public affairs in which the admiral was involved: preparations for the Spanish-American War and naval battles at San Juan and Santiago, Cuba; Twining’s viewpoint on American expansion (1899); life in the Philippine Islands (1902); his part in plans to prevent ≴flare backs≵ in the firing of naval guns (1907); world politics in the Pacific (1908); conditions in the Bureau of Ordnance which he headed, 1911-1913; President Wilson’s administration; and World War I.

There are also four letters written to “Fritz” between November 1886 and May 1887 which comment on life at the Naval Academy and contain comparisons with student life at the University of Wisconsin and in Monroe, Wisconsin.

Later correspondence dating from 1922 to 1924 includes incoming letters and copies of outgoing letters between Twining and Herman F. Cruntz, Captain Thomas Goddard Frothingham, Commander H.G.S. Wallace, and others. The correspondence with Cruntz includes information on masts, airports and air-travel, and percussion fuses (with diagrams). The correspondence with Frothingham mainly covers Twining’s notes and thoughts on Frothingham’s book on the Navy and World War I, also including typescript drafts of chapters of the book. The correspondence with Wallace concerns Twining’s reviews of published works on the Navy, as well as original works by Twining. Other correspondence concerns the teaching of Naval History, including notes for giving lectures and essays; as well as information on legislation put forth by Theodore Roosevelt, Acting Secretary of the Navy, concerning Twining’s retirement from the Navy because of disability.

The Journals and Logbooks series include private accounts aboard the USS Chicago, the USS Kearsarge, the USS Newark, USS Iowa, USS Philadelphia, and the Rainbow. The log and journal from September 1889 to May 1891, aboard the Chicago, which was used for final examination for promotion, also includes drawings of ports and rough drawings of ships. The journal from 1898 also includes Twining’s account records from June 1895 to October 1897. Also included in this series is an Ordnance Expenditure book with an index to expenditures covering the years 1889 to 1923.

The Scrapbooks, Albums and Ephemera may have been kept by Twining or possibly by his wife Caroline as they contain material after his death in 1924 including items on Charles Lindbergh and Rudolph Valentino. The scrapbooks and albums include: photographs of Twining, his family, friends and colleagues; clippings related to different campaigns, specifically WWI, and Twining’s time in London following the war; photographs of the Pacific Fleet and ports it docked into; and calling cards and invitations.

The World War I Documents include bulletins, orders and memoranda, reports, and statements from a United States Senate Committee. The bulletins, orders and memoranda include circular letters, general bulletins, information bulletins, and other official documents that would go out to naval officers. A report on the Battle of Jutland from 1916 also includes a revised and enlarged report from 1923 that includes blueprint maps on the battle. There is also a report on the fall of the Russian Government with a plan on how to deal with the issue, a report on Convoy H.G. 109 with floor plans of Grosvenor Gardens, and a pamphlet on the USS Melville. The Senate Committee statements concern an investigation into the administration of the Navy during World War I, in specific Admiral Sims’ public criticism on Washington’s conduct, most specifically the Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels. Some of the documents in this series include annotations and corrections, possibly by Twining.

United States Naval War College series include general notes, lectures and speeches given at the college, clippings, maps and charts, and other materials that Twining may have used in his connection to the college. Admiral Sims, whom Twining served as Chief of Staff during WWI, was president of the college before and after the war.

The Subject Files series may also have been compiled in Twining’s connection with the United States Naval War College. This series also includes speeches, pamphlets, articles, maps and charts, on the subjects of aviation and submarines, politics and law, and the Merchant Marines. These materials originally came to the Historical Society sorted in envelopes with subjects. These files may contain information concerning the other series of this collection.

The Family Papers series consists of a diary and a published volume on the Twining family. The diary from 1864 was kept by Twining’s father, Nathan Crook Twining, and his father’s first wife, Phoebe Ann Twining (died January 16, 1866) and mainly details family life and personal events. [It was originally thought that Phoebe Ann Twining was the mother of Admiral Twining, but new evidence has shown that she had passed away three years before his birth.] The published volume, The Twining Family (revised edition): Descendants of William Twining, Sr. of Eastham, Massachusetts, Where he died 1659 (Fort Wayne, Indiana: compiled and published by Thomas Jefferson Twining, 1905), is annotated by the Admiral.

Henry Harrison Twining Civil War letters, 1861-1862 (Wis Mss 154S)

Acquisition Information

The Nathan Crook Twining papers were donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society in 4 parts. In April 1958, Twining’s nephew, Captain Robert B. Twining, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, donated letters from 1888-1917, mostly letters between Nathan and his brother Clarence. A diary written by Twining’s father and his father’s first wife Phoebe was presented by a niece of Twining’s, Mrs. Phoebe Chadwick, of Monroe, Wisconsin, in November 1959. In June 1993 Gary Neuenschwanter of Monroe, Wisconsin, donated a few more letters dated 1886-1887, found in the home of his mother Nelle Neuenschwanter, who was a relative of Admiral Twining. The fourth accession was acquired in March 2013 from David B. Jacobs, from his mother, another relative of the Twinings. This accession comprises the bulk of the collection including scrapbooks, correspondence, journals and logbooks, and navy reports. Accession Number: M93-163, M2013-091

Processing Information

Collection processed by Students in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Summer 2013.

Wis Mss CR	Series: Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   2	Letters to “Fritz,” 1886-1887
Box   1 Folder   3-4	Letters to brother Clarence Twining, 1888-1917
Box   2 Folder   1	Letters between Herman F. Cruntz and Twining, 1923-1924
Box   2 Folder   2-3	Letters between Captain Frothingham and Twining, 1923-1924 Note: Includes typescript copies of chapters of Frothingham’s book.
Box   2 Folder   4	Letters between H.G.S. Wallace, Commander of the U.S. Navy, and Twining, 1923-1924
Box   2 Folder   5	Letters, incoming and outgoing, 1923-1924
Box   2 Folder   6	Legislation concerning retirement, 1922-1923 Note: Specifically in regards to Twining’s retirement.
	Series: Journals and Log Books	⇧
Box   3 Folder   1	Log book and journal, 1889 September 1-1891 May 1 Note: Front of volume includes specifications of USS Chicago, including drawings and hand drawn maps.
Box   3 Folder   2	"A Private Log of the USS Kearsarge, " 1891 August 18-1892 December 6
Box   3 Folder   3	Journal, 1892 December 7-1897 December 31
Box   4 Folder   1	Journal, 1898 Note: In front of volume are Twining’s accounts from June 1, 1895 to October 31, 1897.
Box   3 Folder   4	Journal, 1899 January 1-1900 July 16
Box   3 Folder   5	Logbook, 1901 December 2-1902 July 17
Box   5	Ordnance Expenditure Book, 1889-1923
	Series: Scrapbooks, Albums, and Ephemera	⇧
Box   6 Folder   1	Scrapbook, circa 1885-1904
Box   6 Folder   2	Passports, 1921
Box   7	Scrapbook, circa 1898-circa 1908 Note: Also includes photographs from the 1880s and 1890s of friends and colleagues.
Box   14	Scrapbook, circa 1919-1921 Note: Back of album also includes photographs of Twining at different ages, and of various family members.
Box   8 Folder   1	Scrapbook, circa 1891-1900 Note: Mostly calling cards and invitations laid in an old ledger.
Box   15-16	Scrapbooks, 1914-1916 Note: Clippings concerning the War in Europe pasted into log books.
Box   8 Folder   2	The Pacific Fleet: photo album, 1919 July-1921 July
Box   8 Folder   3	Menus
Box   8 Folder   4	The Pacific Fleet: Cruise to South America: photo album, 1921 January-March Note: Also includes clippings and other information regarding Charles Lindbergh, circa 1927.
Box   8 Folder   5-9	Loose materials
Box   12 Folder   10	Loose clippings, London, 1923-1924
	Series: World War I Documents	⇧
	Subseries: Bulletins, Orders, Memorandum, etc.
Box   9 Folder   1	Admiralty Conferences Memoranda, 1917 December 13-1918 November 22
	Allied Naval Council – Chief of Staff, 1917-1918
Box   9 Folder   2	No. 1-118
Box   9 Folder   3	No. 131-255
Box   9 Folder   4	No. 156-262
Box   10 Folder   1	Circular letters, no. 1-114, 1918
Box   10 Folder   2	Force instructions, no. 1-32, 1917 August-1918 October 23
Box   10 Folder   3	General bulletins, no. 1-23, 1918 October 1-December 7
	Information Bulletins
Box   10 Folder   4	No. 1-57, 1917 December 8-1918 February 28
Box   10 Folder   5	No. 58-124, 1918 March 1-May 30
Box   10 Folder   6	No. 125-231, 1918 June 1-November 7
Box   10 Folder   7	Intelligence Section-Force Commander’s Staff, Monthly Bulletin, no. 1, 1918 September
Box   10 Folder   8	Memorandum from Planning Committee to Chief of Naval Operations, circa 1919
Box   11 Folder   1	Operation Orders and Instructions for Naval Officers, 1917-1918
Box   11 Folder   2	Planning Section-Force Commander’s Staff, Memorandum, No. 41, 1918 August 17
	Subseries: Reports	⇧
Box   11 Folder   3	The Battle of Jutland / by Lieutenant H.H. Frost, U.S. Navy, 1916 November 26 Note: With a “Revised & enlarged June 1923” book of blueprints mapping out the battle.
Box   11 Folder   4	"Summary of the Political Situation in Russia with a Suggested Plan for Dealing with it": photostat, circa 1917
Box   11 Folder   5	Convoy H.G. 109, 1918 September Note: With floor plans of Grosvenor Gardens, United States Naval Department and Force Instructions No. 25. Damage to report obliterates some text.
Box   4 Folder   2	U.S. Naval Forces Operating in European Waters: USS Melville, 1918 September
	Subseries: Naval Conduct in World War I, Senate Committee	⇧
Box   1 Folder   6	"Preliminary Statement of Rear Admiral Sims before Senatorial Committee of Investigation into Naval Conduct of War," 1920 January 7
Box   11 Folder   7	"Statement read before the Subcommittee of the Senate Naval Committee on March 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18, 1920 by Rear Admiral W.S. Sims, President of the Naval War College"
Box   11 Folder   8	Statement of Sims to Senate: printed, circa 1920 Note: With annotations.
Box   11 Folder   9	"Statement of Captain Harris Laning, U.S. Navy, made before Senate Committee, Investigating the Conduct of the World War by the Navy Department," circa 1920s
	Series: U.S. Naval War College	⇧
Box   12 Folder   1	General, 1916-1923
Box   12 Folder   2	Naval War College lectures, 1922-1924
Box   12 Folder   3	Notes and speeches
Box   12 Folder   4	Naval War College-Tactical, 1913, 1916
Box   12 Folder   5	Co-operation between Army and Navy, Naval War College, 1916
Box   12 Folder   6	Naval pamphlets, 1915-1922
Box   12 Folder   7	Articles and book chapters, 1923, undated
Box   12 Folder   8	Clippings, 1910-1923
Box   12 Folder   9	Maps and charts
	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   13 Folder   1	Aviation
Box   13 Folder   2	European politics
Box   13 Folder   3	International Law
Box   13 Folder   4	Merchant Marines
Box   13 Folder   5	Miscellaneous professional Note: Includes lectures, exam questions, and articles.
Box   13 Folder   6	Organization, Administration, Amalgamation
Box   13 Folder   7	Rubber Conflict and Chester Concession
Box   13 Folder   8	Submarine selection
Box   13 Folder   9	War College Note: Includes essays and charts.
Box   13 Folder   10	World Court
	Series: Family Papers	⇧
Box   4 Folder   3	The Twining Family: revised edition (printed), 1905
Box   1 Folder   1	Diary of Nathan Crook and Phoebe Ann Twining, 1864