The Wilderness Warrior - Douglas Brinkley [93]
Even though Baird had never heard of young T.R., the Roosevelt name always rang magically in conservationist circles. That ring was the sound of coins: a cashed donation check from both Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., and Robert B. Roosevelt. “Dr. Coues has sent me your letter offering certain specimens to the Smithsonian Institution,” Baird wrote back. “In reply I beg to say that the same will be very acceptable to use even should there be nothing actually new, for they will give us the opportunity at least of supplying some Museum at home or abroad, and of obtaining in exchange a possible rarity…. May I ask what relation you are to my much esteemed friend Robert B. Roosevelt or Mr. Theodore?”78
Immediately upon receiving Baird’s letter Roosevelt replied. “Dear Sir: I am the son of Theodore Roosevelt and a nephew of Robert B. I am very much obliged for your kind letter, and shall send you the [bird] skins; would your collection include Egyptian skins, as I have some of them? Very truly yours.”79
Baird responded quickly, and the two men were close for the rest of their lives. “I shall be very happy indeed to have the Egyptian skins, referred to in your letter, as well as others, from different parts of the world,” Baird wrote to Roosevelt, “which you may be disposed to contribute to the museum. I am very glad to know something of your personality. I was well-acquainted with your father and, in common with all his other friends, esteemed him most highly.”80
As Roosevelt crated up his species for the Smithsonian, he did not overlook the American Museum of Natural History, which his late father had been so instrumental in starting. T.R. set aside 125 specimens for his hometown institution even though he sent the lion’s share to Washington, D.C. He was not spurning the local institution, but he wanted to contribute to the great cause of building a national wildlife collection. Perhaps the principal reason that Roosevelt gave away his collection, however, was that The Naval War of 1812 was published in May 1882, to overwhelmingly good reviews. His chapters pertaining to the Great Lakes were praised by military historians all over the world. His prose was lively, filled with brave sailors firing cannons, brigs burning, and creoles fighting to save New Orleans from the huge British armada.81 An overriding lesson from his study was that in warfare both preparation and training were essential. Roosevelt was thrilled when the U.S. government ordered that copies become assigned reading on every American naval vessel.
Upon receiving Roosevelt’s collection Baird—a prolific correspondent, who wrote about 35,000 letters a year—immediately sent an acknowledgment, saying he “was by no means prepared for so admirable or extensive a contribution, and beg to thank you very much for it. There are many specimens in the series which will be a great service to us in extending and completing the collections of the several compartments. I need hardly to say that whatever [else] you can furnish in the way of specimens of natural history will always be gladly received.”82
An affectionate name for the Smithsonian has long been “America’s attic,” a fitting designation for our vast depository of national heirlooms. Roosevelt’s birds had ornithological value in 1882, and today they are invaluable as a window into our twenty-sixth president’s youth. The thorough accession records at the Smithsonian are nothing short of awesome, and the detailed accounting of all aspects of Roosevelt’s bird specimens is something that would make even Price-Waterhouse proud. Clearly Roosevelt’s birds were valued by Baird, for