{"product_id":"to-my-dearest-wife-lide-m-patrick-sauer-9780817320232","title":"To My Dearest Wife, Lide: Letters from George B. Gideon Jr. During Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan, 1853-1855","description":"\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eA personal account of Commodore Perry's landmark expedition to Japan and life in the antebellum navy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e George B. Gideon Jr. served as second assistant engineer aboard the USS Powhatan from 1852 to 1856. From his position on the steam frigate, Gideon traveled to Singapore, Labuan, Borneo, Hong Kong, and many other Asian lands. During his time at sea, Gideon penned dozens of letters to his wife, Lide, back home in Philadelphia. Recently discovered in the attic of his great-great-grandniece, were fifty-one letters penned by Gideon providing thorough and insightful commentary throughout the voyage. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Through these correspondences, Gideon laboriously documents the details of his daily life on board, from the food they ate to the technical aspects of his work, as well as observations concerning the historical events unfolding around him, such as Chinese piracy, the Taiping Rebellion, the Crimean War, and the devastation of Shimoda. \u003ci\u003e To My Dearest Wife, Lide: Letters from George B. Gideon Jr. during Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan, 1853-1855\u003c\/i\u003e is a rare first-person account of the landmark American naval expedition to Japan to establish commercial relations between the two countries. Gideon's letters have been meticulously transcribed and annotated by the editors and are an invaluable primary historical source. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Gideon's letters are candid and revealing, delving into the rampant dysfunction in the navy of the 1850s--sickness and disease, alcohol abuse, and poor leadership, among other challenges. Gideon also unabashedly shares his own cynical views of the navy's role in supporting American economic interests in Japan. This firsthand account of the political mission of the Perry expedition is a unique contribution to naval and military history and gives readers a better view of life aboard a navy ship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e M. Patrick Sauer,David A. Ranzan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0817320237\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780817320232\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Alabama Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/16\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.00d","brand":"M. Patrick Sauer","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":49096754790655,"sku":"9780817320232","price":49.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/to-my-dearest-wife-lide-m-patrick-sauer-9780817320232","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}