Abner Doubleday is often credited with inventing baseball in 1839, but this is considered a myth by historians. While Doubleday made important contributions during the Civil War, evidence shows he was not involved in baseball's creation. The earliest known reference to baseball-like activities comes from a 1744 British poem. Doubleday helped convince Union forces to evacuate the dangerous Fort Moultrie for the safer Fort Sumter in 1860, a pivotal moment in the Civil War. Despite having no real connection to baseball, Doubleday's reputation as a war hero led to him becoming credited as the sport's founder.

1. Abner Doubleday: The Mystery behind the War Hero
Kolin McMillen
HIS 205
15 October 2014

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Many people dream of having one major lasting effect on history, if they're fortunate and
lucky enough. Abner Doubleday had two major contributions to not only American history, but
worldwide history. His contributions could not have been more diverse. One of his contributions
dealt with his affirmative action in the Civil War, while his other contribution is linked with
baseball, the sport known as America's Pastime. Although Doubleday is linked to one of the
greatest historical myths in history, he is still recognized as a war hero who created and
established a game that is now played worldwide (NNDB).
If one would ask a stranger if they knew who Abner Doubleday was, odds are, the
stranger would link Doubleday to the origin of baseball. Doubleday has had a major effect on
history with baseball. However, studies show that Doubleday most likely did not have anything
to do with the creation of the sport known as America’s Pastime. The baseball creation story has
been one of the longest ongoing myths in recent history. The old rumor had it, that Abner
Doubleday created the game of baseball after drawing a baseball diamond in the fields in
Cooperstown, New York in 1839. The rumor claimed that he built the diamond and played the
first game with bases, teams, a bat and a ball (Bauer and Goodman).
Although Doubleday is credited with the creation of baseball, many scholars believe that
baseball has in fact been around for many years prior to 1839, the year Doubleday supposedly
created the game of baseball. Matthew Goodman and Stephen Bauer analyzed the origin of
baseball in their scholarly journal article, From Elysian Fields: Baseball as the Literary Game.
They found that a rhyming poem was written in 1744 by John Newbery of London, which hinted
at the game later known as baseball. The title of Newbery's rhyme is "Base Ball." It goes, "The
Ball once struck off --- Away flies the Boy To the --- destin'd Post And then --- Home with Joy
(Bauer and Goodman)."

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After reading the poem, it is clear that to some extent, the game had at least been thought
of and made its way into an Englishman's journal. However, this does not make Newbery the
founder or creator of baseball. There were no guidelines, rules, teams, or anything brought up in
his journal entry. It was simply an entry that included a boy hitting a ball and having joy as he
went home. Abner Doubleday was the head of an extensive myth in history.
Doubleday was born on June 26, 1819 in Ballston Spa, New York. Ballston Spa is
located 70 miles East of Cooperstown, New York. Cooperstown is believed to be the home of
baseball in 1839 and is now the home of the coveted Baseball Hall of Fame (NNDB). If one
were to visit Cooperstown today, one would walk two blocks from the Hall of Fame and see
Doubleday Field. The field was named after Abner Doubleday and is viewed as the baseball
mecca. Outside of the stadium there is shrine of a little boy, to symbolize what was thought to be
Abner Doubleday's great creation.
As we look into the history of Abner Doubleday and analyze his life through his own
journals, diaries and books, we can determine that he is in fact, not the creator of baseball.
Instead, he was given the credit of the creation of baseball based on the fact that he was
prominent general in the Army and it would give the game of baseball more prominent and
proper publicity. To many, for so many years, it sounded perfect to call baseball "America's
Pastime." Many would ask the question, "How could baseball not be America's Pastime? After
all, one of the army's Major Generals created the game." The two went hand in hand, thus
keeping the aura of baseball at a high level and gave baseball a prestigious feel.
We are able to find through research that Doubleday simply could not have created
baseball unless he was in two places at once. In 1839, Doubleday was enrolled in West Point,
this was after his family moved away from nearby Cooperstown in 1838. Also, Doubleday was

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the author of at least three legitimate novels, primarily novels including his life experiences. In
these novels, as well as his personal journals and diaries, there have been absolutely zero
references to baseball, or even a game similar to baseball (NNDB).Logically, if one were to
create or invent something with as much potential as baseball had, it would make sense that it
would show up somewhere or somehow in his/her own personal journal.
Although Doubleday's link to baseball is not existent with historical facts, he had still
unintentionally instilled the belief that he had something to do with baseball, as shown with the
Baseball Hall of Fame, and Doubleday Field. What should be analyzed, is the fact that General
Abner Doubleday served in the Army from 1842 to 1873.With one of his most critical and
defining moments coming in Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter in the Civil War.
Doubleday graduated from West Point in 1842. He was then assigned to Fort Moultrie in
1858. This was located just outside the Charleston Harbor. It was at Fort Moultrie where he was
commander of an artillery unit (Simpson 156). Doubleday served in the Civil War as a general,
first in Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, before serving in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. At this
point, Doubleday was a Major-General of the Third Division permanent commander (Doubleday
212).
In his memoir from December 1860, Doubleday recalled that Major Robert Anderson
was a strong political man, yet courteous, honest and intelligent. Yet, he and his comrades urged
Anderson to leave his command post at Fort Moultrie to move to a safer Fort Sumter. Fort
Sumter was described by Doubleday as a prison-like structure just outside Charleston. It was
built on a man-made island built of sturdy rocks and stones. It had the perfect defense
mechanism in which the Fort was structured. Its construction allowed for three separate tiers of
guns to protect its base (Simpson 157).

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However, Anderson was reluctant at first, as he was commanded to protect Fort Moultrie,
and he was not going to change locations without direct orders (Simpson 157). After many talks
with Anderson, he agreed that the men would no longer be able to serve at Fort Moultrie as it
was far too dangerous. Despite being an honest and political man, Anderson had to come up with
a way to drive his own troops out of Fort Moultrie without getting the consent of the higher
officials. It was then, Doubleday and Anderson came up with a plan to destroy and set fire to
some of the home and buildings around Fort Moultrie to make it even more obvious that the Fort
was unsafe and the men could no longer serve their guns (Simpson 158).
On December 26, the night before their departure to Fort Sumter, Major Anderson and
Doubleday saw that there had been spies on them the entire time and were ready to fire upon any
movement outside of their fort. This left Doubleday worried for his wife, who was the only
female in the fort (Simpson 160). However, the men were able to escape from Fort Moultrie on
December 27, and proceed to the boats that were waiting for them to take them to the safer Fort
Sumter (Simpson 161).
This was such an incredible and monumental moment in history that often times gets
overlooked. Doubleday, helped move the Army into a better position for battle and he was able
to convince a strong leader, such as Major Anderson, that the lives and safety of their comrades
take precedence over the specific orders given by a higher ranking official. This was especially
true with an official who was not physically with them to realize the danger that they were in.
This caused Abner Doubleday to be seen as a war hero and a perfect candidate to be the founder
and creator of baseball, America's Pastime.
In conclusion, Abner Doubleday's effect on the world, has been an incredibly heroic, yet
odd. He was given credit for something that he didn't create or relate too, but due to the fact that

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he was a war hero, he was seen as the perfect match to be the founder of baseball, giving
baseball its nickname, “America's Pastime.” Doubleday passed away on January 26, 1893, and
was not able to comment or defend himself with the credentials or relationship with baseball, but
the story of his myth will continue forever (NNDB).

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Bibliography
Doubleday, Abner.1882.Army in the Civil War, Volume 6: Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.
North Scituate, MA, USA: Digital Scanning, Inc. Accessed October 10, 2014. ProQuest ebrary.
Goodman, Matthew, and Stephen Bauer.1993."From Elysian Fields: Baseball as the literary
game." Sewanee Review 101, no.2: 226.Poetry & Short Story Reference Center, EBSCOhost
(accessed October 09, 2014).
NNDB.“Abner Doubleday.” Abner Doubleday. http://www.nndb.com/people/443/000022:
(accessed October 10, 2014).
Simpson, Brooks D.. The Civil War: the first year told by those who lived it. 1. print. ed. New
York, NY: Library of America, 2011