FORT JEFFERSON, TORTUGAS (KEY WEST), FLORIDA -- FROM A SKETCH BY A MEMBER OF THE GARRISON

Construction of Fort Jefferson began in 1846 but the fort was never completed. The United States knew it could control navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect Atlantic bound Mississippi River trade by fortifying the Tortugas. During the Civil War the fort was a military prison for captured deserters. It also held the 4 men convicted of complicity in President Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865, the most famous being Dr. Samuel Mudd. The Fort was plagued with construction problems and Yellow Fever epidemics. The invention of the rifled cannon made the Fort obsolete, as its thick walls could now be penetrated.  The Army finally abandoned Fort Jefferson in 1874. In 1908 the area became a wildlife refuge to protect nesting birds from egg collectors.  In 1935 Fort Jefferson was proclaimed as a National Monument but it was not until 1992 that Dry Tortugas reached its current status as a National Park to protect both the historical and natural features. Climate on the barren sand was horrible: the sun beat down mercilessly and the humidity fostered mildew and rot. Swarms of flies, mosquitoes, and gnats plagued the islands. There was no water, no trees-nothing but sand, and that rose only three feet above the sea. Every item needed for construction and for support of the workers had to be imported. By late 1861, with the fort's half mile of 50 foot high brick walls still under construction, the federal government decided to use the facility as a prison. Not intended to confine Confederate prisoners of war, the fort was used instead as a dumping ground for criminals from Union armies. General George B. McClellan sent 63 rebellious soldiers from the 2d Maine Infantry to spend the war toiling on the desolate dot of sand. One of the worst Union prisons in the Civil War, the fort had a well deserved reputation as America's Devil's Island. A sentence to hard labor at Fort Jefferson was a sentence in hell. The unending job of construction, usually while wearing a ball and chain, a diet of tainted, diarrhea-and scurvy-causing food, swarms of insects, bedbugs, isolation, brutal guards, and plagues of yellow fever and malaria all combined to make life intolerable and uncertain. Unimportant to the Confederate war effort, Fort Jefferson was one of four U.S. forts in the Deep South that escaped capture by the Confederates at the beginning of the war.

Have you ever noticed some food labels with a circle with the letter 'U' inside? It means the food is Kosher, and the 'U' stands for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, and it is their seal of approval, meaning that the manufacturing procedures have been inspected and approved by rabbis. The question: What was the first national brand name food to carry this seal of approval?   ??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER!

A SKETCH ON THE NILE

Thomas Jefferson was leaning on Lewis to find a second in command for the expedition. Lewis went a step further than naming a second: He wrote to William Clark in June of 1803 and offered him co-command. In one of the more unusual moves by a commander in the history of the United States, perhaps in the history of the world, Lewis thought about a successor and decided not to find a subordinate but to offer to share his command. Sharing command is pretty much unheard of and thought to be foolhardy by the military — confusing and risky. Historians have long speculated about why Lewis wrote William Clark and offered him co-command. Clark was four years older than Lewis and had previously been Lewis's superior officer. Or, perhaps, Clark's greater experience with Indians may have persuaded Lewis. Although Clark had fought tribes as an Army officer, he also knew a number of Indians as individuals and from his own perspective, and Lewis's, had an affinity with Indians. Maybe Lewis badly wanted Clark on the trip and knew he wouldn't accept the role of junior officer. Lewis knew Clark had more experience than he did as a frontiersman and a frontline military leader. Lewis wrote Clark on June 19, 1803, to invite him to help find "some good hunters, stout, healthy, unmarried men, accustomed to the woods, and capable of bearing bodily fatigue in a pretty considerable degree." Also, and more critically, Lewis needed Clark to participate in the fatigues, dangers, and honors of co-leading the expedition. The reason may have been that Lewis understood that he and Clark would complement each other, each making up what the other lacked, each taking up the other's slack. Maybe Lewis was an intuitive genius! However, Lewis's wisdom and good intentions were overridden when Clark's commission came through the next year (after the expedition had launched). The War Department, in a fine show of red tape, made Clark a second lieutenant instead of captain. Clark had resigned from the Army at the rank of captain (to go home and help his older brother), but the Army didn't have to re-commission him at that same rank, and in fact did not. Lewis was furious and mortified, but helpless to change the official outcome.

Instead of accepting it, however, he told Clark he would address him and treat him as Captain Clark, co-commander, and would keep the official lower rank secret from the men and anyone else they encountered on the expedition. The men of the expedition knew their commanders only as Captain Lewis and Captain Clark. In any event, Lewis was correct that William Clark was the right man with the right experience for the job. After the expedition, Clark returned to his family home in Louisville, before traveling to Virginia in hopes of wooing Julia Hancock, which he did successfully. The government awarded him 1,600 acres of land and $1,228 in back pay. Clark was named Brigadier General of the Louisiana militia, to compliment Lewis's governorship of the same territory. He married Julia Hancock in January 1808. After Lewis's death in 1809, the responsibility of organizing, editing, and publishing the journals and scientific discoveries from the expedition fell to Clark. After much persuasion, he convinced Nicholas Biddle to undertake the task, as he felt his own grammar skills were insufficient to publish a book. He continued in his military capacity as well as more or less facilitating the publication of the book, which finally came out in 1814. Lewis's death also left a vacancy in the governorship of Louisiana. Clark was suggested for that, as well as recommended for the governorship of the Illinois territory. Clark declined both offers and Benjamin Howard assumed the office, serving until 1813. That year, Clark assumed the governorship of Louisiana, which became the Missouri territory in 1812. He also became the superintendent of Indian Affairs there. Clark governed almost until his death. He lost the governorship and remained the superintendent of Indian Affairs, which meant he was making less than half of the money that he did when he held both posts, but he still did considerably well. Julia bore Clark five children, but died in 1820, as did his daughter Mary. He lost his son, Julius, in childhood as well. Clark married Julia's cousin Harriet Kennerly Radford in 1821, who bore him two more children, one of whom died at less than one year old. The second Mrs. Clark died in 1831. William Clark moved to St. Louis to live with his son Meriwether Lewis Clark in 1838, and died on September 1st, 1838.

According to the USDA, 34,740 acres of Lima Beans were harvested for processing in 2009. About 30,000 acres were for frozen beans and 4,740 acres for canning. Lima beans originated in Peru (or possibly Guatemala). They have been cultivated in Peru since 6000 B.C., and their common name comes from Lima, Peru's capital city. Another name for the lima bean is 'chad bean'.

Lima beans contain cyanide compounds, which is why many countries, including the U.S., restrict commercially grown varieties to those with very low cyanogen levels.  The lima beans grown in Java and Burma have 20 to 30 times the concentration allowed in most Western countries.  They must be cooked thoroughly to allow the hydrogen cyanide gas produced to be driven off. Large lima beans are large and flat with a greenish-white color.  They have a buttery flavor and creamy texture. This bean is named after Lima, Peru, and is extremely popular in the Americas, both in its natural state and dried.

Green Baby Lima Beans come from Peru and are very popular in the Americas.  The baby variety is much loved in Japan for making desserts from bean paste known as "an."  These are medium-sized flat beans with a greenish white color, buttery flavor, and creamy texture.

Fresh lima beans are difficult to find in the United States, but can occasionally be found at farmers markets.  It is easier to find lima beans in the southern United States than anywhere else in the country.  Most lima beans are dried, canned, or frozen.

ARCHAEOPTERYX Archaeopteryx was one of the earliest known birds, living among the dinosaurs of the Jurassic period about one hundred and fifty million years ago. This small creature represents evolution 'caught in the act', having birdlike features (feathers) and reptilian traits (teeth and a bony tail).

Artwork ©Joe Tucciarone

TOXIC WORLD

North America's only marsupial (female has a pouch) mammal. The female carries and nurses her young in her marsupium until they are about 2 to 3 months old; then they are carried on her back another 1 month to 2 months whenever they are away from the den. Size of a cat; grey to black fur; black eyes; pink nose, feet and tail; black ears; and pointed nose.

Solitary and nocturnal: usually slow moving; when frightened and unable to flee may fall into an involuntary shock-like state, "playing 'possum." Hiss or growl and show their 50 sharp teeth when frightened; but, in reality, they are gentle and placid; they prefer to avoid all confrontations and wish to be left alone. Omnivorous: eats insects, snails, rodents, berries, over-ripe fruit, grasses, leaves, and carrion; occasionally will eat snakes, ground eggs, corn or other vegetables.

The opossum has a unique defense.  He "plays dead" in a believable display that includes a lolling tongue and a limp body.  Although the opossum looks dead he is actually very alert.

He has a prehensile (primitive) tail that aids in balance.  The opossum has 50 teeth packed into his mouth; in comparison, humans have 32.

Opossums have one to two litters of six to ten young.  They are so small when born that twenty-four of them could fit into a teaspoon!  The lifespan of the opossum is roughly two years.  The opossum can be seen at night.

What do you call a group of bacteria?  What do you call a group of badgers? ??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER!

EARLY TOWNSENDIA Ann Telling Photo

VETCH Ann Telling Photo

DISCLAIMER: Material used in Bitts and Bytes is gathered from various sources--mainly the World Wide Web.   Authorship cannot always be credited nor the source defined.   Authenticity of material is assumed to be correct, but is not guaranteed.