Collection Summary
Cyrus Robinson Miller
Papers
1897-1940
(bulk 1897-1918)
1897-1940
(bulk 1897-1918)
MSS53801
Miller, Cyrus Robinson,
1874-1947
5 items
1 container
.4 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Naval officer.
Midshipman's logs documenting activities of the United States Battleship
Oregon during the Spanish-American War and the
armored cruiser Buffalo, radio logs of the
protected cruiser Cleveland which led merchant
convoys in the Atlantic Ocean during World War I, and a ditty about life aboard
the troop ship Von Steuben.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Miller, Cyrus Robinson, 1874-1947.
Organizations
Buffalo (Armored cruiser)
Cleveland (Protected cruiser)
Oregon (Battleship)
United States. Navy--Sea life.
Von Steuben (Troop ship)
Subjects
Merchant marine.
Naval convoys--Atlantic Ocean.
Sea songs.
Spanish-American War, 1898--Naval operations, American.
World War, 1914-1918--Naval operations, American.
Occupations
Naval officers.
Provenance
The papers of Cyrus Robinson Miller, naval officer, were deposited in
the Library of Congress by the Naval Historical Foundation in 1964. The Naval
Historical Foundation converted the deposit to a gift in 1998.
Processing History
The papers of Cyrus Robinson Miller were arranged and described in
1997. The register was revised in 2008.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Cyrus Robinson
Miller is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Cyrus Robinson Miller are open to research. Researchers
are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Cyrus Robinson Miller Papers, Naval
Historical Foundation Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1874, Oct. 12
Born, Sacramento, Calif.
circa 1893
1895
Student, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
circa 1895
1897
Student, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
1897
1899
Midshipman aboard battleship Oregon and armored cruiser Buffalo
circa 1900
Aboard warship Albatross during
scientific expedition with naturalist Alexander Agassiz to Marquesas Islands,
Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, and other South Sea islands
1902
Assigned to cruiser Cincinnati;
assisted victims of Mont Pelée eruption, St. Pierre, Martinique
circa 1902
1903
Assigned to cruiser Baltimore;
patrolled China coast and performed peacekeeping duties in Shanghai
circa 1904
Naval aide to President Theodore Roosevelt
circa 1905
1907
Commanded gunboats Samar and
Pampanga, Philippine Islands; assisted in
suppressing insurgency, Mindinao Island
circa 1908
1909
Assigned to battleship Illinois; sailed with Great White Fleet
Led rescue party, Messina, Sicily, following
earthquake
circa 1910
1912
Assigned to battleship Georgia
circa 1912
1914
Superintendent of compasses, United States Naval Observatory,
Washington, D.C.
1914
Executive officer, battleship Wyoming, during its participation in American seizure of
Veracruz, Mexico
1918
Married Lois McGinley
Commanded cruiser Cleveland;
guided merchant convoys in North Atlantic Ocean
Commanded troop transport ship Von
Steuben; ferried troops to and from France
circa 1918
1921
Student officer, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
circa 1921
1922
Chief of staff, Destroyer Squadrons, United States
Fleet
circa 1922
1923
Assistant director of naval intelligence, Washington,
D.C.
1923
Retired from United States Navy
1947, May 29
Died, Palm Beach, Fla
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Cyrus Robinson Miller (1874-1947) span the dates
1897-1940, with the bulk of the material concentrated during the period from
1897 to 1918. Miller was a naval cadet aboard the battleship
Oregon and armored cruiser Buffalo and kept midshipman logs chronicling daily life
aboard ship, including ports of call, visits by dignitaries, and crew
activities. When war with Spain appeared imminent in 1898, the
Oregon was ordered from the Pacific to the
Caribbean. Miller recorded the ship's fourteen-thousand mile, two-month transit
around Cape Horn, a voyage which demonstrated the usefulness of establishing a
trans-isthmian canal. After arriving at Cuba, the Oregon participated in the Battle of Santiago, which
Miller detailed in his logs and in a narrative inserted later, in landing
troops at Guanica, and in lesser battle actions. He included photographs of the
wrecks of the American warship Merrimac and
Spanish warships Reina Mercedes and
Cristóbal Colón, the harbor, channel, and Morro
of Santiago; and the crews and ships of both fleets during battle.
Miller served as captain of the warship Cleveland during World War I. Included in his papers is
the radio log of the Cleveland during its
assignment to patrol the American coast from Cape Hatteras to Charleston, South
Carolina, and later during its assignment to lead merchant convoys to
mid-Atlantic rendezvous points. The log's entries concern maintaining silent
running and nighttime blackout, convoy formation, crew health, maritime war
alerts, and enemy submarine sightings.
Also included is a ditty regarding life aboard another ship under
Miller's command, the troop transport ship Von
Steuben, during the time it ferried soldiers to and from France during
World War I.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by topic.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Anecdote re shipboard life,
undated
undated
1
Spanish-American War
1
Oregon (battleship), midshipman's log,
1897-1899
1897-1899
(2
folders)
1
Oregon (battleship) and Buffalo (armored cruiser)
1
Midshipman's log,
1899
1899
1
Related material,
1898-1899, 1940
1898-1899, 1940
1
World War I
1
Cleveland (protected cruiser), radio log,
1918
1918
1
Von
Steuben (troop transport ship),
1918
1918