Josiah Gregg's 1844 Commerce of the Prairies, based largely upon his own journal entries, describes the plant, animal, and mineral resources of the area, while also providing unique information on the Native American tribes of the region.
Josiah Gregg (1806-1850) was a merchant, explorer, naturalist, and author of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. He had training in both law and medicine, and practiced both with distinction. He is most famous for his book Commerce of the Prairies, which came out in two volumes in 1844. It was an account of his time spent as a trader on the Santa Fe Trail before the Mexican-American War. The Book established Gregg's literary reputation, and he was hired as a news correspondent during the Mexican War. After the war, he participated in the California Gold Rush.
The Diary of a Civil War Marine: Private Josiah Gregg is a rare firsthand account of a United States Marine during the Civil War, written within hours of the events described. Gregg enlisted as a private at the beginning of the war, and served as a shipboard Marine on the Vanderbilt as it hunted Confederate raiders in the Caribbean and Atlantic. He also served aboard the Brooklyn at the battles of Mobile Bay and Fort Fischer. Part war story and part travel log, Gregg tells a good story with the confident prose of a man who worked as a school teacher and a clerk before the war. Seen by only Gregg's descendants for the last 140 years, the diary entries have been edited to include notes that explain what might be unclear to a modern audience. Also included are brief histories of the ships and the events described in the journal, and eight black and white photographs that were found inside the journal.
Josiah Gregg's Commerce of the Prairie, published in 1844, is based largely upon entries made into his own journal over the nine years that he lived in Northern Mexico and traversed the Prairie as a proprietor in the Santa F Trade. In utilizing his entries to create this work, Gregg's aim is to provide readers with an account of the history and the ""present"" condition of trade in the new west and the people of the Prairies. As an amateur naturalist, Gregg's work describes the plant, animal, and mineral resources of the area, while also providing unique information on the Native American tribes of the region. The maps he included were prepared largely by himself, with ""portions of the country which I have not been able to observe myself, chiefly been laid down from manuscript maps kindly furnished me by experienced and reliable traders and trappers, and also from the maps prepared under the supervision of United States surveyors."" Gregg's love of the area is evident in his work, drawing readers in and giving them an unprecedented insight into the area and people around Santa F in the mid-nineteenth century.
Or, the Journal of a Santa Fe Trader During Eight Expeditions Across the the Great Western Prairies, and a Residence of Nearly Nine Years in Northern Mexico
Or, the Journal of a Santa Fe Trader During Eight Expeditions Across the the Great Western Prairies, and a Residence of Nearly Nine Years in Northern Mexico
Gregg's book Commerce of the Prairies, published in two volumes in 1844, was an account of his time spent as a trader on the Santa Fe Trail from 1831 to 1840 and includes commentary on the geography, botany, geology, and culture of New Mexico. Gregg wrote about local people and described Indian culture and artifacts. Volume 2 of 2.
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