Joseph Pitty Couthouy facts for kids
Joseph Pitty Couthouy (born January 6, 1808 – died April 4, 1864) was an American naval officer, a scientist who studied shells (a conchologist), and a scientist who studied ancient invertebrate animals (an invertebrate paleontologist). He was known for his work with the U.S. Exploring Expedition and his service in the American Civil War.
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Early Life and Education
Joseph Couthouy was born in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1820, when he was 12 years old, he started attending the Boston Latin School. Later, on March 9, 1832, he married Mary Greenwood Wild.
Exploring the World
In 1838, Couthouy wanted to join the Scientific Corps of the U.S. Navy's United States Exploring Expedition. This was a big journey to explore different parts of the world. He asked President Andrew Jackson for a spot on the team.
Couthouy began his journey with the expedition on August 18, 1838. However, he later had to go to the Hawaiian Islands because he was sick. He eventually left the expedition due to disagreements.
Search for Sunken Treasure
In 1854, Couthouy led his own expedition to the Bay of Cumaná. For three years, he tried to find the wreck of a Spanish treasure ship called the San Pedro. This ship had been lost there a long time ago, but Couthouy was not successful in finding it.
Language Skills
Joseph Couthouy was very good with languages. He could speak Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese fluently. He also learned several different ways of speaking (dialects) that were used in the Pacific Islands.
Service in the Civil War
During the American Civil War, Couthouy was ordered to command the ship USS Columbia on December 31, 1862. Sadly, his ship was wrecked, and he was taken prisoner. After that, he commanded another ship called USS Osage.
His final command was the ship USS Chillicothe during the Red River Campaign. On April 2, 1864, he was shot by a sniper. He died the very next day.
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