The Mutiny on the Bounty: Myth & Fact by Edward R. Leahy at the University of Scranton

On April 9th, 2014, in celebration of the 225th anniversary of the mutiny and the Weinberg Library's exhibit on the topic, the Schemel Forum with The Friends the Weinberg Memorial Library hosted a lecture by Edward R. Leahy, benefactor, alumnus, and book collector. Mr. Leahy spoke about the exhibit of his collection of Mutiny on the Bounty material, the creation of the myth of Captain Bligh as a cruel tyrant and the real story of the mutiny.

[@Edubarca46]

Excellent lecture, congratulations. I have been a Bounty fan for several years. Something I don't understood. Why Mr. Leahy does not mention the 1974 film "The Bounty" directed by Roger Donaldson and starring Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Liam Neesom, Sir Lawrence Olivier and others. I say this because this film version is the best of all ever made on this famous mutiny. It is without doubt the most accurately faithful to the truth of the story. Naturally, it had to be dramatised to make it interesting and exciting but the basis of the story is extremely accurate. And it also has a fantastic soundtrack by Vangelis.

[@benjaminshiels1824]

As a great (x 8) decedent of Fletcher Christian, I found that lecture highly enlightening. Thank you.

[@scottsimmons7897]

The lecture starts at around 11:00.

[@kandkcollins1]

I’ve always been soooo amazed with the story of The Bounty, since I was a little girl, and the island of Pitcarin and their descendants.

[@harrietharlow9929]

I learned a lot of history through the Classics Illustrated series. They were really well-done.

Ok this is gold. Why so little views? Seriously, very good video.

[@GSGExtreme44]

The newer generations would rather play Call of Duty or play on their smart devices -

[@BEANPOLE111]

This is fantastic material, and great speaker. I'll be sure to make my way to his recommended books

[@brettkramer]

Wonderful, absolutely fascinating to hear this gentleman speak of the history surrounding the Mutiny on the Bounty.

[@sabrinafair35]

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Thank you for posting. What a joy.

[@mtsflorida]

Lt. Wm Bligh would have been 34 y/o when he became Captain of the Bounty. A very good lecture. I learn a great deal of a favorite story.

[@mcpeake69]

What an interesting lecture. I read the Bounty trilogy when I was a sophomore (which means "wise fool") in high school.

[@pshehan1]

Bligh must not have known that the penal settlement at Sydney, NSW had been founded on 26 January 1788, and he could have headed there in his long boat, much closer than the voyage he made to Timor in the Dutch East Indies. This is odd in that "The First Fleet" of 11 ships under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip who was to be the first governor of NSW had sailed on 13 May 1787, months before the Bounty left on 23 December 1787.

[@fergalohearga9594]

Very good, I enjoyed this although I think he needed at least another 30 minutes to present some of the interesting details that get little attention, such as the mutineers first settling on another island and basically being run off eventually by the natives; the removal of everyone on Pitcairn Island to far away Norfolk Island in the mid? 1800s, only to have some eventually return later; the theory that Christian eventually made it off the island to become the inspiration for 'The Rim of the Ancient Mariner' and spotted by an older Peter Heywood on an English street one day ...

[@443drag]

This is why I've always been fascinated by the Bounty story. Simply because its such a complicated and multifaceted story. Caroline Alexander's book is indeed an excellent read. But I would add After the Bounty, by James Morrison.

[@n.brasco8928]

Excellent , interesting, compelling lecture. I first came across the bounty saga in 1984 watching the Mel Gibson movie, since then i read few books and the logs from Samuel Wallis, Bligh and captain Edwards Pandora. The Mutiny on the merchant ship Bounty" a life worth drama adventure.

[@us-Bahn]

Impressive speech by Mr Leahy after some unpromising introductory remarks. He condensed a large amount of material into a quick moving cohesive narrative. The conditions on board the Bounty on her return from Tahiti sounded appalling. It was a doomed voyage. By the bye I prefer the Howard/Brando 1962 film as well.

[@veronicas1231]

Excellent , thanks so much, would love to peruse your Bligh collection, best wishes.

[@Bill23799]

This was a very nice lecture, thank you U of S.

[@TheNickPenney]

This was wonderful, thanks for uploading.

[@Bill23799]

Pamphlet writers in this time were the original " Bloggers ".

[@bryanmorton9229]

Our son, Fletcher Christian Morton is named after the infamous mutineer of HMAV Bounty. We have a terribly cute picture of him manning the guns of the replica when he was about four. There are also KZbin videos of him performing Mutiny by Greg Kihn. He's almost 18 now, a very talented young musician, sailor and aviator in training.

[@junglejim11111]

i enjoyed this but am surprised he hadnt been to pitcairn island

[@1963zakaria]

you're really wonderful ,professor some facts are really more amazing than fiction

[@johnmassoud930]

Mostly from the testimony of William Bligh - meaning it's very self serving. Not a fan of Fletcher Christian mind you,. but the fact is that Bligh dealt with 3 mutinies in his life. Sooner or later shouldn't someone have figured out that Bligh was a bit of a tyrant and while may have been a great sailor, Bligh was certainly a horrible leader of men.

[@count7340]

He was by-the-book.

[@benjaminshiels1824]

Bligh seems proof of the fact that there's great contrast between academic apt, naval skill and wisdom.

[@daholestorynotinbut]

agreed

[@williamcampbell4876]

John Massoud yet he was completely cleared of blame and retired as an admiral.

[@c.johnson1691]

In fact, Bligh didn't decided to go around the Horn. That route was in his orders from the Admiralty. As time dragged on, he begged Sir Joseph Banks to have the Admiralty change his orders, allowing him to abort that route if sailing through the Strait of Magellan became impossible.

[@solarisseven6969]

excellent

[@johnmassoud930]

Bligh made several mistakes. 1st off trying to circumnavigate the globe during a bad time of the year, and then when he had to turn around because of the season and weather at the Horn, the Bounty was forced to spend too much time in Tahiti (8-10 months in fact) which helped lead to the mutiny. Bligh demoting his 2nd in command and promoting Christian was also bad for morale. Bligh blamed the crew and his officers for his own failings and poor leadership skills. And even then the logs of the Bounty show that on the return trip from Tahiti, Bligh went crazy with the whippings and cursing of his crew. Henry Hilbrandt a crewman on the ship, tells a story of where Bligh goes on a paranoid rant about stolen cheese. And when seaman Hilbrandt reminds Bligh that he had the cheese removed before the voyage, Bilgh threatens to beat up Mr. Hilbrandt. Note also that of the 10 mutineers who were charged, only 2 were executed. What does that say about the attitude towards Bligh at the time? This was before the pamphlet from the Christian family was published. Bligh was a great seaman this is for sure. But a crew needs good leadership at the top. And Bligh was mercurial at best, and his paranoid rants (especially regarding stolen coconuts) led to his losing the ship.

[@garydflatt4904]

Dry out the sails? Why? Cotton sails? Flogged only four! Aboard ship, where is there room to dry sails?

[@boredwarlock5216]

IT'S LIT!

[@skipduld3630]

I ENJOYED UR SERMAN OF MUTENY ON THE BOUNTY, I THROUGHT U WERE WANDERFUL. BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS AS I ASK ANOTHER BOUNTY ON U TUBE WERE IS CHRISTAN BURIED ON PITCARIN MAYBE. BECAUSE THE OTHER PERSON ON U TUBE SHOWED THE GRAVE OF JOHN PAUL AND NOT CHRESTAN.

[@peace-now]

Bligh was a man, a typical Tory, who thought he was born to rule and hated the officers under him. As for the men, he did not even know they existed. If one would catch his gaze, the man would be flogged to near death. If he thought the man was against him, or gave him a negative look, the man would be keelhauled or hung at the yardarm. He was a horrible bastard (as said in the movie by Brando). Contrasting that, Christian was a saintly, Jesus like figure, humble and loving the men. Christian gave up everything to save the poor men, who all would have died horrible deaths. He even gave Bligh a sailing ship, when a more sensible man would have killed him.

[@thehurricane218]

Its obvious Fletcher Christian went back to England if you look into it.

[@josephhinton5489]

Yeah, the Bounty's slave- food mission wasn't so noble, was it? So maybe Kismet or Karma influenced Bligh's failure. I mean, who wouldn't want to stay in Eden? Bligh should have promised his crew as soon as they collected their bounty for delivering the slave fruit they would return to hedon. I mean, Eden. But no, he was a suppressed, rigid personality. He could have probably enlisted as many natives for his crew as he would have lost should he have allowed his crewman who wanted to, to stay behind. And with time to train the native volunteers who wanted to see the world he could have had a full crew to man his ship, sail boat of 84 feet. I would have been with Christian. But I would have allowed the Tahitian men to bring a woman and would not have treated them as servants, which I read was so. Karma, you self-entitled smucks deserve for treating others as lessors. Maybe John Adams was the most ruthless, cunning, and egalitarian of all the settlers of Pitcairn Island. Cuz he was the last surviving man, wasn't he? What a story. Where is it depicted?

You contend, my good sir, that Bligh knew not when to hold his peace, or had no, "people-skills", bc he upbraided his pu_ _y-whipped lieutenants, and told the truth, in a letter, ( you say he ,"wrote", of his experience - private letter? affidavit? newspaper article?), about the mangey, & remarkably filthy shipboard conditions & practices of the Dutch ship that conveyed him homeward. How do you construe this as fault, (except with >200yrs of hindsight, and armchair second-guessing?). Perhaps you have substantial proof elsewhere, yet divulged? Judging by his fatherly affinity for so many he sought to mentor, as he was taught, it appears his deep kindness were as pearls cast before swine. Sounds like he called a spade, a spade. This world, especially the entrenched rulers, only pretend to admire or respect honesty & truthfulness. He was given gargantuan tasks, from which he did not shirk, but were obviously unwanted or avoided by lesser men. Sounds like your trying to temper your praise for Bligh with falderal, instead of a properly proven quenching. Would enjoy to hear more of your study.

[@charlesmattina3787]

I could be wrong, but at I think at the time, the tale of Leif Erikson making it to North America was not known or thought to be true. so, Bligh's travel to Temor would have been the most impressive at the time. As far as i know, now, Erikson's travels to NA are pretty well accepted and most likely true. No?

[@jb9090]

The Mel Gibson / Anthony Hopkins version seems to be accurate

[@phoebecatgirl933]

You are so right, Mr Luzan! I've been interested in this story since about 1965, and have read and collected books about the mutiny and its outcome ever since. I have a facsimile - The Mutiny On Board H.M.S. Boumty 1789 by William Bligh 1789, which I bought in a long-gone used-book shop some years ago. The Hollywood versions paint Bligh as a tyrant (which makes for a good screenplay) but I think the extreme rigors of the voyage (bad weather repeatedly making a round of S.A, and the length of time ensuing this) made much of the crew become unhinged from civil behavior.

[@RustyX2010]

No mention of the 1984 movie called The Bounty?

[@josephsorce2543]

"Informative Dissertation ... Marines would've been wise, but, Bligh, was then forced into trusting the integrity of Christian and of his crew ... "

[@girlmeetsreggae]

brilliant, thank you!

[@RussellScottHD]

Wonderful! I'm a fan of the Brando version personally. I have a talk show and have interviewed many professors (Sidney Perkowitz - Physics Professor @ Emory Univ., James Kakalios - Physics Professor @ Univ. of Minnesota) and interviewed authors on the true histories of Shakespeare, Jesus, Merlin, King Arthur, etc. I have read and recorded and will be publishing my reading of the classic book Mutiny on the Bounty by Nordoff & Hall...so I'm very much interested in the subject. I would love to interview Edward R. Leahy and discuss "The Bounty"