CDVs of Brown Water Navy Warships, USS Conestoga, Essex, and Mississippi

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American Historical Ephemera and Photography

By Cowan's Auctions

Nov 19, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-11-19 10:00:00 2020-11-19 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American Historical Ephemera and Photography https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-historical-ephemera-and-photography-5894
Cowan’s Auctions, a Hindman Company, is pleased to present the November 19 Fall Auction, featuring over 400 lots of historically significant photography, manuscript material, artwork, and other ephemera dating from the 18th through the early 20th century, including the Civil War. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com

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• Lot Description
  A fine trio of warships in profile all related to prominent Mississippi River service. 
  
  First is the USS Conestoga. A.D. Lytle: Baton Rouge, LA, n.d.  The ill-fated Conestoga was civilian side-wheel vessel acquired by the Army in June 1861 and converted to a reliable timberclad gunboat armed with 4 x 32-pdr smoothbores.  She steamed into combat in September 1861 when she engaged the small Rebel side-wheeler CSS Jackson on the northern reaches of the Mississippi near Lucas Bend, Kentucky. In February 1862, Conestoga joined in the expedition up the Tennessee River that culminated with the fall of ultimately indefensible Forts Henry and Donelson in bitter winter weather. The gunboat's subsequent service on the southern reaches of the river and its many tributaries reflected a routine assumed by smaller warships of the Mississippi Squadron, this comprising patrol, convey, and escort missions punctuated by campaigning largely in support of the army. On March 8, 1864, Conestoga was sunk after being accidentally rammed by the USS General Price after apparent confusion in whistle signals. 
  
  CDV identified in period ink as "US Gun Clad Steamer/'Essex'/off Memphis/Tenn." J.W. Taft: Memphis, TN, n.d. Green three-cent Washington revenue stamp on verso. The Essex was a former civilian vessel acquired by the Army in September 1861 and converted into a timberclad. She was badly damaged by Confederate fire at Fort Henry in February 1862 and while under repair underwent a a significant refit - ordered personally by Admiral Porter - that resulted in a 640 ton river ironclad armed with a powerful battery of 11-inch Dahlgren smoothbores.  In this guise she took up station near Vicksburg and engaged the Confederate ram CSS Arkansas as she brazenly ran past the Porter's fleet on July 5, 1862, mooring under the protective batteries of the fortress. Essex unsuccessfully attacked the Arkansas on July 23 but withdrew under the combined fire of Arkansas' guns and Vicksburg's shore batteries.  Essex encountered Arkansas for a last time on August 6, 1862 as the Confederate ram attempted to intervene in the fighting at Baton Rouge.  As Essex prepared to engage the unlucky Arkansas lost her steering and was subsequently scuttled by her crew to prevent capture.  Essex was turned over to the Navy in October 1862 and afterwards participated in the bombardment of Port Hudson and occupation of Baton Rouge. During the early summer of 1863 she was particularly active during the seize and capture of Port Hudson.  Essex later participated in Banks' ill-fated Red River Campaign that abruptly ended in May 1864 with Texas still in Confederate hands.  Having earned a reputation as a fighting warship - a key piece in winning control of the Mississippi - Essex was decommissioned in November 1865 and sold out of service. 
  
  CDV, period copy shot ink captioned on verso as "The Ill Fated Mississippi." McPherson & Oliver: Baton Rouge, LA, n.d. A veteran of Perry's Expedition to Japan, USS Mississippi joined the blockade off Key West in June 1861 and was successful in capturing a schooner, later in November taking a British flagged bark off New Orleans. She then reported to Farragut for operations against New Orleans engaging Forts Jackson and St. Philip on March 24, 1862, and here ramming and destroying the unique rebel turtle-ram Manassas "with two mighty broadsides."  While attempting to run Confederate batteries at Port Hudson on March 14, 1863, the deep draft Mississippi grounded and was taken under intense cannonade. Captain Melancthon Smith and his executive officer George Dewey (of later Manila Bay fame) tried valiantly to re-float her but to no avail. Smith ordered her machinery destroyed, the guns spiked before she was fired to prevent capture, blowing up and sinking. Sixty four Union sailors were killed while 223 survived. Three extraordinary members of Mississippi's crew were later awarded the Navy Medal of Honor for their courageous actions during the ordeal.
  
  The Richard B. Cohen Civil War Collection 
  
  Lots 37, 69-98, 295 
  
  Cowan's enthusiastically presents the second installment of collector Richard B. Cohen's matchless archive of Civil War Brown Water Navy photography. Richard was known to many in the field - indeed some of these images may resonate from a bygone transaction or "show and tell' - but to those who knew him best he'll be remembered as a "disciplined collector who maintained a relatively narrow focus having built an important, perhaps unsurpassed collection in his area of specialization." This catalogued portion of the core collection is a seamless continuation of high quality photography highlighted by an array of Brown Water Navy warships in desirable carte-de-visite format. We counted no fewer than 22 different Mississippi River vessels, some battle-weary and familiar, others obscure, but all identified with many named in period ink. Research confirmed that several of these CDVs were signed by an officer who had served aboard the ship conveying the historic connection and spirit of "wooden ships and iron men." The last of the larger format albumen warships are also included - the USS Blackhawk, Eastport, and Louisville. A fine quartet of lots feature sought-after enlisted sailors. We proceed with eight additional lots of multiple identified officer cartes, the myriad of navy rank insignia during the Civil War both complex and instructive. We think it opportune to quote a comment from a previous buyer who emailed that, "...I draw inspiration from their BWN service when known, and when not offering (him) the opportunity to reconstruct an aspect of overlooked Civil War naval history." Now comes the time to further disperse Richard B. Cohen's collection and recycle the photography to the care of the next generation, and in so doing we salute a lifelong endeavor unlikely ever to be duplicated.
  
  Provenence: The Richard B. Cohen Civil War Collection

  Condition

  All three cartes near VG. having moderate edge wear on mounts, the Mississippi copy shot with slightly more.  
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