[CIVIL WAR]. A group of 3 CDVs of identified US Navy officers, incl. George H. Holt, William C. Bennett, and David P. Heath.

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American Historical Ephemera & Photography

By Cowan's Auctions

Jun 25, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-06-25 10:00:00 2021-06-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American Historical Ephemera & Photography https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-historical-ephemera-photography-7043
The June 25 American Historical Ephemera and Photography Auction features an exciting assemblage of 18th-early 20th century material, including Civil War archives, Early Photography, Western Americana, Autographs and Manuscripts, and more. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com

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• Lot Description
  CDV, vignette of an officer autographed on verso in bold hand, "With sincere regards / G.H. Holt / A.A.P." N.p.: n.d., [1860s]. (Bumped corners, scattered blemishes in the field from the original negative.) The balding officer is also probably missing teeth creating a besmirched expression. George H. Holt served as Acting Asst. Paymaster, 5/20/61; Resigned 7/7/62; Reappointed Acting Asst. Paymaster, 7/2/63; Discharged 12/2/65. An official government register dated September 30, 1863 lists Holt's duty station as "Mississippi Squadron," otherwise nothing else is known. 
  
  [With:]
  
  CDV of standing young ensign identified in faded period pencil, "W.C. Bennett / Acting Ensign / USS Choctaw." Ottawa, IL: S. Alschuler, [1860s]. (Near excellent, sharp corners.) Based on the Illinois imprint this is almost certainly William C. Bennett (1836-1916) who became Acting Ensign, 10/1/62; Resigned 2/18/64. Ensign Bennett served aboard the USS Lafayette before transferring to the hybrid gunboat ram Choctaw. Choctaw was heavily engaged at Milliken's Bend, LA on June 7, 1863 in support of Federal infantry fighting off an attack by a division of rebel infantry. While Bennett was aboard, the Choctaw on several occasions bombarded threatening concentrations of enemy troops on shore, routine work for a Brown Water Navy gunboat. Upon learning of the death of his father, Bennett resigned and returned to Illinois. 
  
  [With:]
  
  CDV of older standing officer casually holding cap in hand, identified in pencil on verso as "Capt. Heath." N.p.: n.d., [1860s]. (Slightly on light side, dented corners.) The subject is David P. Heath who was appointed Acting Master, 11/4/61; Resigned 3/13/65. Heath commanded the sailing schooner USS Hope for just over a year beginning in April 1864. Hope patrolled off Charleston as a blockader and captured the sloop Racer in Bull's Bay on August 1, 1864. The schooner was later refitted for stationary diving and salvage operations on the CSS Savannah, a navigational hazard blocking the Savannah River.      
  
  The Richard B. Cohen Civil War Collection Lots 79-98; 116; 138-153; and 266
  
  Cowan's is pleased to offer the third installment of Richard B. Cohen's collection of Civil War Brown Water Navy photography. Richard was known to many in the field as a "disciplined collector who maintained a relatively narrow focus having built an important, perhaps unsurpassed collection in his area of specialization." From cartes de visite to large format photographs, this portion of the collection features a noteworthy selection of images of Brown Water Navy warships, among them, the USS Benton, Choctaw, Lafayette, and Louisville. Many important identified naval officers are also represented, including an exquisite CDV of the promising young officer, Lieutenant Commander William Gwin, who died of wounds aboard the USS Benton following an artillery duel with Confederate forces at Snyder's Bluff, and an exceptionally large war-date photograph of the controversial commander of the USS Pittsburgh, Egbert Thompson.
  
  This auction also features a premiere selection of autographs and manuscripts from Richard's carefully curated collection. Highlights include a letter from Jefferson Davis to his distant cousin, John J. Pettus, Governor of Mississippi, dated a year before secession, conveying intricate plans for securing armaments in preparation for the war; an Abraham Lincoln signed endorsement; a letter from Admiral D.G. Farragut from New Orleans, offering excellent insight into his "political" thinking as well as his dedication to his work; correspondence from Gideon Welles, David Dixon Porter, U.S. Grant, and W.T. Sherman; and a pair of superb letters with highly descriptive accounts of the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac.
  
  Provenance: The Richard B. Cohen Civil War Collection

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