Four CDVs of Identified Navy Officers, Incl. Commodore Joseph B. Hull Signed View and S. Ledyard Phelps

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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
  Lot of 4 CDVs of identified officers all in uniform, two with definite Brown Water Navy imprints. 
  
  CDV of a heavily bearded ensign. Munn & Faul: Cairo, IL, n.d. Verso with blue-green two cent revenue stamp (trimmed away) and period penciled salutation that appears to read, "F.W. Berry/from/E. C. ?nen."
  
  CDV of frail, elderly officer. Hoelke & Benecke: St. Louis, MO, n.d. Signed in ink on verso, "Commodore J.B. Hull/US Navy," with appropriate cuff stripes and shoulder straps having star and anchor. This is long serving Joseph B. Hull whose key dates going back to the War of 1812 are: midshipman 9/11/13, lieutenant 1/13/25, commander 9/8/41, captain 9/14/55, retired list 12/21/61, commodore on retired list 7/16/62, died 1/17/90. During the war, Hull assumed duty as Superintendent of Gunboat Construction at St. Louis. Together with Edward Hart, the two men supervised the construction of the first Navy vessels employed on the Mississippi. It was Hull who purchased and converted the two purpose-modified tincalds, the USS St. Clair and the USS Brilliant. Following the war in 1866 Hull became Commandant of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. 
  
  CDV, standing view of a uniformed junior officer cradling his sword. Uncredited, n.d. Inked beneath the portrait is, "BR/US Navy." The identity of this man in not readily apparent from the Navy List. Verso bears the later penciled name "Bosher Ratcliffe," which is not found either. The lack of cuff insignia and shoulder straps is consistent with a midshipman having right turned anchor device on cap (1852 Regulations).
  
  CDV, regal view of a uniformed lieutenant commander sporting substantial Victorian sideburns identified in pencil on verso, "S.L. Phelps." Mathew Brady: New York, NY, n.d. The officer wears two rows of double narrow cuff stripes along with an added star, the stripes (without the star) corresponding to introduction of the rank on July 16, 1862. The subject is S. Ledyard Phelps (1824-1885): midshipman 10/19/41, passed midshipman 8/10/47, master 6/30/55, lieutenant 9/14/55, lieutenant commander 7/16/62, resigned 10/29/64. Phelps was a highly esteemed "fighting" naval officer associated with every aspect - and battle - fought by the Brown Water Navy during the Civil War. Regarded as "most knowledgeable about running gunboats" on the western waters, Phelps served as a constructor of warships, flotilla commander, and as executive officer under Admiral Foote who contemplated turning over command to his subordinate, as well as other Flag Officers who regarded him very highly. This outspoken officer was demonstrably active in every major campaign undertaken by the Brown Water Navy accruing battle honors that included Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Island No. 10, Ft. Pillow, Memphis, Vicksburg, and the Red River. Phelps' resignation in October 1864 was influenced by his outspoken critique of Navy bureaucracy that mandated rigid seniority over ability and experience. While serving as Minister to Peru, Phelps died suddenly on June 24, 1885. He was accorded full military honors during his return to the United States aboard a navy warship.
  
  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

  Vignette view with moderate clarity, trimmed top and bottom, G. 
  
  Hull carte with very strong clarity, minor chipping at top edge of albumen, else VG with dented corners.
  
  View of the ensign missing a large piece of albumen abraded from the lower third.  Mottled and soiled with soft corners.  Paper backing of mount with raised horizontal creases due to contact with water(?). G. 
  
  Phelps CDV with strong tones and good clarity, dented corners.  Near VG. 
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