Three CDVs of Identified Navy Officers, Incl. Charles Boggs, USS Varuna, and Henry Wade and Burdett Gowing, USS Kennebec

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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 3 CDVs of identified naval officers.
  
  CDV featuring an oval portrait of Charles S. Boggs. Uncredited, n.d. Double pencil notation on verso "Capt. Boggs" over "Charles S. Boggs" in later hand. Charles S. Boggs (1811-1888): Midshipman, Passed Midshipman 4/28/32, Lieutenant 9/6/37, Commander 9/14/55, Captain 7/16/62, Commodore 7/25/66, Rear Admiral 7/1/70, Retired List 1/28/72, Died 4/22/88. At sea since 1830, the junior officer was on station with the Mediterranean Squadron during the Mexican War and later joined the frigate St. Lawrence in 1851. In December 1861, Commander Boggs took the helm of the heavy steam powered gunboat USS Varuna and fought her with uncommon distinction during the capture of New Orleans described in a citation tantamount to a Medal of Honor action: "In the attack of the gunboats on the Mississippi forts, April 18-24...he destroyed six of the Confederate gunboats, but finally lost his own vessel, after driving his antagonist ashore in flames. When he found the Varuna sinking, he ran her ashore, tied her to the trees, and fought his guns until the water was over the guntracks" sustaining 184 casualties. Boggs was accordingly promoted to Captain in July and sent out to the distant North Atlantic Blockading Squadron as commanding officer of the steam sloops Juniata and Sacramento.  He saw no further combat during the war but dutifully patrolled the West Indies in the steam frigate Connecticut before shifting to shore duty at the New York Navy Yard.  Routine navy billets alternating between ship and shore followed by promotion to Rear Admiral in July 1871. Admiral Boggs capped his career with command of the European Squadron in 1871 before retiring in January 1872. Admiral Boggs died in New Jersey on April 22, 1888.
  
  CDV seated portrait of Henry C. Wade. Uncredited, ca 1864. Ink identified beneath portrait as "Henry C. Wade, Acting Master U.S. Navy  / USS Kennebec," referring to purpose built gunboat commissioned in February 1862. Henry C. Wade: Acting Master 10/29/61, Died 9/12/67. The star over two narrow strips dates this image to 1864 before the requirement for revenue stamps to fund the war. USS Kennebec was one of a large war-built class of "Ninety Day Wonder" steam gunboats optimized for coastal as well as river operations. She was assigned to Farragut's West Gulf Blockading Squadron and immediately began patrolling the lower Mississippi. Kennebec engaged in reconnaissance preparatory to the attack on Forts Jackson and St. Philip in which she later became separated from the body of the fleet - entangled in a line of river obstructions - all the while taking concentrated fire from the shore batteries during the night.  She next saw action on June 25, 1862, commencing a bombardment of Rebel fortifications below Vicksburg and making the combat transit with Farragut's fleet. Following the fall of Vicksburg Kennebec was assigned to blockade duty in the Gulf of Mexico in August, occasionally taking the opportunity to shell targets ashore. During the later half of 1863 Kennebec, sometimes in company with another vessel, went on an incredible run of prizes, capturing no fewer than seven Confederate blockade runners off Mobile or during pursuit in the Gulf. In November 1863, Acting Master Wade had been transferred to the command of the USS Gertrude, a former Confederate Blockade runner converted by the navy into a fast gunboat. USS Gertrude was now assigned to the very same blockade duty patrolling between New Orleans and Mobile. Under Wade's command she captured a schooner laden with contraband on January 16, 1864. The ship was later assigned to blockade duty off Galveston and captured another Confederate blockade runner on February 19, 1865. Gertrude was decommissioned in August 1865. Acting Master Wade's subsequent post-war service up until his death in September 1867 is unknown. 
  
  CDV standing portrait of Burdett C. Gowing. L.I. Prince: New Orleans, n.d. Signed in ink "Burdett C. Gowing USN."  Gowing's cap is artfully placed on the adjoining pedestal urn turning a symmetrical-like appearance. Burdett C. Gowing: Third Assistant Engineer 9/21/61, Second Assistant Engineer 7/30/63, first Assistant Engineer 10/11/66, Chief Engineer 2/15/86, Retired List 1/28/95. During the war he is listed as 3rd Act. Asst. Engineer aboard the USS Hibiscus, and later in several reports relating to the hard fighting USS Kennebec as 2nd Act. Asst. Engineer at the epic Battle of Mobile Bay. Here, the Kennebec was lashed to the Monongahela as the guns of Fort Morgan opened fire.  During the running fight with the ironclad ram CSS Tennessee, the Confederate ship "passed across Monongahela's bow and struck Kennebec's bow, glanced off, and fired into the gunboat's berth deck as she pulled away, wounded several but doing little damage..."  Kennebec had quickly cast off and steamed up the bay in pursuit of Southern merchant ships trying to escape in the chaos, capturing one schooner. Engineer Cowing presumably participated in other of Kennebec's operations through the end of the war, but afterwards the record goes cold.  
  
  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

  Boggs carte with strong clarity, mount face with elaborate graphics in red and gold and uniform rounded corners, VG. Wade CDV overexposed and slightly light with just average clarity, minor bottom edge wear and irregular top cut, still G+.  The Gowing carte with better than average clarity having bumped but otherwise strong corners, VG+. 
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