Three CDVs of Identified Navy Officers, Incl. James Palmer, USS Iroquois and Fleet Surgeon Jonathan Foltz

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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, two with Brown Water Navy imprints. 
  
  CDV of Mark B. Means cradling his sword. E. Jacobs: New Orleans, LA, n.d. Identified in ink on verso "Gunner M.B. Means / Sedgwick (?)." Mark B. Means: acting gunner 7/22/63, appointment revoked 4/24/65 due to "sickness." No additional information could be found.
  
  CDV of an older senior officer with sword and fore-and aft cap. E. & H.T. Anthony: New York, NY, n.d. Pencil identified on verso "Commodore Palmer." James S. Palmer (1810-1867): midshipman 1/25/25, passed midshipman 6/4/31, lieutenant 4/17/36, commander 9/14/55, captain 7/16/62, commodore 2/7/63, rear admiral 7/25/66, died 12/7/67. Palmer had sea duty during the Mexican War commanding the schooner USS Flirt. When the Civil War broke out Commander Palmer was at sea with the Mediterranean Squadron in command of the brand new steam sloop of war USS Iroquois. He returned to await orders and was reappointed commander of the Iroquois in March 1862 joining the Western Gulf Blockade Squadron under Flag Officer Farragut. Iroquois participated in the attack and capture of New Orleans and early operations against Vicksburg. Palmer was consequently promoted to captain after the fall of New Orleans and given command of Farragut's flagship, the USS Hartford, in July 1862.  Palmer was advanced to commodore and in January 1864 became senior officer of naval forces on the Mississippi in proximity to New Orleans while commanding the screw steamer USS Pensacola. In April 1864, Commodore Palmer took command of the sloop of war USS Monongahela. In August he shifted again now taking command of the 1st Division of Ironclads, West Gulf Blockading Squadron, with his flag on the USS Richmond.  Palmer retained the position until November 1864 when he took over temporary command of Farragut's squadron.  Palmer reverted to command of the ironclad division which he held until May 1865. In the immediate post-war the commodore held several important shore billets before being appointed to the command of the North Atlantic Squadron in December 1865 with his flag aboard the USS Rhode Island. Promoted to Rear Admiral on July 25, 1866, Palmer contracted yellow fever at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and died there a year later on July 25, 1867.
  
  CDV of an officer cradling his sword. E. Jacobs: New Orleans, LA, n.d. Identified in modern pencil as, "Jonathan M. Foltz." Jonathan M. Foltz (1810-1877): assistant surgeon 4/4/31, passed assistant surgeon 12/8/38, surgeon 12/8/38, medical director 3/3/71, chief of bureau, medicine and surgery 10/25/71, retired list 4/25/72, died April 12, 1877. This officer had prior service during the Mexican War as Fleet Surgeon aboard ship and ashore. During the Civil War, Foltz served as Fleet Surgeon of the Western Gulf Squadron during 1862-63 becoming closely associated with the ascent of Flag Officer Farragut aboard the USS Hartford during the latter's operations at New Orleans and Vicksburg. He accompanied Admiral Farragut as Fleet Surgeon aboard the USS Franklin during the latter's extended cruise to Europe in 1867-68. Foltz served as president of the naval medicine board in 1870-71 and achieved the pinnacle of his career when appointed Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and Surgeon General - only the second officer to attain that distinction - with the rank of commodore in October 1871. 
  
  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

  Means CDV with average clarity and clipped corners, almost VG.  Palmer carte with average clarity showing irregularly cut corners, still G+.  Foltz CDV with average clarity but otherwise EXC. 
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