87. ALABAMA CLAIMS The "Alabama Claims" were claims made by the U.S. government against Great Britain for the damage inflicted on Northern merchant ships during the American Civil War by the Alabama and other Confederate raiders that had been built, fitted out, and otherwise aided by British interests. William H. Seward failed to reach a settlement while he was Secretary of State. However, his successor, Hamilton Fish, brought about the Treaty of Washington (1871), which provided for arbitration. Charles Francis Adams for the United States, Alexander J. E. Cockburn for Great Britain, and three members from neutral countries constituted the tribunal, which met at Geneva in 1871-72. The arbitrators threw out American claims for indirect losses, but they awarded the United States $15.5 million for all the direct damage done by the Alabama and the Florida and for most of the damage caused by the Shenandoah. An unusual property, being an archive of over 40 items all concerning the Alabama Claims, including multiple imprints regarding the legal wrangling, original legal correspondence, and most importantly, original checks signed by Charles Thompson, attorney for the petitioners, paying off the claims. This is a fascinating archive, worthy of much further research. $2,000 - 3,000