Description:

PRIZE MONEY IS PAID FOR CAPTURED BLOCKADE RUNNER 'BERMUDA'
Scarce war-date U.S. Treasury Dept. D.S., 1p. 4to., [Washington], Aug. 2, 1866, sent to the widow of WILLIAM W. MCKEAN (1800-1865), Union admiral, grandson of Signer Thomas McKean. He rose to the rank of flag officer in command of the Gulf Blockading Squadron in early 1862 and later the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. An auditor sends Mrs. McKean a 'Certificate for $10,086.23' representing her deceased husband's share of prize money 'accruing from the capture of The Bermuda by the U.S.S. Mercedita...'. Light offsetting, else very good. The screw steamer Bermuda was owned by Edwin Haigh, a Liverpool cotton broker. The ship was secretly sold, about the time of her completion, to Messrs. A. S. Henckle and George Alfred Trenholme of Charleston, S.C. then chartered to Frasier Trenholme and Co., a British corporation that served the Confederate government as its commercial and financial agent in the British Isles. On her second voyage, she was captured by the Mercedita. Purchased by the Union Navy and fitted out at Philadelphia Navy Yard for service as a supply vessel, she soon became a very effective warship herself, capturing four blockade runners! Mercedita was less lucky, being battered by Confederate rams at Charleston and striking her colors, only to be ignored by the rams and seizing the chance to escape.

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August 15, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000