Description:

(UNION NAVY) GIDEON WELLES AND CHARLES S. MCCAULEY
Fine association, war-date partly-printed D.S., 1p. 4to., [Washington, D.C.], Sep. 13, 1864, appointing U.S. Navy Commander RICHARD WORSAM MEADE (1807-1870), younger brother of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, to sit on a court martial being convened at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on September 19. The order is signed at the conclusion in black ink by GIDEON WELLES (1802-1878), Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy who proposed the blockage of Southern ports and the construction of the ironclad fleet, and is countersigned by Commodore CHARLES STEWART MCCAULEY (1793-1869), who commanded the Gosport Ship Yard at Portsmouth, Virginia up to its capture by Confederate forces on April 21, 1861, and ordered that the yard and the ships under construction there be burned. This included the steam frigate USS MERRIMACK, which was burned to the waterline but rebuilt as the ironclad CSS VIRGINIA. The verso of the first leaf of the document further bears an A.N.S. [Philadelphia], Oct. 19, 1864, by Navy Judge Advocate PHILIP HAMILTON (1802-1884), son of Alexander Hamilton, certifying that Meade was detached from the above-referenced court martial at its conclusion. The document shows original mailing folds with slight splits thereto, with a few pencil notations and slight toning to the edges, otherwise I very good overall condition.

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November 14, 2025 10:00 AM EST
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