Beschreibung:

CDV of who appears to be a lieutenant commander. New York: Brady [1860s]. Identified in pencil on verso "James Bennett." (Soft focus having bottom portion of mount trimmed and top corners clipped, wear and soling, good.) The double row of wide sleeve braids indicates a lieutenant commander (introduced July 16, 1862) but there is no-one named "James Bennett" with that rank in the Navy List. The officer's sword rests on a nearby stand. [With:] CDV vignetted bust portrait of Charles Steedman N.p.: n.p., [1860s]. Ink identified on verso. (Average clarity with moderate toning and soft bottom corners.) Stalwart career officer Charles Steedman (1811-1890) began his naval service as a midshipman in 1828, and rose to the rank of rear admiral before his retirement in 1873. He first saw active service during the Mexican War and later commanded the brig USS Dolphin during the 1859-60 Paraguay expedition and the Brazil Station through 1860. The advent of the Civil War found Steedman in command of the steamer USS Maryland patrolling between Baltimore and Philadelphia. In late 1861 he joined Commander Foote on the Mississippi and served there only briefly before returning east and joining the operation against Port Royal leading the assault which led to its capture. Advanced to captain in September 1862, Steedmen took over the USS Powhatan on the Charleston blockade. He later held command billets with Admirals Dahlgren and Goldsborough until the end of the war. Steedmen's last duty was Rear Admiral commanding the South Pacific Squadron after which he was placed on the Retired List. [With:] CDV featuring young Brown Water Navy Acting Ensign Amos T. Bisel wearing a short double breasted fatigue coat displaying the single sleeve star of his rank. Natchez, MS: Gurney, [1860s]. Identified twice in ink, including below image, "Yours truly, A.T. Bisel USN" and on verso, "A.T. Bisel / USS Benton." (Average clarity, clipped lower corners, else near very good.) Amos T. Bisel was a wartime commission, beginning his service as a mat in February of 1864. The Richard B. Cohen Civil War Collection Lots 79-98; 116; 138-153; and 266 Cowan's is pleased to offer the third installment of Richard B. Cohen's collection of Civil War Brown Water Navy photography. Richard was known to many in the field as a "disciplined collector who maintained a relatively narrow focus having built an important, perhaps unsurpassed collection in his area of specialization." From cartes de visite to large format photographs, this portion of the collection features a noteworthy selection of images of Brown Water Navy warships, among them, the USS Benton, Choctaw, Lafayette, and Louisville. Many important identified naval officers are also represented, including an exquisite CDV of the promising young officer, Lieutenant Commander William Gwin, who died of wounds aboard the USS Benton following an artillery duel with Confederate forces at Snyder's Bluff, and an exceptionally large war-date photograph of the controversial commander of the USS Pittsburgh, Egbert Thompson. This auction also features a premiere selection of autographs and manuscripts from Richard's carefully curated collection. Highlights include a letter from Jefferson Davis to his distant cousin, John J. Pettus, Governor of Mississippi, dated a year before secession, conveying intricate plans for securing armaments in preparation for the war; an Abraham Lincoln signed endorsement; a letter from Admiral D.G. Farragut from New Orleans, offering excellent insight into his "political" thinking as well as his dedication to his work; correspondence from Gideon Welles, David Dixon Porter U.S. Grant, and W.T. Sherman; and a pair of superb letters with highly descriptive accounts of the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac. Provenance:The Richard B. Cohen Civil War Collection