Civil War–dated printed DS, signed “Carry low steam, D. G. F.,” one page, 7.5 x 9.5, July 12, 1864. Document issued by Farragut from the USS Hartford, headed “General Order No. 10.” In part: “Strip your vessels and prepare for the conflict. Send down all your superfluous spars and rigging. Trice up or remove the whiskers. Put up the splinter nets on the starboard side, and barricade the wheel and steersmen with sails and hammocks. Lay chains or sand-bangs on the deck over the machinery, to resist a plunging fire. Hang the sheet chains over the side, or make any other arrangement for security that your ingenuity may suggest…The vessels will run past the Forts in couples, lashed side by side, as hereinafter designated. The Flag Ship will lead and steer from Sand Island N. by E. by compass, until abreast of Fort Morgan…each vessel will keep a very little on the starboard quarter of his next ahead, and, when abreast of the fort, will keep directly astern, and, as we pass the Fort, will take the same distance on the port quarter of the next ahead, to enable the stern guns to fire clear of the next vessel astern. It will be the object of the Admiral to get as close to the Fort as possible before opening fire; the ships, however, will open fire the moment the enemy opens upon us, with their chase and other guns, as fast as they can be brought to bear. Use short fuses for the shell and shrapnell [sic], and as soon as within 300 or 400 yards, give them grape. It is understood that heretofore we have fired too high, but, with grape-shot it, is necessary to elevate a little above the object, as grape-shot will dribble from the muzzle of the gun….Should the enemy fire grape, they will remove the men from the top-gallant forecastle and poop, to the guns below, until out of grape range. The Howitzers must keep up a constant fire from the time they can reach with shrapnell until out of its range." Partial edge separations to horizontal folds and toning to edges, otherwise fine condition. Accompanied by a letter from Captain Henry Metcalfe forwarding this piece to a collector. This order anticipates the Battle of Mobile Bay, during which the Union fleet sped through a mine-laden channel en route to an attack on Fort Morgan. The USS Tecumseh struck a mine and sunk early on, which led to Farragut’s famous command popularly rendered as, ‘Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!’ Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$75.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
We use cookies on this site to improve your experience. By using this site, you accept our use of cookies. To learn more, please see our Privacy Policy.
