U.S. Navy Pepper, open pontil, from USS Cumberland 1859
Also a clothes brush from the Cumberland, 1859
| Start Price |
USD 165.00 |
| Current Price |
USD 165.00 |
| Time Left |
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| Bid Count |
0 |
| Buy It Now Price |
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| Reserve Price |
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| Start Time |
Monday, November 17, 2008 |
| End Time |
Monday, November 24, 2008 |
| Location |
Spanish Fort, Alabama |
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See more about 'U.S. Navy Pepper, open pontil, from USS Cumberland 1859'
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Description
This is a very unusual group of historical items from the USS Cumberland from 1859. The Civil War connection is that the Cumberland was rammed and sunk by the CSS Virginia (the Merrimac) at Newport News, VA in 1862 (see the article copied below for details). The bottle is embossed US NAVY PEPPER and is open pontiled. There is a handwritten note inside that states "Pepper Bottle from U.S. Ship Cumberland contains sand from Sahara Desert brought home by George B. Worthen of that ship about 1859". It is in the 19th century style of writing and is very clean because it's been inside the bottle all these years. The sand is held inside by what appears to be the original cork, but is slightly loose. Also included is a uniform/clothes brush with a 19th century handwritten label stating "Bought in Cairo Egypt by George B. Worthen USS Cumberland 1859". The bottle is in sparkling mint condition and only needs a little washing if you desire to clean it. I looked at it closely and found no chips, cracks, stains or damage of any kind. The glass is clean and sparkling inside and out and has not been affected by the sand in any way. It is a perfect bottle in every respect and would be called attic mint in every respect. Is 8-sided and 5 and 3/8 inches tall. The brush has no damage and is in perfect condition for its age. The animal-hair bristles are still supple. 8 and 1/8 inches long by 2 and 1/2 inches wide. I have not done any research of George B. Worthen but it is well worth the effort and should be done to add extra value to these items. Items are guaranteed to be genuine and as described. I copied the following from Wikipedia: Africa/Slave Trade Patrol From 1857 to 1859 she cruised on the coast of Africa as flagship of the African Squadron patrolling for the suppression of the slave trade. Like many U.S. Navy ships in Africa, Cumberland employed a number of Krooman (indigenous Africans who lived on the western coast) to serve as scouts, interpreters, and fishermen. The ship's surgeons had to deal with a number of issues, including an outbreak of smallpox. Cumberland boarded several dozen merchant ships. Her crew almost seized one, the schooner Cortez, after shackles and known slave trading items had been found on the deck of the schooner, a slave trading holding pen had been spotted in the distance, the ship's papers were highly suspect, and the ship was far from any port. Cumberland's boarding officer, however, chose not seize the ship possibly realizing the legal difficulty of bringing slave traders to trial without overwhelming evidence. Cortez was later captured by HMS Arrow in 1858 off the coast of Cuba. Otherwise, the ship served as the squadron's supply vessel providing supplies to the other three ships in the squadron, the sloops-of-war Dale, Vincennes, and Marion and served as roving diplomat along the three thousand mile coast line. Home Squadron After her return from Africa, Cumberland became flagship of the Home Squadron in 1860. She made a return trip to Vera Cruz Mexico, which was in the middle of a civil war. The Navy recalled her to Hampton Roads, VA when domestic issues in the United States took a turn for the worse. American Civil War At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Cumberland was at the Gosport Navy Yard, with orders to monitor the situation in Norfolk and Portsmouth. After the attack on Fort Sumter, the ship's company was ordered to gather up or destroy U.S. Government property. This included several crates of small arms and possibly (not yet confirmed) gold from the U.S. Customs House in Norfolk. The company was also ordered to spike all 3,000 guns at the Navy Yard within just a few hours. This latter task was impossible, given that only 100 sailors were assigned to the task. Sailors from the Yard and the barracks ship USS Pennsylvania boarded Cumberland as a part of the evacuation. She was towed out of the yard by the steam sloop USS Pawnee, escaping destruction when other ships there were scuttled and burned by Union forces 20 April 1861 to prevent their capture. She sailed back to Boston for repairs. The aft X-inch Dahlgren was removed and replaced with what many officers referred to as a 70-pounder rifle. This gun did not exist in the Navy's inventory at the time. It was possibly a 5.3-inch, 60-pounder Parrott Rifle. She sailed back to Hampton Roads and took up station as a blockader. She served as one several ships of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron until 8 March 1862. The sloop-of-war engaged Confederate forces in several minor actions in Hampton Roads and captured many small ships in the harbor. Additionally, Cumberland was a part of the expedition that captured the forts at Cape Hatteras. Cumberland was rammed and sunk in an engagement with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) at Newport News, Virginia on 8 March 1862. The engagement known as the first day of the Battle of Hampton Roads between the two ships is considered to be a turning point in the history of world naval affairs as it showed the advantage of steam powered, armored ships over sail powered wooden hulled ships. It should be noted that because of Cumberland, Virginia lost two of her guns, her ram, and suffered some internal damage. Congress later recognized that Cumberland did more damage to Virginia than the U.S. Navy's ironclad USS Monitor, which did battle with Virginia the next day. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Satisfaction is guaranteed. I also guarantee these to be genuine period items as stated in the description. Shipping will be by insured priority mail unless buyer has another preference. Insurance is required. Thanks!
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