Commodore Charles Wilkes
Item #: 22636
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Commodore Charles Wilkes CDV, seated view in uniform. During the
blockade he visited the British colony of Bermuda. Acting on orders, he
remained in port for nearly a week aboard his flagship the Wachusett, violating
the British rule that allowed American naval vessels to remain in port for only
a single day. While Wilkes remained in port, his gunboats Tioga and
Sonoma blockaded Saint George's harbor, a key Confederate blockade runner base.
The gunboats opened fire at a Royal Mail steamer, the Merlin. When Wilkes
learned that James Murray Mason and John Slidell, two Confederate commissioners
to England, were bound for England on the British mail packet the Trent, he
ordered the steam frigate San Jacinto to stop them. On November 8, 1861
the San Jacinto met the Trant and fired two shots across its bow, forcing the
ship to stop. A boarding party from the San Jacinto led by its captain then
boarded the Trent and arrested Mason and Slidell. The diplomats were taken to
Fort Warren in Boston Harbor. The actions of "The Notorious
Wilkes" - as Bermuda media branded him -convinced many that full-scale war
between the United States and the United Kingdom was inevitable. He was
officially thanked by Congress "for his brave, adroit, and patriotic conduct."
However, his action was later disavowed by President Lincoln due to
diplomatic pressure by the British Government. (Mason and Slidell were
released). His next service was in the James River flotilla.
Subsequently, after reaching the rank of commodore on July 16, 1862 he was
assigned to duty against blockade runners in the West Indies. Back mark C. D.
Fredricks, Habana.
Shipping Weight:
0.25 lb
$185.00 USD
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