Future Admiral Of The Navy George Dewey Writes Letter To Superior Officer Shortly After Civil War

GEORGE DEWEY (1837-1917). Dewey was Admiral of the Navy, the only one in American history, and is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the SpanishAmerican War.ALS. 1 pg. 8 x 10. February 8, 1866. Lisbon, Portugal. An autograph letter signed Geo. Dewey to Rear Admiral L.M. Goldsborough: Sir: I have the honor to send the area of the transverse section of this vessel, measured from the deck trace line of Fourteen feet; also the area of her sails. Area of transverse section, 380 feet, Area of sails 2474 yards. This letter was written by George Dewey early in his naval career. Dewey would later achieve the unprecedented, and since unrealized, rank of Admiral of the Navy during the Spanish-American War and oversee the Battle of Manila Bay, which ended with one American casualty. Yet at this early date, Dewey was the Lieutenant Commander of the U.S.S. Kearsarge. Before Deweys position, this ship had previously sunk the infamous Confederate privateer, Alabama, but by 1866 it was sent to a European station. The commander of the European squadron, and the recipient of this letter, was Rear Admiral Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough. Goldsborough (1805-1877) had commanded the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War. The European squadron, previously known as the Mediterranean Squadron, was established to protect American shipping interests from piracy. By this time and the decades to come, it was more focused on engaging in gunboat diplomacy. The letter also includes some mathematical calculations and notes in Goldsboroughs hand on the front, followed by his signature. On the verso, he added the following: Computation to determine the proportion of canvass in relation to implemented transverse section on board U.S.S. Kearsarge Feby 9th 1866. It is in fine condition. There are not many Dewey signed letters this early in his career.