Description:

Revolutionary War
n.p., ca. April-June 1779
Continental Navy Ship of War Ranger, 1779 Bill for "Receiving Powder into the Magazine from on Board"
ADS

Revolutionary War. Autograph Document Signed, "Jeremiah Libbey," 1p, 6.5" x 4.5", no place, ca. April-June 1779. Docketing at verso. Horizontal folds. Light toning and soiling. Boldly written and in near fine condition.

Manuscript bill for the Ship of War Ranger to Jeremiah Libbey for the sum of £12.18, in part: "1779 / April / To Receiving Powder into the Magazine from on Board...May 29 / To attendance on the Magazine Empty'g & filling cartridges...June / To attendance 2 days Empty'g the Powder & having the Casks all Cooper'd..." Libbey then signs as "Contents Rec'd."

USS Ranger was a sloop-of-war in the Continental Navy, serving from 1777 to 1780, and the first to bear her name. Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Badger's Island in Kittery, Maine, she is famed for the solo raiding campaign carried out by her first captain, John Paul Jones (1747-1792), during the Revolutionary War. In six months spent primarily in British waters, she captured five prizes (mostly merchantmen), staged a single failed attack on the English mainland at Whitehaven, and caused Royal Navy ships to be dispatched against her in the Irish Sea. Jones was detached in Brest, France, to take charge of the Bonhomme Richard, turning over responsibility for Ranger to his first officer, Lieutenant Thomas Simpson. Under Simpson, the Ranger went on to capture an additional twenty-four prizes across the Atlantic and along the U.S. coast throughout 1778 and 1779.

Receiving new orders in late 1779 to aid the American garrison at Charleston, South Carolina, during the British siege, she continued her raiding career until ultimately forced to anchor on the Cooper River, resulting in her capture on May 11, 1780, with the fall of the city. Renamed Halifax, she finished her active service as a Royal Navy ship and was decommissioned in 1781. Later that year, she was sold in Portsmouth, England, to private buyers for use as a merchantman.

Jeremiah Libbey (1748-1824) was a merchant who served in the Revolutionary War. He was the longtime postmaster general at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, beginning as early as 1776. Libbey also served as Keeper of the [Powder] Magazine at Portsmouth until at least January 1789. In addition to these roles, Libbey also served as executor for a number of Portsmouth figures.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6.5" x 4.5"
  • Medium: ADS

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