Description:

John A. Dahlgren Naval Envelope

Chief Clerk John D. Simms of the Navy Department used this folded envelope to send a letter or document to Lieutenant John A. Dahlgren. Four days earlier, President William Henry Harrison had appointed Simms as Acting Secretary of the Navy while Secretary George E. Badger was absent from Washington. It was one of the few acts Harrison accomplished during his thirty-day presidency.

After working for the Coast Survey from 1834 to 1837, Dahlgren received a medical leave of absence because of eye strain. When he again reported for duty in January 1839, he told the Navy Department that his eyesight prevented him from returning to regular duty. He also married Mary Bunker on January 8, 1839, and the couple purchased a farm in Bucks County, approximately twenty miles north of Philadelphia. There, they had their first three children. New Secretary of the Navy James K. Paulding suggested that Dahlgren request a furlough, which would have reduced his annual pay to $600. Dahlgren refused, and an acrimonious debate ensued between Paulding and Dahlgren. Future Mississippi Governor and Congressman John A. Quitman appealed to President Martin Van Buren on Dahlgren's behalf, and Van Buren instructed Paulding to continue issuing three-month extensions to Dahlgren's leave until Paulding left office at the end of Van Buren's administration in March 1841.

In June 1841, Dahlgren informed the Navy Department that his eyesight had improved, but he was not prepared to go back to active duty. In the spring of 1842, he was assigned to the receiving ship in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. He sold his farm in Bucks County and moved his family to Wilmington, Delaware.

JOHN A. DAHLGREN, Envelope from John D. Simms to Dahlgren, postmarked March 23, 1841. 1 p., folded to 8.25" x 3.75". Expected folds; general toning; tear on opening; residue of sealing wax. Pencil notation by "Dean of Autographs" Charles Hamilton (1914-1996).

Complete Transcript
NAVY DEPARTMENT
J D Simms
Lieut John A. Dahlgren
U.S. Navy
Hartsville
Bucks County
Penna

[Postmark:] WASHINGTON CITY D.C. / MAR 23
[Stamp:] FREE

John A. Dahlgren (1809-1870) was born in Philadelphia to the Swedish consul in the city and joined the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1826. After working on the coastal survey beginning in 1834, he was promoted to ordnance officer in 1847 and stationed at the Washington Navy Yard. He founded the U.S. Navy's ordnance department and made major advances in gunnery. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Dahlgren to captain and made him chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. Promoted to Rear Admiral in February 1863, Dahlgren took command of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, where he worked with General Quincy A. Gillmore on the siege of Charleston and with General William T. Sherman on the capture of Savannah in December 1864. After the war, he commanded the South Pacific Squadron from 1867 to 1869, before returning to the Washington Navy Yard.

John Douglass Simms Sr. (1788-1843) was born in Virginia and graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton). He practiced law for several years and then served as chief clerk to the Secretary of the Navy from April 1827 until his death in March 1843. In 1841, he served at least twice as Acting Secretary of the Navy in the absence of the Secretary from Washington.

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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