Description:

Matthew Perry from Hospital Salmadina Mexican War Naval

This brief letter with great associations signed by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, authorizes ill Chief Engineer William W. W. Wood to return to the United States and to report to Secretary of the Navy John Y. Mason. Writing from his flagship USS Mississippi, Perry based his decision on a report of the medical survey that had apparently deemed Wood too ill to continue service in Mexico.

[MEXICAN WAR.] Matthew C. Perry, Manuscript Letter Signed, to W. W. W. Wood, August 8, 1847, U.S. Flag Ship Mississippi, Anton Lizardo, Mexico. 1 p., 8.125" x 13.375". Expected folds; some tape repairs to folds on verso; very good.

Complete Transcript
U.S. Flag Ship Mississippi
Anton Lizardo August 8th 1847.
Sir
In consequence of the Report of the Medical Survey upon your case, you have permission to return to the United States in any manner most convenient to yourself. On arrival there you will Report in writing to the Honble Secretary of the Navy, designating your place of residence and transmitting a copy of this letter, if you prefer it you can wait for the sailing of a U.S. Vessel, for the United States.
Respectfully / Your obdt servt
M. C. Perry / Com HS
Chief Engineer / W. W. W. Wood
U.S. Hospital Salmadina

Historical Background
Commander David E. Conner (1792-1856) commanded the Home Squadron of the U.S. Navy in the Gulf of Mexico at the beginning of the Mexican War. On November 14, 1846, his forces captured Tampico on the Mexican coast approximately 260 miles south of the mouth of the Rio Grande. Tampico then served as a base for the siege and capture of Veracruz in March 1847.

That same month, Commodore Matthew C. Perry succeeded Conner as commander of the Home Squadron. From Veracruz, General Winfield Scott's forces marched on and captured Mexico City.

Naval officers could apply to the commodore for a medical survey, and it appears that Wood did so, and the medical authorities found him unfit for duty. Americans under Commodore Perry constructed a naval hospital on the tiny Isla Sal Medina, two miles off the coast of Anton Lizardo. It became known as a yellow fever hospital, so Wood may have had yellow fever.

Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858) was born in Rhode Island, the younger brother of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819). He received a position as a midshipman in 1809, initially on a ship commanded by his older brother. He served during the War of 1812 and the Second Barbary War. He became a lieutenant in 1813, commander in 1826, and captain in 1837. Perry helped to establish the curriculum at the United States Naval Academy and supported modernizing the Navy. Dubbed the "Father of the Steam Navy," he oversaw the construction of the steam frigate USS Fulton, which he then commanded. Perry organized the first corps of naval engineers and conducted the first naval gunnery school. Perry became a commodore in 1840, when the Secretary of the Navy appointed him as commandant of the New York Navy Yard. After commanding the African Squadron in 1843-1844, he commanded the USS Mississippi during the Mexican War. In 1852, he was commissioned to open trade with Japan. Leading a fleet of four steamships into Edo Bay in July 1853, Perry presented a letter from the President of the United States and promised to return. He again visited Edo Bay from February to April 1854, where he signed the Convention of Kanagawa, ending four centuries of Japan's isolation. Perry returned to the United States in 1855 and prepared a report on the expedition in three volumes. He also received a promotion to rear-admiral.

William Willis Wiley Wood (1818-1882) was born in North Carolina and gained knowledge of engineering at the West Point foundry in New York. He entered the U.S. Navy as a chief engineer in March 1845 and served with the Navy during the Mexican War, mostly at the Pensacola Navy Yard. From 1854 to 1857, he superintended the construction of the boilers and engines of the steam frigate USS Merrimack at Cold Spring, New York. Confederates constructed the ironclad warship CSS Virginia upon its hull in 1861 and 1862. During the Civil War, Wood performed special duty at the navy yards in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. He served as head of the Department of Steam Engineering at the Naval Academy in 1866 and 1867, as Chief Engineer of the New York Navy Yard in 1868 and 1869, as Inspector of Machinery Afloat from 1870 to 1872, and as Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering from 1873 to 1877. He retired in 1880 at the rank of commodore. He died by drowning when his boat was capsized by a squall off Point Lookout, Maryland.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

May 31, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000