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Lot 137
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NY Gov Daniel D Tompkins congrats to War of 1812 Navy heroes fr Battle of Fayal
NY Gov Daniel D Tompkins congrats to War of 1812 Navy heroes fr Battle of Fayal
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New York Governor Daniel D. Tompkins congratulates Captain Samuel Chester Reid and the crew of the privateer, General Armstrong, for their bravery in battle against several Britishwarships at the Battle of Fayal

DANIEL D. TOMPKINS (1774-1825) Fine content Autograph Letter Signed, "Daniel D. Tompkins," as Governor of New York, 2 pages, 8" x 9.75", Albany, April 24, 1815 to Samuel Chester Reid (1783-1861), commander of the privateer, General Armstrong, for his bravery at the Battle of Fayal (September 26-27, 1814). Expected folds and one corner crease, expertly laid into a larger sheet, very minor toning, else fine.

Tompkins writes in full: "The Legislature of the State of New York, animated by those emotions which are common to the whole American people, in regarding the extraordinary & noble defence [sic] of the privateer brig General Armstrong of which you were commander, when assaulted by a British squadron in the neutral port of Fayal, have passed the resolutions which I now have the honor to transmit [not present]. In contemplating that memorable conflict, the mind is filled with a succession of brilliant incidents; and it hesitates which to admire most, the adventurous spirit which prompted you and your courageous comrades to engage in the desperate fight; the consummate skill exhibited throughout the action; that undaunted valor, which disdained to yield to the repeated efforts of an overwhelming force; or, that proud magnanimous feeling displayed by your heroic baud, in arraying themselves on the shore, after destroying their little vessel, hurling defiance at the Foe and resolving there to perish rather than permit him the last triumph in his shameful attack. The defence of the General Armstrong, Sir, ranks among the most glorious achievements of our late war; and justly entitles the names of her valiant defenders to be inscribed on the roll of heroes, whose deeds have shed lustre [sic] on the American Republic. Be assured, Sir, that, equally with the legislature & my fellow citizens of New York, I am impressed with the splendor of your exploit; and pray you to make known to your brave officers and crew, our united admiration and applause of their gallant conduct."

In September 1814, the Baltimore-based privateer, General Armstrong, had stopped in the Azores where she encountered a squadron of British ships carrying troops destined for the Louisiana Campaign. A fierce fight ensued between the small American brig and several British vessels that included a ship of the line and a frigate. Despite being vastly outgunned, the crew of the General Armstrong managed to fend off the attackers, inflicting heavy losses on the British including 36 killed and 96 wounded (as well as the loss of several armed boats), while only losing 2 killed and 7 wounded. The battle came to and end when Captain Reed resolved to scuttle the General Armstrong, and the crew escaped to shore. British requests to land and capture the American crew were denied by the Portuguese governor.

Credited with delaying the British attack on New Orleans (where a young Andrew Jackson would make his mark), Reid and his crew were greeted in America as heroes.

From the library of John Augustin Daly (1838-1899). Daly, one of the most important figures in nineteenth-century American theater, worked as a critic, manager, playwright and stage director. At the time of his death, he owned two major theaters, one in New York and the other in London. Daly is considered personally responsible for the careers of such acting greats as John Drew Jr. Maurice Barrymore, Fanny Davenport, Maude Adams, Sara Jewett, Isadora Duncan, Tyrone Power, Sr. and many others.

Daly was also an avid book lover and collector, amassing an enormous library of books and original manuscripts. That collection was dispersed in an epic, two-week auction at the American Art Association in New York in March 1900. The present letter was part of an extra-illustrated volume, described in the catalog as a "Unique copy, with autograph letters of all the Presidents inserted..." Walter Benjamin, writing in The Collector, described the sale as a "blaze of glory, due to the total having reached nearly $200,000." Benjamin attributed the sale's incredible success to "a small bookseller on 42d street, who appeared at the sale with apparently unlimited cash, and was soon the master of the situation." That "small bookseller," was George D. Smith (d. 1920), who, up until that time, had been an obscure and unsuccessful book dealer who began his career in 1883 with Dodd & Mead. Smith would dominate the market for the next two decades, working as an agent for some of the wealthiest collectors in the country—most notably Henry E. Huntington, for whom Smith purchased a portion of the Duke of Devonshire Library in 1914 for $1.5 million (American Art Association, Catalogue of the Valuable Literary and Art Property Gathered by the Late Augustin Daly, New York, 1900; The Collector, New York, May 1900, 1-2; Publisher's Weekly, March 13, 1920, 801; Ibid, March 21, 1914, 1008; "Geo. D. Smith Dies in HIs Book Store," New York Times, March 5, 1928, 13). 

The extra-illustrated volume of presidents from which this piece derives fetched $850, nearly four times above the going rate for presidential sets at the time. According to Walter Benjamin, Smith quickly resold the volume for $1,000. The collection did not surface again until it appeared in a minor auction in early 2016. (The Collector, New York, May 1900, 1-2)

Provenance: John Augustin Daly; American Art Association, New York, March 19, 1900, Lot 3122; George D. Smith, New York.

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