CIVIL WAR NOV 1861 CDV CAPT CHARLES WILKES IN HAVANA CUBA PLOTTING TRENT AFFAIR. Vintage, original albumen photograph on CDV during the Civil War (first couple of days November 1861) of U. Navy Captain Charles Wilkes, along with he American consul general to Cuba, Robert Wilson Shuffeldt, a photographed by Charles D. Wilkes had assumed command of the USS San Jacinto off the coast of Africa on 27 August and spent considerable time in pursuit of the Confederate raider CSS Sumter under the command of Capt. Late in October, when he topped for coal at Cienfuegos, Cuba, he learned that James M. Mason and John Slidell, new Confederate envoys to Britain and France hd escaped from Charleston aboard the speedy coastal packet Theodora on 12 October and were then in Havana awaiting passage to Europe. Wilkes raced around the island and reached Havana on 31 October only to learn the Theodora had sailed the previous day.
But Mason and Slidell were till in Havana. There on 8 November Wilkes stopped the Trent and seized the envoys. They were imprisoned in Boston as Britain threatened war (12,000 British soldiers were dispatched to Canada).
The envoys were released and war averted. For information only a scan of a drawing of the encounter added. In fine condition (upper corners clipped), and extremely rare.
Listing and template services provided by inkFrog. The item "CIVIL WAR NOV 1861 CDV CAPT CHARLES WILKES IN HAVANA CUBA PLOTTING TRENT AFFAIR" is in sale since Tuesday, January 15, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Militaria\Civil War (1861-65)\Original Period Items\Photographs". The seller is "linglelobo" and is located in Houston, Texas. This item can be shipped worldwide.