(MEXICAN WAR NAVAL COMMAND REQUEST)
$160.00
60078-9
War-date A.L.S., 4pp., 4to, Pensacola, January 20, 1847, a plea from one A. S. Baldwin to Sen. Chester Ashley of Arkansas for command of a Gulf Squadron naval vessel set to participate in combat in the Mexican War. In part: "...I shall fully appreciate...your assistance should you succeed in obtaining for me the Second Idol of my Heart. I mean a Command. You are already aware how earnestly I have sought employment since this Mexican War commenced. After Several month's closely watching the Gulf Squadron a vacancy appeared...in the...Princeton Steamer...I place very great importance upon getting into this vessel during this war and at this time, having arrived near that age when a Man is a Man...". Baldwin's previous assignment was with the Wilkes Expedition, (the United States Exploring Expedition), when President John Quincy Adams ordered the Navy to explore the Pacific Ocean during the years 1838-1842. The Wilkes team mapped over 800 miles of Oregon Coast and retrieved thousands of plant and animal specimens constituting what are now the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Botanical Garden. Baldwin credits his years with the expedition as making him well-trained and worthy of command. Minor folds and uneven age toning in places, else very good.