$308
Bainbridge, Commodore William (1774-1833) Receipt Signed, 1814. United States Navy Department IOU receipt written by Charlestown Navy Yard clerk Benjamin H. Fosdick, for $175 for the mustering of mechanics employed in building the USS Independence ; signed by Bainbridge at the bottom and twice by Fosdick, old folds, reinforced, docketed on verso, 11 3/4 x 7 1/4 in. Commodore Bainbridge commanded the USS Constitution in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. He was also in charge of the Charlestown Navy Yard. The Independence was used by the Navy for 100 years before it was destroyed. Fosdick embezzled money from the Navy by padding payroll accounts and taking the proceeds for himself.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2017-05-23
