December 2014 Auction Ends Tuesday, December 16th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/16/2014
Theodore Roosevelt typed letter signed as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Dated 25 August 1897, letter was written during the prelude to the Spanish-American War, during which Roosevelt distinguished himself to national prominence. Addressed to Captain Lyon upon Roosevelt's personal Navy Department stationery, letter concerns the whereabouts of gunboat USS Dolphin, a key vessel in the US' victory in the Spanish-American War, where she helped capture Spanish-held Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in the crucial Battle of Cuzco Well. Letter reads in full, ''...I received a telegram from the Admiral that the FERN will meet me at Fortress Monroe. From this I gather that there is a chance of the [USS] DOLPHIN'S not being down; so pay no heed to my letter of the other day...[signed] Theodore Roosevelt''. Just a few months after this letter, the USS Dolphin was placed out of commission on 23 November 1897 but then recommissioned on 24 March 1898 for service in the war. One page on a sheet of card-style stationery. Measures 5.5'' x 6.75''. Bleeding to ink of the typed text as well as to signature, and crease through center, else near fine.
Theodore Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed -- Just Months Before The Spanish-American War -- ''...there is a chance of the [USS] DOLPHIN'S not being down...''
Click above for larger image.