Register (1851-1852) including correspondence, list of day to day activities, list of activities of provisioner, list of orders supplies to ships, etc.
The USS Ewing, a topsail schooner, was built in Maryland in 1841 and initially was stationed in New York. In 1849, the ship sailed to San Francisco to serve the Coast Survey. The Ewing was under the command of multiple Lieutenants, including Lieutenants McArthur, Cuyler, and T. H. Stevens. The Ewing remained in the service of the Coast Survey until her decommissioning in 1876.
The USS Massachusetts, a steamship, was built in 1845 in the shipyard of Samuel Hall in Boston, MA. Initially used for commercial service, the ship was bought and commissioned by the US Department of War in 1845 to serve as a troop transport vessel during the Mexican-American War. In 1849, the Massachusetts was given to the U.S. Navy under the command of Lieutenant Sam Knox. Assigned to the Pacific Squadron, the ship was sent to Hawaii to recruit new crew members. Upon her return in 1850, the ship set sail to Puget Sound. After returning to California and later sailing to San Diego, the Massachusetts is believed to have either began typical Naval duties or continued as a transport vessel. The ship was decommissioned on March 18, 1853. The Massachusetts was recommissioned in May of 1854, under the command of Lieutenant Richard Meade. The Massachusetts returned to Puget Sound and operated there for over a year, taking part in the battle of Port Gamble. In 1857, the ship left the Pacific Northwest and was decommissioned at Mare Island, CA, on June 17.
The USS Warren, a second-class sloop-of-war, served in the US Navy from January 14, 1827, to May 24, 1859. The warship was named after Joseph Warren, one of the Founding Fathers, and was commanded by Master Commandant Lawrence Kearny. Initially, the Warren was sent to the Mediterranean Sea to prevent Grecian pirates from attacking American merchants. The Warren fought off several pirate attacks on American ships and stayed in the Mediterranean for two years. The ship returned to America for repairs and was recommissioned and sent to the waters between Brazil and Argentina. After two years there, the ship headed to Pennsylvania. Starting in 1836, the Warren made three tours in the West Indies to protect American commerce, with the second and third tours taking place in 1839 and 1841, respectively. The Warren moved to Monterey, CA, and later San Francisco, CA, during the Mexican-American War. During the war, the crew of the Warren was murdered and thrown overboard. The Warren was decommissioned in 1859 and later sold in 1863. The final fate of the Warren was not recorded.
Written April 2024
This collection contains a volume which served as a steward's weekly provisions register for the USS WARREN, a second class sloop-of-war stores ship serving along the west coast of North America; the USS MASSACHUSETTS, a wooden steamer assigned to the Pacific squadron and operating along the west coast of America; and the US Schooner EWING, proximity and class unknown. The roster can be used to study the diet of sailors and the amount of rations they received on a daily basis in the mid-nineteenth century. The register lists the men on board the vessels; and contains records indicating when they drew rations and when they stopped; when men left the ship, whether temporarily or permanently; and when additional men came on board. In this aspect the movement of men on the vessels can be tracked: when they were discharged, deserted, or came on board.
The records for the US Schooner EWING (June 1-August 18, 1851) list day-to-day activities of the purser's clerk with a section totaling all the weekly provisions for that period. The USS MASSACHUSETTS rations record (September 23, 1851-March 31, 1852), in addition to including the day-to-day activity of the provisioner, lists such things as a change in command, extra rations given to men working on the steam engine, and supplies ordered to another ship, the US Schooner BALTIMORE. The records for the USS WARREN (April 15, 1851-March 20, 1852) also include notes on rations increasing due to a working party from the VINCENNES being on board and on the surrender of a deserter (1848) from the LEXINGTON.
Gift of Special Manuscripts Fund
Encoded by Apex Data Services
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