RESEARCH REVEALS SIGNIFICANT NEW INSIGHT INTO THIS IMAGE – Rare Outdoor Image of Two Armed Confederate Sailors with Two Union Captives from Union Ship the Alice Price

RESEARCH REVEALS SIGNIFICANT NEW INSIGHT INTO THIS IMAGE – Rare Outdoor Image of Two Armed Confederate Sailors with Two Union Captives from Union Ship the Alice Price – We initially believed that this extremely rare, slightly larger than quarter plate, tintype image, depicted two  Confederate sailors, sitting in a horse drawn wagon, in the front seat, with two, what appeared to be, captured Union naval personnel, in the back seat; at the feet of the two backseat passengers is a small dog. The outdoor image is slightly tinted and in overall good condition. Under magnification, it appears that the butt ends of two muskets rest between the front Confederate sailors, with the barrels extending towards the backseat passengers. We initially believed that the descriptive statement scratched in the emulsion, across the bottom of the image stated the following:

“Captur (sic) of the A Price”

Just recently, we received word from noted author, Civil War uniform and navy expert, Ron Field, regarding this image; in his communication, Mr. Field said the following:

Another “A. Price” tintype (note second image, courtesy of Brad Liverpool, of the four Confederate sailors) taken on the same occasion as the one offered by Perry Adams Antiques has surfaced. It is a clearer image and clearly shows that the men sat on the back of the buggy are armed and therefore cannot be captives. The new tintype has no writing or marking on the reverse to help with further interpretation of what is going on in both images. Brad Liverpool, the owner of the other tintype is asking if perhaps the writing on the Perry Adams’ image might state “Captur of the A. Price.” (we originally surmised that the writing said “Captiv (sic)”)  A detail from the new image shows what looks like four sailors, as they all wear straw hats and have neckerchiefs tied in navy fashion, but their shirts appear to be plaid, which was worn by same CS sailors. Based on this new evidence, I will have to re-write some of my article (Ron was scheduled to author an article about the Perry Adams’ image). Any additional information or research that could be added regarding the interpretation of the writing on the tintype would be appreciated and would help with final publication of my article in the Spring 2022 issue of Civil War Navy – The Magazine.”

The Alice Price was a side wheel, steam boat, employed by the Union Navy as a troop and materiel transport, in the southeastern theater of the Civil War; the A. Price was one of many passenger vessels chartered by the Federal Government to transport troops, munitions, and supplies along the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. According to Ron Field:

“ The steamer (Alice Price) participated in the Union attack on Roanoke Island, and was used to sound the bar at Oregon Inlet during this operation. By the summer of 1864, Alice Price was based at Mayport Mills, Florida, three miles upriver from the mouth of the St. John’s River and about 6 to 7 miles downriver from Jacksonville.”

Mr. Field continues, in his article:

“ On July 15,1864, the Federals launched a series of raids against Confederate outposts along Trout Creek (north of Jacksonville off St. John’s River) and Nassau River (north of Jacksonville in Nassau County), and Alice Price carried troops and supplies for the operations. As a result, a Federal raiding party captured Holmes’s sawmill on Nassau Creek (either a tributary of Nassau River or an early name for the river north of where Thomas Creek [later River] flows into the Nassau River), dismantled the machinery and put it on board Alice Price for removal to Empire Mills about two miles below Jacksonville on the east side of St. John’s River, where it was to be rebuilt and placed in operation.4 Returning south with her cargo around July 20, Alice Price ran aground on Nassau Creek, and as the tide went down broke in two amidships and sank. Although a number of sources suggest she struck a torpedo near Beauclerc’s Bluff or Mandarin Point in the St. John’s River and sank, the dates of such a sinking vary from June to September 1864 and these reports are at odds with contemporary newspaper reports of her grounding and break up and a Quartermaster Department contract made in November 1864 to raise Alice Price from the Nassau River. In addition, an original documented report of a torpedo sinking the vessel could not be found and verified.”

We now must reinterpret our initial perception that our image seemingly depicted two Confederate sailors transporting two Union naval personnel, perhaps to imprisonment, after the sinking of the A. Price. Regardless, the depiction of Confederate sailors, in a hard image, is extremely rare, and this depiction is certainly the only such we have encountered. Another image of two Confederate sailors, once in the possession of well known Civil War expert, Mike McAfee, appeared in the Company of Military Historians’ great, three volume set – “Todd’s Military Equipage”. We have placed this plate in a half case. This is indeed an extremely rare and significant image.

Image Measurements: 4.75” x 33/8 “

13 September

USS ALICE C. PRICE was a Union side wheel paddle steamer. She struck a mine on the 13th September 1864 on the St. Johns River, near Mandarin Point approximately 8 miles above Jacksonville when returning from the Nassua River for Jacksonville with machinery that had been captured. The machinery and most of the fixtures were salvaged. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?191667

general nationality:  American purpose:  transport type:  cargo ship propulsion:  paddle-steam date built:  1853 details tonnage:  320  grt dimensions:  51.5 x 8.1 x 2.3 m engine:  Side wheel paddle steamer about the loss cause lost:  mine date lost:  19/06/1864 [dd/mm/yyyy] about people owner:  US Navy – United States Navy Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?191667