Perry, Matthew Calbraith (1794-1858) to Thomas Tingey Craven
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01617 Author/Creator: Perry, Matthew Calbraith (1794-1858) Place Written: Monrovia, Liberia Type: Letter signed Date: 11 June 1844 Pagination: 3 p. : docket ; 32 x 20.4 cm. Order a Copy
Perry writes from U.S. Frigate Macedonian to Craven, Commander of the U.S. Brig Porpoise. Instructs Craven that upon arriving in Liberia, he should go directly to the Galenas River. Discusses procedure for cruising and for display of the American Flag, noting, "...in the neighborhood of the Galenas at least you may be able to prevent the desecration of the American Flag to the vile purposes of the foreign slave Dealer." Requests Craven's observations on the land, currents, and other features of the Galenas River. Craven and Perry were engaged in suppressing the slave trade along the West African Coast. Docketed in graphite.
Perry would eventually become well-known for establishing trade relations between the United States and Japan in the early 1850s. Prior to that, in 1843, he was made Commodore of the Africa Squadron, which was a U.S. Navy unit charged with suppressing the slave trade off the coast of Africa. Thomas Tingey Craven (1808-1887) served in the Africa Squadron until 1846. He saw naval action in the Civil War, and was promoted to Commodore in 1862 and to Rear Admiral in 1866.
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