Handwritten letter to Captain Porter concerning the accidental death of Lieutenant Cocke on the American ship Fox in the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico
1823. 1 handwritten letter, dated 6 March 1823, from Lord Thomas Cochrane to Captain David Porter of the U.S. Navy expressing condolences over the death of Lt. Cocke, who was killed when the Spanish commander in San Juan fired to warn the American ships from entering the port. Lord Thomas Cochrane (1775-1860), later Admiral, had earned the nickname The Sea Wolf during the Napoleonic Wars before being dismissed from the Royal Navy in 1814 following a conviction for fraud on the Stock Exchange. In 1818 he went to Chile and became First Vice Admiral of its navy, leading it during the Chilean war of independence against Spain. In 1820 he was was active in achieving independence for Peru. He left the Chilean Navy on 29 Nov. 1822. Cochrane was apparently on his way to Brazil on 6 March 1823 when this letter was written. On 21 March 1823 he took command of the Brazilian Navy. He left Brazil in 1825, fought for Greece in 1827 and 1828, and was restroed to the Royal Navy in 1832 as a Rear Admiral. In Very Good+ Condition: occasional fading; a few small stains; otherwise, clean and solid. Very Good +. Item #008208
Price: $1,850.00