Civil War Era, Navy Ship Ledger, documenting all activity and details about the 614 men aboard, including six African-American sailors enlisted with the Union

1860s. Hardcover. Very Good. Cloth, morocco backstrip; folio (400x260mm); approx. pp. 100 full of manuscript entries by a single hand, with permanent instructions and headings in ink, and crew member names and station designations in pencil; numerous additional blanks at rear. (Nonetheless, a trove of information.) Lined paper, listing the 614 men aboard, assigning each a number, gun, and location (Fore Castle Port, Main Top, Mizzen Top, etc.); listing division and stations; and recording details of every situation that might occur on the ship (see examples below). The ship is unnamed, but it appears to be a ship of the Line or a Frigate, which had 3 masts as well as some minimal amount of steam power. There were 6 African-American members of the crew, all of whom were Union Sailors during the Civil War (Edward Turner Joseph Davis, and Thomas Mills from Maryland; Henry Andres from the West Indies; Joseph Gordan from New York; Samuel R. Whittaker from Buenos Aires). Three of these men served on the USS Minnesota, which may help identify the ship. Also includes the ship's Fire Bill, crew member stations of Making Sail from Single Anchor, Mooring and Unmooring, and much more. A rich volume, worthy of further study. Cloth torn; front hinge cracked; first few signatures loose. Alittle faint waterstaining and soiling, but generally nice and clean.