Collins, Napoleon, 1814-1875 to Lester A. Beardslee

Signed by Collins as the commander of the USS "Wachusett." Written to Lieutenant Commander Beardslee. Collins tells Beardslee to take command of the prize steamer "Florida," and proceed with the "Wachusett" to the nearest northern port. He is only to stop at a neutral port in the West Indies out of great necessity. If they become separated he has permission to run into Key West, Hampton Roads, or any other port controlled by Union forces. Says he is to be vigilant, especially at night. Asks to have duplicate inventories made of everything on board. Collins had captured the "Florida" earlier the same day this letter was written. During the first years of the Civil War, Napoleon Collins commanded several gunboats and attained the rank of commander in July 1862. On 7 October 1864, while in command of "Wachusett," Collins took his ship into a neutral harbor and captured the (Bahia, Brazil) Confederate cruiser CSS "Florida," towing that ship to sea and taking it to the U.S. Court-martialed for this illegal undertaking, Commander Collins was sentenced to be dismissed. However, since his seizure of the "Florida" was both militarily effective and popularly acclaimed in the Northern states, the sentence was not carried out. Collins remained active in the post-war Navy, reaching the ranks of captain in July 1866 and rear admiral in August 1874. On 9 August 1875, while in command of the South Pacific Squadron, he died at Lima, Peru.