Original Commodore Stephen Decatur Lieutenant's Appointment & Posting Letter - USS Warren.
This is the letter of appointment to Stephen Decatur, nephew of his famous namesake, to the grade of Lieutenant in the United States Navy. It is dated February 25th, 1841, and is addressed to him aboard the USS Warren, a sloop of war, stationed at the Navy Yard at Pensacola, Florida.

Stephen Decatur was appointed as midshipman in the Navy in 1829 and spent the next several years in ports on the East Coast, or in Brazilian or Caribbean waters. In 1835 he became a passed midshipman, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1841. In 1842 he was struck down with an ocular ailment and left the sea. In 1851 his eyesight had recovered enough for him to return to sea duty and from 1851 to 1854 he served on the USS Saratoga, accompanying Commodore Perry to Japan. He was promoted to the grade of commander in 1861, retaining that rank throughout the American Civil War. In 1867 he was promoted captain and commodore in 1869, the grade he held at the time of his death in 1876.

Other flags in the Zaricor Flag Collection pertaining to the career of Commodore Decatur are ZFC3535, a 13 star (4-5-4) US Navy Boat flag, ZFC3536, a 13 star (3-2-3-2-3) US Navy Boat Flag, ZFC3242, a US Navy Divisional Distinguishing Pennant, and ZFC3543, Decatur's Commodores Broad Pennant.

This letter and these flags were part of a of historical cache of artifacts descended from various branches of the Lear-Storer-Decatur family which included items from Sir William Pepperrell Baronet and John Storer (who were both part of the 1745 expedition to Nova Scotia capture Ft. Louisburg), Colonel Tobias Lear (General Washington's Aide de Camp and personal friend), Benjamin Lincoln Lear (son of Tobias Lear), Commodore Stephen Decatur (nephew of his famous namesake Commodore Stephen Decatur, 1779-1820), Rear Admiral George Washington Storer (nephew of Tobias Lear, 1789-1864), Ichabod Goodwin ( Governor of New Hampshire), and Admiral of the Navy George Dewey.

The accumulation was "rediscovered" in the mid 20th Century when the family as a whole decided to sell a barn at Kittery Point, Maine. The barn had served as a repository for a vast amount of historical material that has been passed down through the generations. When inventoried, the barn was found to contain a significant archive of papers, memorabilia, photographs, books, and artifacts including twenty historic flags. The trove was subsequently divided amongst the three branches of the family.

The share which had gone to Mrs. Alice Armsden (neé Decatur) contained Decatur material, and was kept intact until her and her spouse's estates were settled in 2009. In these estates were flags from some of America's most illustrious naval families - Decatur, Storer and Dewey.

This letter marks the beginning of Stephen Decatur's commissioned US naval career.

Provenance: Acquired at auction, 2-Day Winter Antiques & Fine Art Auction, 4-5 February 2010, James D. Julia, Fairfield, ME.

ZFC Significant Flag

Sources:


Madaus, Howard M. - Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006. Pp 144-145.

2-Day Winter Antiques & Fine Art Auction, Artfact, 10 October 2011, from: http://www.artfact.com/auction-catalog/2-day-winter-antiques-fine-art-auction,-day-2-kbmiwmy646

Smith, David, A Million-Dollar Map At Julia's Americana, Antiques and the Arts Online, 10 October 2011, from: http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/AuctionWatch/2010-03-02__14-22-30.html

Stephen Decatur, Wikipedia, 11 October 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Decatur_(1815%E2%80%931876)

USS Warren, Wikipedia, 11 October 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Warren_(1827)

USS Saratoga, Wikipedia, 11 October 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Saratoga_(1842)

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection