Description
Wonderful carte view of Ensign Eric Gabrielson of the Ironclad Montauk. Gabrielson would enlist aboard the Montauk in April of 1861 and serve with the ironclad until October, 1865. The Norway native was accustomed to life at sea and served as part of the Southern Atlantic’s Blockading Squadron under Dahlgren. The Montauk would see action throughout the war. It was used as the floating prison for the conspirators of Lincoln’s assassination and was the site of the autopsy and identification of John Wilkes Booth. It would first see action during the bombardment of Fort McAllister. Later that month she destroyed the blockade runner Rattlesnake. In April she would take part on the attack of Fort Sumter and was struck 20 times by Confederate artillery. Next the ironclad would set it sights on Fort’s Wagner and Moultrie. Montauk remained off Charleston until July 1864, when she shifted operations to the Stono River. In February 1865, she transferred to the Cape Fear River. Proceeding to the Washington Naval Yard after the end of the conflict, she served as a floating bier for assassin John Wilkes Booth on April 27 and a floating prison for six accomplices. This view shows Eris dressed in his splendid ensign’s uniform. You can clearly see his navy eagle buttons with the naked eye. Back marked out of New York, it is accompanied by the albumen sleeve in which it was originally housed. Period pencil script across the front bottom of the page reads, “Gabrillson, Ensign, Ironclad Montauk”. This one does have a small bit of Eric’s service history with it.
