Front cover image for Marcus L. Woodard letters ‡k [photocopies], ‡f 1855-1862

Marcus L. Woodard letters ‡k [photocopies], ‡f 1855-1862

Marcus L. Woodard, George Woodard, Maria Woodard, Woodard family
Photocopies of letters to parents, wife Maria, and brother George from various ports during his time at sea as mate and master of various merchant ships in the China trade. The letters describe, among other incidents, a shipwreck off Rodrigues Island (1855); the bombardment of Guangzhou (Canton) by the British in the Battle of the Barrier Forts (1856); a voyage aboard the clipper ship Surprise under Charles Ranlett from New York City to Jakarta (Batavia) with a cargo of ice (1861), and the mutiny of her secessionist crew upon reaching that port; and trade on the Yangtze (1862), including problems with coastal pirates and the great profit to be made in smuggling up and down the river. Location of originals unknown
Archival Material, English, 1855