Capture of the Mexican Steamers Marques of Havana & Genl. Miramon Admiral Marin Comdg. at Anton Lizardo, on the night of the 6th of March 1860, by the U. S. Ship Saratoga with detachments from the U. S. Ships Savannah & Preble, on board of her tow boats the American Steamers Wave and Indianola, T. Turner, U. S. Navy Commanding by Crosby, Pierce. Newell, John Perry. Bufford, John Henry - 1867

Boston: J.H. Bufford's Lith, 1867. First edition. Good, edges chipped not affecting image or text, uneven toning, a few dampstains, shadow line, still a sharp image.. 15 1/2 x 19 1/5 image and text on 17 x 21 inch sheet. The Battle of Anton Lizardo, off Veracruz, played an important role in ending Mexico's Reform War by denying the rebel conservatives much needed weaponry, and thus leading to a liberal victory. The USS Saratoga, formerly of the Far East Squadron under Perry, now commanded by Thomas Turner, had been cruising in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico during the Reform War. The two Mexican steamers had defected from the Mexican Navy in support of conservative rebels, and had been declared a pirate by the ruling liberal government, thus allowing the U.S. ships to attack, capturing the General Miramon and running the Marques of Havana aground after hand to hand combat. The original sketch was by Lt. Pierce Crosby (1824-1899) who would go on to become a rear Admiral. It was transferred to stone by John Perry Newell (1831-1898) who was known for his popular prints of ships and town views in the late 1850s and had gotten his start, as many artists did, studying lithography with John H. Bufford's firm. "The significance of John Henry Bufford (1810-70) in the history of the graphic arts in America is threefold. He was a prolific and successful lithographic artist, a major printer and publisher of prints, and an employer, colleague, and teacher of sorts of a number of notable American artists, Winslow Homer among them, who found in his shop the barebones equivalent of a school of art. Bufford was among the earliest recruits to the new medium of lithography in America, in 1829 joining the Pendleton brothers, who pioneered the process in Boston. He remained a lithographer for the rest of his life, first as an artist and then as a printer and publisher. The length of his intimate association with both the art and the business of the medium was matched (and exceeded) by only one other person who could trace his roots to the founding years of be 1820s: Nathaniel Currier ( 1813-88)," David Tatham: "Henry Bufford American Lithographer" in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. 86 (1): p.47. The image was printed after 1860 but before 1870, most likely in 1867 when Bufford was on his own after leaving off business with his sons (1866) but before joining them again (1868). Goodspeed's in 1933 called the print "Very rare. A copy listed in a New York auction catalogue of a few years ago was described as one of four known copies." They were most likely referring to the American Art Association auction, "American Prints," Apr. 7, 1926, specifically lot 158 which also served as the frontispiece,"Tradition that the stone was destroyed after four prints were made seems to be borne out by the fact that neither the History Section of the Navy Department, the Library of Congress nor the Naval History Society of New York has a copy." It also appeared at two Anderson Gallery Auctions, 1904 and 1907, which oddly enough, if they were all unique copies, would add to four. OCLC locates no copies, but there is one at the Mariners' Museum Library. AAS has a slightly smaller print of the Saratoga at anchor, after the battle, by the same artist, lithographer, and firm.