[UNITED STATES NAVY]. JONES, Charles Colocok, Jr. The Life and Services of Commodore Josiah Tattnall. Savannah: Morning News Steam Printing House, 1878. [i-v] vi-ix [1, blank], [1] 2-255 [1, blank], [1] 2-4 pp., frontispiece. 8vo (23.5 x 16 cm), original green cloth, spine gilt-lettered. Upper cover moderately stained and spotted; slightly rubbed. Frontispiece lightly offset to title page. Overall, very good. With ink signature of A.D. Candler on front pastedown.

First edition. Haferkorn, p. 72. Nevins, I, p. 227: "An over-romantic but reliable work which includes some of Tattnall's wartime correspondence not published elsewhere." Tutorow 3868: “Chapter 6 deals with the Mexican War. Tattnall was assigned to the gunboat Spitfire from which he provided protection for the landing party of Scott’s army. He participated in the shelling of Vera Cruz and the Castle of San Juan de Ulúa.”

Tattnall was engaged in several close bombardments of Veracruz, after which he was in the assault on Tuxpan. Wounded, he was sent home after the navy was no longer needed at Veracruz. One of his unique assignments was sailing Santa-Anna, whom he protected upon disembarkation, to Veracruz (pp. 43-46).

Tattnall (1795-1871) had a wide variety of U.S. Navy assignments, ranging from the African squadron to the Pacific. He fought for the South during the Civil War, during which service he ordered the controversial destruction of the ironclad CSS Virginia.