(American, 19th Century)C.S.S. Petrel and U.S.S. St. Lawrence engaged at Charleston Harbor, circa 1862, unsigned, oil on canvas, 16 x 23-3/4 in; gilt wood and composition frame 24 x 32 in. - Note: This painting is a rendering in oil of a popular Civil War era woodblock that represents an engagement between the Union frigate,ÿU.S.S. St. Lawrenceÿand the Confederate privateer,ÿC.S.S. Petrel.ÿ The Petrel had been built as a harbor pilot boat but at the start of the Civil War it was purchased by ten enterprising Charlestonians who obtained letters of marque from the Confederate government to operate the vessel as a privateer. On one of its first outings,ÿit was outmatched by theÿSt Lawrenceÿand after a brief exchange was sunk.ÿ The illustration and story were published inÿHarper's Weekly; issue 24 of August 1861, pages 536-537. text on page 538. The illustration inÿHarper's Weeklyÿwas unsigned, but it was likely made from a sketch by Theodore Russell Davis who was on the scene. - Provenance: The Old Print Shop New York City; Altmayer Limited Partnership, Mobile, Alabama; Charleston Renaissance Gallery; Private South Carolina Collection surface clean, small areas of retouch around edges, 2 inch area of retouch in wave at far left; frame with nicks and scratches