Detailed records, mostly folio ledger sheets, of provisions and supplies taken aboard the USS E. B. Hale, almost all from 14 April 1863 to 30 September 1863, during which period Osmon B. Gilman was the ship’s Paymaster.  Approximately 60 pp. Condition generally good.

[With:] 36 receipts signed by crew members of the E. B. Hale for payment from O. B. Gilman, who is, as these printed slips indicate, “Paymaster in the United States Navy.” A number of the receipts are signed with an “x” by illiterate crew members.  Gilman has written in the name of the signer in each such case. -- Pocket ledger for ship's mess and provisioning, ship unidentified.  2pp devoted to listing of “Provisions Issued George H. Harker April 1864.”  A number of pages are initialed "Recd Payt O.B.G.”, so this item probably relates to the E. B. Hale. 

The USS E.B. Hale was first assigned to patrol the Potomac River during the early days of the Civil War, then was assigned to the South Atlantic Blockade. She was decommissioned in May 1865. An interesting archive shedding considerable light on an aspect of war too often overlooked.