Confederate Blockade Runner Certificate. Charleston, South Carolina. The Steamship Celt. August 3, 1864. (3) $1000 Shares. Choice Very Fine.；Printed in black on blue paper by Thad. C. Jowitt of Charleston. Steamship at upper center. THE STEAMSHIP CELT curved above. Capital $800,000. A certificate for three $1000 shares held by Dr. C.M. Haig. The company owned just one ship, the Celt, for which the company was named. The Celt was built in Charleston during the war and was originally used by the Confederate Quartermaster Bureau within Charleston Harbor. The Celt spend a short time as a blockade runner. When General Shermans army cut rail lines into Charleston plans were made to evacuate the city and move the blockade runners to a safer harbor. The Celt ran around just off of Fort Moultrie while trying to escape Charleston Harbor on February 14, 1865. The Celt was carrying a valuable load of cotton when it sunk which later ended up in the hands of occupying union forces. This is a wonderful certificate that displays just a few light folds. There is a pencil annotation in the top margin. A very rare item, high R-7 and one of just a few known from this blockade runner company.
