The Watchful was a Supreme Court case from 1867 that dealt with the issue of salvage rights. The case involved a ship called the Watchful, which had been abandoned by its crew in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was then found by a group of salvagers, who claimed the right to the ship and its cargo. The owners of the Watchful argued that the salvagers had no right to the ship or its cargo, as they had not been the ones to save it. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with the salvagers, ruling that they had the right to the ship and its cargo. The Court reasoned that the salvagers had taken the risk of rescuing the ship, and thus deserved to be rewarded for their efforts. The Court also noted that the salvagers had acted in good faith, and that their actions had been beneficial to the owners of the Watchful. The Court thus held that the salvagers had the right to the ship and its cargo, and that the owners of the Watchful were not entitled to any compensation.

In The Watchful, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a ship's captain had the authority to punish crew members for misconduct. The majority opinion held that captains have such authority and can impose punishments on their crews as they see fit. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision and argued that while captains may be able to discipline their crews in certain circumstances, it is not within their power to do so without first obtaining permission from either Congress or the President of the United States. He reasoned that since Congress has exclusive jurisdiction over maritime matters, any punishment imposed by a captain must be authorized by them before being carried out. Furthermore, he noted that if captains are allowed unchecked discretion in punishing crew members then there would be no way of ensuring justice is served fairly and equally among all sailors regardless of rank or station aboard a vessel.