Lt. Catesby ap Roger Jones had directed the conversion of the USS Merrimack into the CSS Virginia and was very disappointed when he was not given command of the Virginia instead of Franklin Buchanan.
I have often wondered what the "ap" in his name was all about. Turns out that is is Welsh for "son of." His mother was a cousin of Robert E. Lee.
After commanding the Virginia in her historic battle with the Monitor, he was sent to Drewry's Bluff, guarding the approach to Richmond on the James River. From there, he went on to command the CSS Chattahoochee during her construction at Saffold, Georgia.
His final Civil War posting was at the Selma, Alabama, in charge of the important Ordnance Works which manufactured guns for the Confederacy. The ironclad CSS Tennessee was also built in Selma so I'm sure he kept an eye on that.
After the war, he was shot and killed June 20, 1877, by another man as a result of a feud between their two sons. Jones is buried in Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, Alabama.
Quite a Life for Mr. ap. --Old B-R'er
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