Originally, the occupation of Washington, NC, went well, but the next day, September 6, 1862, Confederate forces counter-attacked. Gunboats opened fire to support ground troops.
The call to quarters had just been made on the Picket when a tremendous explosion in the powder magazine tore the ship apart, killing 19 of the 24 man crew. The remaining five, all injured, were rescued by nearby gunboats.
The bodies of the 4 Sag Harbor men were not recovered. The writer's ancestor, Quartermaster William H. Chester, 22, was among the Sag Harbor dead. Also killed from Sag Harbor: Captain Sylvester D. Nichols, 42; Quartermaster Jeremiah Lodowick Hedges, 23; and Seaman Henry B. Howell, 22.
Captain Nicholls was a well-respected and successful whaling skipper.
A plaque was placed July 2012 in Oakland Cemetery in Sag Harbor, for William Chester, but his remains are still on the Picket. It reads: William H. Chester, Quartermaster, 1st Marine Artillery, GAR, NY. Killed by an explosion during hostile action on board the USS Pickett at Washington, North Carolina Sept. 6, 1862."
I'm not sure what the Marine Artillery was and not sure why the GAR would be on the plaque. If that refers to the Grand Army of the Republic,, that was formed until after the war.
Still a Lot of Confusion About the Facts Concerning the Battle and Picket, or Was It Pickett? --Old B-Runner
No comments:
Post a Comment