John Julius Guthrie Biography-- Part 1: A Varied Early Career

From "Civil War Biographies from the Western Waters" by Myron J. Smith, Jr..

JOHN JULIUS GUTHRIE

(1814, Washington, N.C.-- November  24, 1877, Nags Head, N.C.; CSN)

Appointed  a USMA cadet in 1833, but preferring the life of a sailor, Guthrie resigned from West Point and was appointed a midshipman on February 26, 1834.  He achieved the rank of lieutenant by the 1850s.

Active at sea, the Mexican War veteran participated in the Allied attack on the Chinese barrier forts at Canton (Second Opium War) in November 1856, where he hauled down the Chinese flag, which he presented to the state of North Carolina in 1858.  (I wasn't able to find out if that Chinese flag was still in North Carolina.)

While on patrol off the Congo River in Africa in 1861, he led a boarding party from the USS Saratoga in the capture of the slaver Nightingale, with 900 slaves aboard.

--Old B-Runner

Another Fort Fisher/Wilmington Connection in the Book: Rose O'Nel Greenhow

yesterday, I wrote about Union Ensign Robley Evans' turning down a request to amputate his legs which I took from the magazine/book "The Civil War on the Front Lines."

In the section titled "Women at War: Spies, Scouts, Soldiers, and heroic Homemakers" there was a paragraph on one Rose O'Neal Greenhow.

"Few women espionage agents could surpass the successes of Rose O'Neal Greenhow, a well-connected Washington, D.C., socialite.  Greenhow not only organized a spy network that significantly contributed to the Confederate victory at First Bull Run, but served five months in Washington's Old Capitol Prison for her role, along with her young daughter.

After Greenhow was released, she returned to the South nut drowned returning from a mission to Great Britain in 1864, when the blockade runner carrying her ran aground on The North Carolina coast.

The blockade runner was the Condor and it ran aground off Fort Fisher.  She is buried in Wilmington.

--Old B-Runner

Robley Evans, USN, Sees a Surgeon After Fort Fisher: 'I Mean to Begin Shooting'

From Life Explores "The Civil War in the Front Lines:  From Fort Sumter to Appomattox."  One of hose magazine/books you see so often these days in the magazine section of stores.

In 1865, 18-year-old Robley Evans, a Northern seaman, was shot through both knees at the Battle of Fort Fisher while making a ground assault with a brigade of naval volunteers.

Days later, the young ensign found himself in a federal military hospital facing a drunken surgeon who insisted Evans undergo a double amputation of his legs.

After being told he had no choice, the young sailor reached under his pillow and produced a loaded Colt revolver, :I told him that there were six loads in it," Evans recalled, " and that if he or anyone else entered my door with anything that looked like a case of instruments, I mean to begin shooting."

Evans kept his legs and later recovered.  His case was unique.

Most soldiers who faced amputation died soon afterward.  The state of medical care during the war was enough to make wounded men like Evans resort to desperate measures.

--Old B-Runner

Who'd Have Figured a Rebel Captured Last Slave Ship-- Part 6: John J. Guidry Gave His Life Trying to Save Crew of USS Huron.

 Returning to Gosport, John J. Guidry accepted a commission as a captain in the Confederate Navy and served until the end of the war.

But, his career was still not at end when the war ended and the Confederacy surrendered.  He was appointed  by President Grant to be general superintendent of the life-saving stations along the North Carolina and Virginia coasts in 1875.

For the next two years, he became a pioneer in  in building the life-saving  stations into one of the finest in the world.

Almost as if by destiny had a hand in it,  the USS Huron became stranded  off Kitty Hawk on November  25, 1877.  Fighting to save the lives of his former enemies, and before that, his former shipmates,  Captain John Julius Guidry drowned in the effort to save them.

No doubt history has a place for this swashbuckling young naval officer who was Matthew Fontaine Maury's assistant, historian of Brazil, a "rebel" naval officer who captured the last slave ship for the Union, and was a hero  in the fight to save the USS Huron.

--Old B-Runner

A Rebel Captured Last Slave Ship, John J. Guthrie-- Part 5: 'I Shall Do What Which My Conscience Enjoins Me'

So, John Guthrie probably had promotion and command in mind as he came across the Atlantic Ocean.  But...,

However, little did the victorious sailors (no doubt anticipating prize money) and their executive officer, Guthrie, know that their was to be the last slave ship captured by the U.S. Navy.  Upon reaching New York on August 25, 1861, they learned that on their voyage home, that fighting between the North and South had begun.  The Civil War was on.

It was a sad moment as they said goodbye to former shipmates and prepared for the next phase of life, often as enemies.

John J. Guthrie faced a tough decision.  He was visited by a senior officer of the U.S. Navy, who said, "Guthrie, I hope you will remain in the service."

According to family tradition, he replied, "I shall do what which my conscience enjoins me, as I understand my duty."

His friend replied, "I know you will," and departed, knowing that Guthrie would head back to Portsmouth.

--Old B-Runner

A Rebel Captured Last Slave Ship, John J. Guthrie-- Part 4: Another Exploit in China

Second Opium War in China

After American ships were fired upon during passage on the Canton River  by Chinese forces in the river's Barrier Forts, the USS Levant, accompanied by the USS Plymouth, were ordered to return fire.  

During the first night of the engagement, John Guthrie led a reconnaissance mission to evaluate  the strength of  the strongholds.  Under heavy fire the next morning, Guthrie directed a party of sailors and marines ashore  to storm the forts. 

After a fierce battle , Guthrie's men forced the Chinese ton retreat, personally hauling down their flag.

No doubt, memories of his exploits on the Canton River in China and now his most recent exploit on the Congo River in Africa (capturing the slaver Nightingale)  gave him good reason to believe he would get a promotion and perhaps command of the USS Saratoga when he got back.

--Old B-Runner

A Rebel Captured the Last Slave Ship for the Union-- Part 3: Service in the Far East and the Mexican War

Visiting Portsmouth and Gosport, Virginia, for the first time,  he was ordered to serve on the sloop of war John Adams.  He next served on the frigate USS Columbia on her voyage to China and after three years passed his his naval officer's examination.    Returning to Portsmouth, Guidry took some time in 1840 for a courtship and married a local girl from one of the city's prominent families, Louisa S. Spratley.  The couple settled in what is today Swimming Point.

After service in the Mexican War on blockade duty, Guthrie was sent in 1852 to the frigate USS Brandywine on the Brazil Station.  There he learned how to speak Spanish and translate a history of his host nation.  (Well, this should be Portuguese).  Unfortunately, that translation was lost at sea while in route to its publishers.

Guthrie next received orders to report to  Captain Matthew  Fontaine Maury, who was establishing the  U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C..

Guthrie's second tour to China was aboard the USS  Levant, proved very eventful.  He arrived in time for the Anglo-French War in the Far East as the two European powers fought for control over the tea and spice in the Orient.  This is also called the Second Opium War.

--Old B-R'er

A Rebel Captured the Last Slave Ship for the Union-- Part 2: Captured the Slaver Nightingale and Military Family

Continued from April 13, 2021 post.

Details about Lt. John Guthrie's action against the slave ship off Kabenda, Africa, are sketchy, but it is known that the overall mission was a complete success.  The slaver Nightingale and her cargo of 900 slaves were captured.

After the slaves were released in Liberia, the Saratoga, with her prize Nightingale in tow, headed back for the United States.

No doubt that Guthrie dreamed of  certain promotion in the U.S. Navy as one of its rising stars.  In fact, since early childhood in Washington, North Carolina, Guthrie had been raised in a family with a rich military tradition.  His great grandfather and two great uncles had served in the American Revolution.  John Wilburn Guthrie, his grandfather,  was a surgeon in the War of 1812.

His father, Dr.  J.W. Guthrie, was also a well-respected U.S. Army surgeon who had talked John into  leaving Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina)  for an appointment to West Point.  After only a year there, he switched to the U.S. Navy and entered as a midshipman in 1834.

--Old B-Runner

Sailors on the CSS Chattahoochee Buried in Columbus, Georgia

John Julius Guthrie also commanded the CSS Chattahoochee and was in charge of the ship when its boiler exploded on June 1, 1863.  

These are Confederate naval personnel buried at Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia.

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CORNELIUS DUFFY

Of Apalachicola died June 1, 1863, in Columbus, as a result of the CSS Chattahoochee's boiler explosion.  He was born either 1833 or 1836, depending on census or  enlistment data.

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JOHN DUNLOP

(Sometimes spelled Dunlap)

CSS Virginia & Chattahoochee.  Died  September 2, 1862,  in Soldier's Home, Columbus.

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JOHN W. CATLETT

Landsman.  Born Florida c. 1841.  Died Columbus, GA.  hospital Feb. 20, 1864, while assigned to the CSS Chattahoochee.

--Old B-R'er

Lt. Clarence L. Stanton, CSN: CSS Chickamauga and Wilmington Station

I was looking up information about the Confederacy's CSS New Orleans, a ironclad floating battery in the Mississippi River that both John Julius Guidry and John Julius Guidry served on in 1862.  While doing that, I came across this information  on the CSNavy site.

Of course, when I saw this man had been at the Wilmington Station, that meant Fort Fisher and environs, so my attention and interest was naturally piqued.

LT. CLARENCE L. STANTON

Buried at the huge Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati.  This is where Union Generals Joseph Hooker and Godfrey Weitzel are buried.  Weitzel was at The First Battle of Fort Fisher.

Garden Lane,  Section 45, Lot1, Grave 33.

Born 12 June, 1841, Mayesville, Kentucky.  Died  6 January 1917.

Appointed from Kentucky.

 Acting Master:  April 28, 1863

First Lieutenant, Provisional Navy, June 2, 1864, to rank from January 6, 1864.

Served on the CSS Chicora, Charleston, South Carolina, 1863-1864.

CSS Chicamauga, 1864.

Wilmington Station, 1864.

Captured  April 6, 1865, Sailors Creek, Virginia.

Released on Oath, May 15, 1865,  Johnsons Island.

--Old B-Runner

Not Likely the CSS Georgia-- Part 3: Back to the American Revolution?

If tied to the HMS Rose, these discoveries  would be quite historical.  The Rose was built in England in 1757 and prowled American colony waters  in the 1770s in an effort to put a stop to widespread smuggling in Rhode Island.  The ship also operated in the Hudson River by New York City in the early days of the American Revolution.  

By 1779, with Savannah still under British control, British forces scuttled the Rose in the Savannah River  to keep the French fleet from sailing up it to aid American forces attempting to capture the city.

For now, the recovered objects are being kept in large vats  of water to replicate the conditions they were in for all those years.  Experts and further exploration in the area s where the objects were found will hopefully clarify the objects.  Meanwhile, dredging operations around where the objects were found has been suspended.

Of course, in an area like the Savannah River and the city which has been in use for over 250 years, there is no telling what else might turn up.

--Old B-Runner

Not Likely the CSS Georgia-- Part 2: The CSS Georgia and HMS Rose

The CSS Georgia was a Confederate ironclad built in 1862, that saw little action during the Civil War, essentially an ironclad floating battery anchored by Fort Jackson to impede the Union fleet from sailing up the river.

It was scuttled by Confederate forces in 1864 after Savannah fell to the Union army under Major General William T. Sherman.  The wreck was discovered and marked in1968 after it was struck by a dredge, and recovery efforts got underway in earnest  in 2015, during the early stages of  the Savannah Harbor deepening project.  I wrote about this at length back then.  Just hit the label CSS Georgia ironclad to see those posts.

The extra care in dredging by the sites of Fort Jackson and the CSS Georgia comes about because of the possibility of dangerous parts of the ship sliding further into the river bed.  But experts believe the cannons and anchor might date to an even earlier age, possibly as far back as the 1770s and the American Revolution.

The cannons, anchor and timber will be further analyzed by the Corps of Engineers and divers will be sent down to place the items in a more  specific historical context.

Historic records indicate that there are several historic shipwrecks in that vicinity, but there is a good possibility that it might be the HMS Rose, but that can't be verified until after further research.

--Old B-R'er

Most Likely Not From the CSS Georgia-- Part 1: An Anchor, Some Cannons and a Timber

From the April 13, 2021, Waterways Journal Weekly  "Dredge contractor turns up cannons, anchor while working in the Savannah River" by Frank McCormack.

A dredge contractor working on the Savannah Harbor  Expansion Project they are used to dredging up lots of sand as they deepen the harbor from 42 to 47 feet.

But in February, the crew of the ship turned up items of far more archaeological significance while working in the vicinity of Fort Jackson, a 19th century fort built in the years leading up to the War of 1812, located just a few miles east of Savannah.

The crew brought up several cannons, an anchor and a timber, all likely to date from well before the Civil War.

Since the dredge site was so close to the proximity of where the CSS Georgia, a Confederate ironclad, sank in the closing days of the war, extra screening was being enforced,  This process is intended to identify  potential discarded  military munitions  or unexploded ordnance  that might have migrated from the CSS Georgia site into the channel over the past 150 years.

--Old B-Runner

John Julius Guthrie Obituary-- Part 2

Early in his life, he entered the United States navy, and when the war broke out, cast his fortunes with the Confederacy.

He at one time commanded the Advance, owned by North Carolina, and used in running the blockade.  he was also in command, at Halifax,  in this State,  when the Confederate and North Carolina authorities were building vessels there on the Roanoke.

At other times  during the war, he commanded at Eufaula, Alabama,  and at other points in the South.

A more gallant officer and purer man  never walked the deck of a ship.  His untimely end  is a great loss to  the United States signal service, and is deeply lamented  by the citizens of Norfolk and Portsmouth, if we may judge from the expressions contained in   their newspapers.

--Old B-R'er

John Julius Guthrie Obituary-- Part 1

From the Newspapers.com site.

Clipped from the December 1, 1877, Raleigh News.

CAPT. J.J. GUTHRIE

The Norfolk  Landmark says  of Capt. J.J. Guthrie who was lost on the wreck of the Huron:

He was a native of North Carolina, having been born at Raleigh; and had a sword of honor voted him by that State in recognition of an act of conspicuous  gallantry performed in the China Seas.  He had served with  credit and distinction in the navies of the Union and of the Confederacy, and recently had entered  on the discharge of his duties in connection with the Life Saving Service with generous enthusiasm.

The Landmark is mistaken as to the nativity of Capt. Guthrie.  John Julius Guthrie  was the son of Dr. John  Guthrie, of Washington, N.C.,  where he was born about the year 1814,  and was therefore in his 63rd year at the time of his death.

His father died when he was quite a boy,  and he came to this city  with his widowed mother, who is buried here in the old cemetery.  He was placed under the care of  Rev. Dr.  William McPheeters, and went to school to this distinguished preacher and educator  at the Raleigh Academy.

--Old B-Runner

A Rebel Captured Last Slave Ship for Union, John J. Guthrie-- Part 1: Quite a Story

From the June 7, 1996, Virginian-Pilot (Va.) by Alan Flanders.

The exceptional  events surround John Julius Guthrie's life should place him high on the list of national heroes.

One of the strangest ironies of his life  started out on routine patrol duty on the USS Saratoga off the west coast of Africa on April 21, 1861.  (Remember, Confederates fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, effectively starting the shooting part of the Civil War.  Of course, there was no way the Saratoga's crew could have known about it back then.)

The U.S. Navy had been active in the suppression of slavery for the past twenty years.  While political debate over the legality of slavery heated up back home, Commander Alfred Taylor, commanding officer of the Saratoga, and his executive officer, John Julius Guthrie, of Portsmouth, Virginia,  were on the lookout for merchantmen engaged in the slave trade.

Guthrie was no doubt justifiably proud of his ship as she had refitted at Gosport (Navy Yard, Norfolk by Portsmouth, Va.) before departing for Africa from Philadelphia and carried  a number of local men as part of her crew.

Just at the mouth of the Congo River, a report reached the Saratoga that a large ship loaded with slaves was hidden up the river.  It was soon learned that the ship was none other than the Nightingale.  Despite her name, she was the most notorious slaver of them all.

As second in command, Guthrie was chosen to handpick a boarding party and  sail inland and capture the slaver.

--Old B-Runner

Lt. John Julius Guthrie, C.S. Navy and His Military Background-- Part 2

Upon return to the United States with the captured slaver Nightingale, John Guthrie resigned his commission and joined the Confederate Navy where he served as a captain for the duration of the war.

When asked about his role in the liberation of nearly 1000 slaves before the war, he replied in essence that "it was the right thing to do."

His military prowess was honed from his early childhood in Washington, North Carolina.  His great grandfather and two great uncles served in the American Revolution.  His grandfather, Dr. John Wilburn Guthrie, was a surgeon during the War of 1812.

His father, Dr. J.W. Guthrie, was a respected U.S. Army surgeon who talked young John into attending West Point.  However, after just a year, John transferred to the U.S. Navy and he entered it as a midshipman in 1834 and continued his career as a naval officer.

After the war, President U.S. Grant appointed him as superintendent of life-saving stations along the North Carolina-Virginia coasts.  He died on November 25, 1877.

--Old B-Runner

John J. Guthrie Papers in North Carolina

From the Biennial Report of the North Carolina  Historical Commission 1919.

JOHN J. GUTHRIE PAPERS

Collection contains 17 manuscripts of Captain John Julius Guthrie, the last commander of the blockade-runner, Advance.  (He did command the Advance, but it was commanded by someone else when it was captured.)

Among them are three A.L.S. of Governor Vance and also a list of the officers and crew of the Advance on February 1864.

Presented by Surgeon Joseph  A. Guthrie, USN, a son of  Captain John Julius Guthrie.

--Old B-Runner

Some More Guthrie Information. And Jospeh A. Guthrie Was a Son, Evidently.

The February 24, 1917,  Army Navy Register

"GUTHRIE--  At Portsmouth, Va.  February 16, 1917, Mary Louisa  Guthrie, daughter of  Captain John Julius Guthrie, Confederate States Army, deceased, and sister of Surgeon L.A.  Guthrie, U.S. Navy, retired."

Okay, so evidently Joseph A. Guthrie was a son of John Julius Guthrie. Annotated Bibliography.

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From United States Coast Guard

Meekins, Victor --  Captain John Julius Guthrie. the U.S. Coast Guard magazine,; November 1932, Vol. 6, p. 44.  (Captain  Guthrie served as a Confederate  naval officer before joining  the Revenue Cutter Service.)

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Guide to Manuscripts in North Carolina

Papers of J. Julius Guthrie, Jr.,  editor of the Raleigh  Daily Progress (1866-1867) include his Civil War  exemption (1863) and oath (1865).

--Old B-R'er

Were B.W. and John J. Guthrie, Jr., the Sons of John H. Guthrie? How About Joseph A. Guthrie?

Still looking for definitive proof.  I am of the opinion that John, Jr. and B.W.  Guthrie were the sons of Guthrie, Sr., but want more proof.

I went to the complete list of U.S. Navy officers 1799 to 1900 and did not find John Jr. or B,W.'s name, so they did not follow their dad into the U.S. Navy.

There was one other Guthrie, however, Joseph A. Guthrie.  He became an assistant surgeon on 27 January 1892  and a passed assistant surgeon on 27 January 1895.  In 1913, he was listed as a retired surgeon, U.S. Navy, living in Portsmouth, Virginia.

This is where John Julius Gutrhrie was buried, so that might make him a relative.

In 1921, Eleanor Raymond Guthrie, daughter of Joseph A. Guthrie, was married in Portsmouth, Va.

--Old B-Runner

B. W. Guthrie. Was He Another Son of John J. Guthrie?

There was also a B.W. Guthrie listed in the Confederate Naval Officer book.

Born in North Carolina.

Appointed from North Carolina

Master, not in line for promotion, February 24, 1862.

Master, not in line for promotion, Provisional Navy,  June 2, 1864.

Served on floating battery 1862-1863.

Receiving ship Arctic 1863-1864.  The Arctic was in the Wilmington Squadron.

Charleston Squadron 1864.

Could this be another son of John Junius Guthrie?

Extremely Promising.  --Old B-Runner

Was John J. Guthrie, Jr. the Son of John J. Guthrie?

I brought this up two posts ago when I wrote about John Julius Guthrie Jr.  Obviously with a senior and junior attached to the same first, middle and last name, that is highly possible.  But, I was looking for more proof.

The last two entries were from the complete list of Confederate officers during the Civil War.  And, I see that both were on the floating battery CSS New Orleans at the same time.  So, father and son serving on the same ship?  Quite possible.

Then, I came across John J. Guthrie's (Senior) Find a Grave entry, and although it didn't list him as a senior, I did see the name John Julius Guthrie (1844-1903) who was buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Portsmouth, Virginia, the same place as his father.

However, there was no further information given about John Julius Guthrie, Jr., which would have helped immensely in determining if they were indeed father and son.

Indeed You Do.  --Old B-Runner

John Julius Guthrie, CSN

From the Officers in the Confederate States Navy 1861-1865.

JOHN JULIUS GUTHRIE

Born in North Carolina.  Appointed from North Carolina.

Formerly lieutenant U.S. Navy.

Assumed command at New Orleans, October 14, 1861.

Commanding C.S. floating battery New Orleans 1862.

Naval Station Wilmington 1862-1863.

CSS Chattahoochie:  boiler explosion, May 27, 1863.

Special Service 1864; commanding North Carolina steamer A.D. Vance.

Appointed volunteer aid, personal staff, Gov. Z.B. Vance, March 23, 1865.

--Old B-Runner

John J. Guthrie, Jr. Was He John J. Guthrie's Son?

I have been writing about John J. Guthrie in last month's posts.  I came across this name in the Confederate naval officers list.

GUTHRIE, JOHN J. JR.

Born in _________________  Appointed from _____________

Master, not in line for promotion, October 21, 1861.

Reported for duty at New Orleans, October 21, 1861

C.S. floating battery New Orleans, 1862

Was this John Julius Guthrie's son?

--Old B-Runner

A.D. Vance, Blockade Runner

This is the ship that John J. Guthrie captained many times through the blockade at Wilmington, North Carolina.  Guthrie was put in charge of the slaver Nightingale which I wrote about much of this past March.

The A.D. Vance, often written Advance, was the former Clyde packet Lord Clyde, built at Caird and Co. Greenock.  She was owned  in large part by the State of North Carolina and named in honor of honor of a leading North Carolinian; some portion of her ownership rested in Power, Lord & Co. -- a Fayetteville newspaper reported it at two-thirds -- but  she was locally considered a public vessel.

The A.D. Vance was one of the most successful blockade runners and her loss, after  more than 20 voyages and 40-odd hair-breath escapes, was a blow keenly felt by the state.

Governor Zebulon  B. Vance attributed her capture, 10 September 1864, to use of low grade North Carolina bituminous coal and denounced Secretary  Mallory  for giving the stockpile of  smokeless anthracite to the Tallahassee so that none was left for the Advance to run out of Wilmington safely.

Writing 3 January 1865, Vance complained, "Why a State struggling for the common good, to clothe and provide for its troops  in the public service, should meet with no more favor favor than a blockade gambler passes my comprehension."

She was commanded by Captain Tom Crossan when taken by the USS Santiago de Cuba, becoming the USS Advance and eventually the Frolic.  Lt. John J. Guthrie, CSB, commander of the Chattahoochee at the time of her disaster, was her earlier captain.

--Old B-Runner