John P. Vincent Gridley, Charles Gridley's Son, Killed in Tragic Accident Aboard the USS Missouri (BB-11) in 1904

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  26 March 1880

DEATH:  13 April 1904  (aged 24)

BURIAL:  Lakeside Cemetery, Erie Pennsylvania.

The stone inscription:  "Lt. USMC.  Killed by an explosion in the  After Turret of the USS Missouri off Pensacola, Florida.

Until the day break and the Shadows flee away."

From Wikipedia.

The USS Missouri (BB-11) was a Maine-class battleship commissioned in 1903.  On April 13, 1904, the ship suffered an accident during gunnery practice; the port 12-inch gun in her rear turret flared backwards  on firing and ignited  three propellant charges in the turret.

The resulting fire suffocated 36 men in the turret.  Quick action by the surviving members of the turret crew prevented the fire from spreading to  the magazines, which would have destroyed the ship.  For their actions, three men were awarded the Medal of Honor.  The Missouri returned to Newport News for repairs, which were completed by early June.

--Old B-Runner

Civil War Service of Charles V. Gridley

From the Nation Cyclopaedia.

In 1860, he was appointed from Hillsdale, Michigan, to the United States Naval Academy  by Representative  Henry Waldron.  The opening of the civil War advanced the graduation of the Class of 1864, to which he belonged by one year; and on October 1, 1863, he was appointed ensign and assigned to the steam sloop-of-war USS Oneida, attached to the West Coast Blockading Squadron.

He was in a number of engagements, and while on the Oneida specially distinguished himself at the Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864.  He was  favorably mentioned in the Oneida's official report of the ship's executive officer:  "The conduct of  acting ensign Charles V. Gridley is beyond all praise.  He had charge of the master's division and assisted in the conning the ship from the gallant forecastle."

At the end of the war,  he was ordered to the steam sloop  USS Brooklyn, flagship of the Brazilian Station.

--Old B-Runner

Charles Vernon Gridley a Member of the Sons of the American Revolution As Well

From the National Register of the Sons of the American Revolution (1902)

CHARLES VERNON GRIDLEY.

U.S. Navy, died in service June 5, 1898.

Great grand-son of  Miner Sholes, private  Connecticut Militia, pensioned.

Great grand-son of Elisha Gridley, private Connecticut Militia, pensioned.

--Brock-Perry

**********************************

From Lineage Book of Daughters of the American Revolution.

MRS. ANN ELIZA SHOLES GRIDLEY

Born New York, New York.  Wife of Franklin Gridley.  Descendant of Miner Sholes.

MINER SHOLES

(1760-1842)

Enlisted 1779, and 1781  was a private in Captain Joseph Carew's Company.  he was wounded in a skirmish with Tories in 1783 when serving with Captain  Simon Allen.

In 1832 he applied for a pension.  His claim was allowed.  He was born in New London, Connecticut; died in Edminston, New York.

--Old B-Runner

Gridley's Mother, Ann Eliza Sholes Gridley-- Part 2

Ann Sholes and her husband Frank moved to Hillsdale, Michigan,  as newlyweds in 1845.  The Gridleys ran a  grocery store and had two sons and a daughter.  The youngest, little Helen, died at ten weeks of age.  Exactly what occurred to husband Frank is not known, but he was committed to the Michigan Insane Asylum, remaining apart from Ann until his death in 1887.

Her efforts to improve Oak Grove Cemetery through the Ladies  Cemetery Association  are well documented, as was her charity work as one of the founders of St. Peter's Episcopal Church.

Considered one of Hillsdale's most heroic figures, the name of Ann Gridley was chosen in 1911 as the name of the town's newly-organized Daughters of the American Revolution.

--Old B-Runner

Gridley's Mother: Ann Sholes Gridley

From Charles V. Gridley Find-A-Grave.

Charles Gridley's mother, Ann Eliza  Sholes Gridley (1825-1909) is listed as a Civil War nurse and a Daughter of the American Revolution.  She is buried with Charles' father at Oak Grove Cemetery in Hillsdale, Michigan.

From the Hillsdale (Michigan) Historical Society.

ANN SHOLES GRIDLEY

In her obituary in the local newspaper, the statement is made, "no one knows how much this esteemed woman did for Hillsdale."  Ann became famous as the mother of Capt. Charles Gridley of Manila Bay "You may fire  when you are ready, Gridley!"

She was also well-known nationally for her thirty years' service in the land office in Washington, D.C.

Known locally for her tireless work as a volunteer nurse on the fields of battle of the Civil War, Ann went to the front to administer aid to the sick and wounded.  She received personal thanks from Generals Grant, Sherman and Sheridan.

--Old Secesh

Lucius E. Gridley, Charles' Brother

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  5 January 1849, Hillsdale, Michigan

DEATH:  17 November 1920, Washington, D.C.

BURIAL:  Arlington National Cemetery

A newspaper obituary reads:

"Lucius  Egbert Gridley dies; in Treasury for 41 years.   Civil War veteran was brother of  Commander of Olympia at  Battle of Manila."

He is also listed as   a Civil War veteran - Private (musician)  Co. A,  2nd Michigan Infantry.

--Old B-Runner

Find-A-Grave: Charles Vernon Gridley From Mobile Bay to Manila Bay

CAPTAIN CHARLESVERNON GRIDLEY

BIRTH:  24 November 1844,  Logansport, Indiana

DEATH:  5 June 1898, Kobe, Japan

BURIAL:  Lakeside Cemetery, Erie, Pennsylvania

United States Naval Officer.  Am 1864 graduate of the USNA. (which had temporarily moved to Newport, Rhode Island during the Civil War for safety), he served as acting ensign on board the USS Oneida at the August 5, 1864, Battle of Mobile Bay.

By the time of the Spanish-American War in 1898, he had risen to the rank of captain, and was in command of the USS Olympia during the May 1, 1898, Battle of Manila Bay.  The Olympia served as the American Asiatic Squadron's commander  George Dewey's flagship.

At the start of the battle, he  commanded Captain Gridley to commence his bombardment on the Spanish ships with the words: You may fire when ready, Gridley."  The phrase, widely reported in American newspapers, became a popular catch-phrase of the time.

Captain Gridley would die a month later after an illness on board a different ship while it was anchored off Kobe, Japan.

--Old B-Runner

Charles V. Gridley--Part 4: Death and Legacy

Gridley was physically spent after the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898.  His health began to sink even faster once he was released from the strain of command.  Transferred from the USS Zafiro to the commercial steamer Coptic on May 27, but had to be taken aboard on a stretcher.

He knew that his condition was grave and wrote simply, "I think I am done for it, personally."  

Aboard the Coptic, on June 5, 1898, Gridley died while it was at Kobe, Japan.

His body was cremated and sent home.  Services were held at Erie, Pennsylvania's Cathedral of St. Paul and he was buried at Lakeside Cemetery in Erie.

Gridley was a member of   the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Four ships in the U.S. Navy have been named after him.

USS Gridley  (DD-92) 1918-1922

USS Gridley (DD-380)  Lead ship of her class of destroyers (1936-1947)

USS Gridley (DLG-21)   Guided Missile Frigate 1961-1994)

USS Gridley (DDG-101) (2007 to present)

A monument to Gridley was erected in a city park in Erie, Pennsylvania, which is named Gridley Park.

--Old B-Runner

Charles V. Gridley-- Part 3: His Send-Off After the Battle

Several weeks after the Battle of Manila Bay, Charles Gridley was sent home.  One crewman described what happened:

"He came up out of his cabin dressed in civilian clothes and was met by the rear admiral (Dewey) who extended him a most cordial hand.  A look of troubled  disappointment flitted across the captain's brow, but vanished  when he stepped to the head of the gangway and, looking  over, saw not the launch, but a twelve-oared cutter manned entirely by the officers of the Olympia.

"There were men in the boat who had not pulled a stroke  for a quarter of a century.  Old Glory was at the stern and a captain's  silken coach-whip at the bow; and when Captain Gridley, beloved alike by officers and men, entered the boat, it was up oars,  and all that,  just as though they were common sailors who were to row him to the Zafiro.

"When he sat down upon the handsome boat-cloth that was spread for him,   he bowed his head, and his hands hid his face as Lieutenant Reese, acting coxswain.  ordered, 'Shoveoff; out oars; give away!'  

"Later in the day,  the lookout on the bridge reported, 'Zafiro under way sir,' and the deck officer passed on the word until a little twitter  from Pat Murray's pipe  brought all of the other  bo's'ns  around him, and in concert they sang out, 'Stand by to man the rigging!'  Not the Olympia alone, but every ship in the squadron dressed and manned, and  the last we ever saw  of our dear captain he was sitting in a chair out on the Zafiro's quarter-deck, apparently  listening to the [Olympia's] old band play."

--Old B-Runner

Charles V. Gridley-- Part 2: 'You May Fire When You Are Ready, Gridley'

From 1871 to 1875, he was stationed on the only U.S. Navy vessel on the Great Lakes, the USS Michigan which was home based at Erie, Pennsylvania.  While stationed there, he married Harriet, the daughter of Judge John Vincent and they had three children.  Harriet was also the cousin of Civil War hero  Brigadier General Strong Vincent, who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Gridley was promoted to commander in 1882 and served as an instructor at the Naval Academy and the Cruiser Training  Squadron.

March 14, 1897, he was promoted to captain and ordered to the Asiatic Squadron where on July 28, 1897, he received command of the USS Olympia, Commodore  George Dewey's famous flagship in Yokohoma, Japan.

*****************************

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

During the Battle of Manila Nay in the Philippines on 1 May 1898, Gridley commanded the Olympia from inside the vessel's armored conning tower, an uncomfortably  hot station in the relentless Philippine sun.

Dewey gave his famous command, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley."  What resulted was a very one-side American victory over the outmatched Spanish fleet.

At the conclusion of the battle,  Gridley was not in condition to celebrate as he was suffering from dysentery and what appears to have been liver cancer.  The heat and stress of the conning tower had further weakened him.  Dewey would have relieved him of his command had not Gridley protested.

George Dewey had been at the Battles of Fort Fisher.

--Old B-Runner

Charles V. Gridley-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

CHARLES VERNON GRIDLEY

(24 November  1844 - 5 June 1898) 

Officer in the U.S. Navy in the Civil War and Spanish-American War.

He was born to  Frank and Ann Eliza (Stokes)  Gridley in Logansport, Indiana, and his parents moved to Hillside, Michigan, when he was three months old.

After attending  Hillside College, he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1860.  He reported for duty with his class in 1863, joining the crew of the sloop-of-war USS Oneida with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron.  

He distinguished himself at the Battle of Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864.

After the war, he stayed in the Navy and was promoted to lieutenant in 1867 and then to lieutenant commander on March 12, 1868.

--Old B-Runner

Charles Vernon Gridley of the USS Oneida: Was He Dewey's 'When Ready' Guy?

In the last post, I wrote that C.V. Gridley was an officer on the USS Oneida when it fought at the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864.  As a result of this engagement, eight members of the ship's crew received Medals of Honor.

Now, the man's last name struck a memory with me.  A memory of the Spanish-American War in which a famous order was given.  One that went, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley."

The man whom uttered that was the famous Commodore Dewey.  Hero of the Battle of Manila Bay.

Was the Gridley ordered to do so, the same Gridley from the USS Oneida?

The answer is, yes he was.

--Old B-Runner

Some Confusion As to USS Oneida's Commander at Battle of Mobile Bay

Wikipedia has the commander of the USS Oneida at the Battle of Mobile Bay as Captain  C.V. Gridley.  The C.V. Gridley article in Wikipedia had him as a member of the Class of 1860 at the Naval Academy.  I don't think he could have made captain in that short of time.  The article also said that Gridley was on the USS Oneida.  Also, that article said he was appointed captain in 1897.

Someone on the Oneida, however, sure recommended a lot of people for the Medal of Honor.  Was it C.V. Gridley?

I looked up the Wikipedia Battle of Mobile  Order of Battle and that said the Oneida's commander was Commander J.R. Madison Mullaney.

Most likely, it was Mullaney in command of the Oneida at the battle with Gridley as one of his officers.

Old B-Runner

Eight Medals of Honor Given on USS Oneida for Action at the Battle of Mobile Bay

John E. Jones received a Medal of Honor aboard the USS Oneida during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864.  I came across another sailor from that ship who also received one.

I went to the Wikipedia site on the USS Oneida and found that they weren't the only ones receiving that high honor.  

A total of eight sailors were recipients for that engagement.  Somebody must have been quite busy with the nominations.

--Old B-Runner

John E. Jones, Medal of Honor Recipient-- Part 2:

From Find-A-Grave

JOHN E, JONES

BIRTH:  1834 in New York City

DEATH:  19 August 1865 (age 30-31) in New Orleans, Louisiana

BURIAL:  Chalmette National Cemetery, Chalmette, Louisiana

Square 9, Grave 84, now Section 55, Site 4406

A stone has been added at the foot of his gravestone with the Medal of Honor information.

So, he died just 8 months after receiving it.

--Old B'Rer

Medal of Honor Recipient John E. Jones-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Born in  New York City and entered the Navy from New York.  He served as the quartermaster on the USS Oneida.  While stationed at the wheel of that ship at the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864,  the wheel was rendered useless when the ropes that connected it to the tiller were destroyed by hostile fire.

Although wounded, Jones helped send and receive signals before new ropes were installed.

For this action, he received the Medal of Honor four months later, on December  31, 1864.

His official Medal of Honor citation reads:

"Served as quartermaster on the U.S.S. Oneida in the engagement at Mobile Bay 5 August 1864.  Stationed at the wheel during the fierce action, Jones, though wounded, carried out his duties gallantly by going to the poop to assist at the signals after the wheel ropes were shot away and remained there  until ordered to reeve new wheel ropes."

Not To be Confused With Recipient John Jones.  --Old B-Runner

Two Other Navy Medals of Honor: John E. Jones and Lewis Horton

It is not surprising to find that many Navy Medals of Honor buried in cemeteries around Portsmouth, New Hampshire because, of course, it is a major port on the U.S. Atlantic Coast, so naturally sailors would tend to concentrate there.

While looking up more information on John Jones and his Medal of Honor, I came across two other Navy personnel who received Medals of Honor, but were not buried in cemeteries around Portsmouth.

They were John E. Jones of the USS Oneida and Lewis Horton of the USS Rhode Island.  

At first I thought John E. Jones was John Jones with his middle name, but he wasn't.  A totally different man.

Then, I found that Lewis Horton was one of the men in the USS Rhode Island rescue boat with John Jones.  Obviously, if John Jones received a Medal of Honor, anyone else in that boat would receive one as well.

--Old B-Runner

New Hampshire Elks Honor Union Sailor Recipients of Medal of Honor-- Part 5: Robert Anderson

ROBERT ANDERSON

(1843-1900)

Union Navy Civil War

Interred at Cavalry Cemetery

All five of these Union sailors are buried in cemeteries around Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Pictures of each of their graves accompany the article.

Anderson served aboard the USS Crusader and the USS Keokuk during various actions in these vessels.

Carrying out his duties skillfully while serving aboard the Crusader, Quartermaster Robert Anderson, on all occasions, set forth the greatest  intrepidity and devotion.

During the attack on Charleston, while serving on board the USS Keokuk, Robert Anderson was stationed at the wheel of the ship when shot penetrated the ironclad and with the scattering of iron from it, shielded  the body of his commander with his body.

He survived.

--Old B-R'er

New Hampshire Elks Honor Navy Medal of Honor Recipients-- Part 4: John Jones

JOHN JONES

(1841-1907)

Union Navy Civil War

Interred at Saint Mary's Cemetery

John Jones served on the USS Rhode Island, which engaged  in saving the lives of the officers and crew of the sinking USS Monitor.

Participating in this hazardous  rescue effort in a major storm, Jones after recuing several men, became separated in a heavy gale with other members of the cutter that had set out from the Rhode Island, and spent many hours in a small boat at the mercy of the weather and high seas until finally  picked up by a schooner  50 miles east of Cape Hatteras.

--Old B-Runner

Elks Honor Navy Medal of Honor Recipients: Frederick Franklin

FREDERICK FRANKLIN 

(1840-1873) 

U.S. Navy Korean Campaign

Interred at Proprietors  Cemetery (South Cemetery)

Franklin was on board the USS Colorado during the attack and capture of the Korean forts., June 11, 1871.

Assuming command of  Company D after Lieutenant  McKee was wounded, Franklin handled the company with great credit until relieved.

Born on 1840 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

He was one of 15  U.S. sailors and Marines to be awarded the Medal of Honor for this little-known military action.  (I never heard of it either.)

Franklin also might have been in the Navy during the Civil War.  The USS Colorado was at the Battles of Fort Fisher.

--Old B-Runner

N.H. Elks Honor Navy Medal of Honor Recipients: Mark Ham

MARK HAM  (1820-1869)

Union Navy Civil War

Interred at Harmony Grove Cemetery (South Cemetery)

Ham served on the USS Kearsarge when she sank the Confederate raider CSS Alabama off Cherbourg, France, on June 19, 1864.

Performing his duties  intelligently and faithfully, Ham distinguished himself in the face of bitter enemy fire and was highly recommended by his divisional officer.

--Old B-Runner

New Hampshire Navy Medal of Honor Recipients Honored on Memorial Day-- Part 1: John Sullivan of USS Monticello

From the June 4, 2021, Seacoastonline "Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Elks honor Medal of Honor recipients on Memorial Day"

The Portsmouth Lodge of Elks No. 97 purchased wreaths to place on the graves of  five veterans  over memorial Day weekend.

JOHN SULLIVAN (1839-1913 Union Navy Civil War.  Interred at Harmony Grove Cemetery (South Cemetery)

Sullivan served as a seaman on the USS Monticello during  the reconnaissance  of the harbor and water defenses of Wilmington, North Carolina, June 23-24, 1864.  This would have been under the command of Lt. William Cushing.

The reconnaissance took part over  two days and nights.

Sullivan courageously carried out his duties during this action, which resulted in the capture of a mail carrier and mail, the cutting of telegraph wire and the capture of a large group of prisoners.

Although in immediate danger  from the enemy at all times, Sullivan showed gallantry and coolness throughout this action which resulted in the gaining  of much vital information on the rebel defenses.

His Medal of Honor was issued December 31, 1864.

--Old B-Runner

It Must Be a 6th Thing in My Civil War Blogs Right Now: Charles F. Fisher and Edward S. Bragg

I just noticed that I am writing about two colonels right now.  One of them was a Union colonel and the other a Confederate.

They both commanded infantry regiments with the number 6.

Edward S. Bragg was from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and commanded the 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment.  I have been writing about him in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog.  A Wisconsin legislator is calling for the consideration of renaming Fort Bragg after Edward Bragg.  That way you keep the same name and save a lot of money that it will cost to change names.

So, instead  of Fort Bragg being named after the Confederate General Braxton Bragg it will be named for the Union General Bragg.  Problem solved.  (Also, I have seen at least one source saying that Braxton Bragg and Edward Bragg were related as cousins.

Of course, I have been writing about Charles F. Fisher in this blog. He commanded the 6th North Carolina Infantry Regiment at the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) and unfortunately was killed leading his men.  

So, why would I write about an infantry regiment commander in this Civil War Navy blog?  The reason is that Fort Fisher was named for him.

Both 6th regiments garnered accolades for service during the war and fought in most of the major battles in the Eastern Theater of the war.  Both had huge losses at the Battle of Gettysburg.  The 6th Wisconsin later became part of the famed Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac.

--Old B-Runner

Death of Col. Charles F. Fisher at First Manassas-- Part 1

Referred to as the First Battle of Manassas by Confederates and the First Battle of Bull Run by the Union.

From the July 24, 2016, Civil War  Day By Day.

24 July 1861:  "We fear that the reported death of Col. Fisher, of the Sixth Regiment  of North Carolina State Troops, is only too true."

From the July 24, 1861, Wilmington, N.C.  Daily Journal.

"Yesterday at St. James' Episcopal Church, a Te Deum was chanted and other  religious services were had in acknowledgement  of the victory which crowned  our arms a Manassas on Sunday.  At night, fire-works were discharged and other demonstrations made, but all in a quiet and becoming manner.

"We appreciate highly  the great moral effect of our victory.  It can hardly be overestimated -- but at the same time it has been dearly purchased by the blood of some of out best and bravest, who bared their breasts to the storm of battle."

--Old Secesh

Col. Charles F. Fisher-- Part 3: His Legacy

Charles Fisher was buried at the Old Lutheran Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina.  He became an early hero of the Confederacy with his death.  His troops erected a marker where he fell, which was later damaged by souvenir hunters and is now replaced by a U.S. flagpole.

His friend, Sewall Lawrence Fremont came to command the coast defense of North Carolina and named the defensive work at the mouth of the Cape Fear River's New Inlet Fort Fisher.

Later, the United Confederate Veterans and Daughters of the Confederacy established memorial markers.

North Carolina chief justice  Benjamin Franklin White, formerly a Confederate captain, published a laudatory  account of Fisher's death in 1901.

His hat is in the North Carolina Museum of History.

--Old B-Runner

Col. Charles F. Fisher-- Part 2: Railroad President and Killed at First Bull Run

Continued from May 27, 2021.

While still the North Carolina Railroad's president,  he was selected its principal contractor to build a line to Morgantown, North Carolina.  Slow construction progress and high costs produced much criticism, especially from Jonathan Worth, president of the competing Fayetteville  and Western Plank  Road Company and first postwar governor of North Carolina.

In 1859, despite Worth's criticism, the railroad stockholders reelected Fisher president.  During this time, Fisher also became friends with Vermont-born Sewall Lawrence Fremont, a former Army artilleryman who had become chief engineer  and superintendent of the Wilmington & Weldon  Railroad in eastern North Carolina in 1854.  The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad served as a major supply route of Confederate forces in Virginia and Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

During the Civil War, Fisher became the commander of the 6th North Carolina Infantry Regiment.  He died leading a charge  on a Union battery at the First Battle of Bull Run, supporting  North Carolina  General Thomas Lanier Clingman as well as Fisher's cousin Jubal Early, who became a Confederate general after that.

Whether the fatal bullet came from friendly fire from the 4th Alabama or 2nd or 11th Mississippi or from the New York Zouaves or other Union soldiers from the Sudley Road will never be known.

--Old B-Runner

Col. Charles F. Fisher-- Part 1: Early Life

From Wikipedia.

CHARLES FREDERICK FISHER

(December 26, 1816 to July 21, 1861)

Namesake of Fort Fisher.

American attorney, legislator, engineer and soldier from Salisbury.  he served as the president of the North Carolina  Railroad and died at the Battle of Bull Run while leading his 6th North Carolina Infantry Regiment.

He was born in Salisbury, N.C., to plantation owner Charles Fisher and his wife Christine Beard Fisher.    His paternal father, Frederick Fisher had come from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and was an officer in the American militia during the Revolutionary War.    His maternal great grandfather had been an ardent Tory (Loyalist) during the war.

He had a private education and entered  Yale in  1835, but failed to finish freshman year.  Back home, he married  Ruth Caldwell and became a miner, farmer and journalist.  he supported his father who was a politician  through his Western Carolinian publication.

In 1854, he became a state senator and the next year became the president of the North Carolina Railroad.

--Old B-Runner

Charles Fisher (Namesake of Fort Fisher) Buried in Salisbury, North Carolina.

From the May 30, 2021, Salisbury (NC) Post  "My turn, Ed Norvell::  Salisbury's  oldest cemetery   best location of 'Fame'.

"Fame" is the Confederate monument in Salisbury that will be moved.  Mr. Norvell was writing about why the cemetery on North Lee Street would be a good place for the statue.  It is owned and maintained by the City of Salisbury and has decorative security fencing and cameras.

However, its beauty could be enhanced.

The original cemetery was known as the German  Burying Ground and was given to the Lutheran Church.

Plus, many people important to Salisbury's history are buried there.

But, the one of most interest to me is that one Charles Fisher is buried there.  He was the second president of the North Carolina  Railroad and the person a Fort Fisher was named after.  That would be MY Fort Fisher, of course.

Before this, I never knew he was buried there.

There are also markers for 175 Confederate graves there.

--Old B-Runner