Not much is known about David Frankin's early life except that he was born free in New York in 1840. He enlisted in the Union Navy on Nocvember 13, 1863 at age 23.
The young sailor was assigned to the USS Dawn as an officers' steward and cook. The steamer Dawn was 154-feet long and had a crew of 63 with 3 officers. Seventeen percent of the crew were Blacks. It was a part of te North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and spent most of its time on the James River.
On May 24, 1864, about 2,500 Confederates attacked the Union supply depot at Wilson's Wharf, Virginia. They were repulsed by two black regiments totalling 1,100 men, with the help of the USS Dawn's guns. The Confederates lost 200 men and Union just 40.
Franklin was discharged from Union service on March 31, 1865.
What happened to him after the war is lost to hostory until he appears on the roster as a member of a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) camp in Tacoma, Washington. An 1899 Tacoma city directory lists him as a broiler at Donnelly Cafe, which was attched to the Hotel Donnelly.
--Old B-Runner
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