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
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