Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Acting Ensign Arnold Harris USN-- Part 2: The Attack on Confederate Fort Clifton in Virginia

From the United States Congressional Set:  Report of Secretary of Navy.

Report of Acting Volunteer Lt.  Amos P. Foster, commanding the USS Commodore Perry.

June 23, 1864

"...Acting Ensign Arnold H. Harris, in command of  army gunboat Chamberlain,  came on board this vessel at 6:30 a.m.  of the 16th instant, and said that General Butler requested me to open fire as soon as possible  on Fort Clifton."

He fired 47 percussion shells at the fort and he said they did damage.

Ens. Harris and Lt.  Bullard, of Brigadier General  Graham's staff came on board.  Lt. Bullard had been ordered to come on board and request he open fire again on Fort Clifton early on the morning of June 17.  He did just that, but on the second shot from his 100-pounder Parrott rifle, it blew up, killing and wounding many.

I'll write about the explosion of the Parrott rifle in the next post.

--Old B-Runner


Tuesday, March 29, 2022

So, Who Are We Honoring Today? National Vietnam War Veterans Day

From the March 23, 2022, Fox 10 News, Mobile, Alabama.

It honors:

U.S. Armed Forces personnel with active duty service between November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of  location of service which includes:

**  9 million Americans serving at the time

**  6.4 million Americans living today

**  58,000 whose names are memorialized on the wall in Washington, D.C.

**  304,000 who were wounded

**  1,253 MIA

**  2,500 POWs


Monday, March 28, 2022

Acting Ensign Arnold Harris, USN-- Part 1

I decided to see if I could find any more information on Acting Ensign Arnold Harris, especially in regards to Gen. Benjamin Butler.

From U.S. Navy Officers1798-1900.

ARNOLD HARRIS

Acting Ensign, 24 March 1863.  Assigned to North Atlantic Blockading Squadron as of 1865.

Resigned  21 February 1865

Must have been the commander of the U.S. Army transport Brewster.

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

From United States Service Magazine, Vol.  3, 1865.

January 13, 1865

Acting Ensign Arnold Harris, detached from special duty with the Army, and ordered to report to Rear-Admiral Porter.

--Old B-Runner


Sunday, March 27, 2022

Beast Butler Has a Plan to Wreck Confederate Shipping in the Cape Fear River

From the American Civil War High Command January 7, 1864.

NORTH CAROLINA

Union Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler revealed a plan to send  the Army steamer Brewster, Ensign Arnold Harris,  into Wilmington Harbor disguised as a blockade runner.  There they would destroy  the shipping and blockade runners in the harbor.

The plan was abandoned when extent of Confederate defenses were discovered.

Union General Charles Kinnaird Graham reported to Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee that it might be possible to run past Forts Caswell and Fisher by the proposed ruse, but the chain across the Cape Fear River at Fort Lee would halt the ship.

All blockade runners were required to stop there until cleared for further progress upriver by authorities in Wilmington and it was expected that the plot would be detected.

A Thought, Anyway.  --Old B-Runner


Friday, March 25, 2022

CSS Albemarle-- Part 8: Cushing Does Her In

The Albemarle's mere presence kept it a threat throughout the rest of the summer and fall.  That is, until October 28, 1864, when Union Lieutenant William Cushing led a daring early morning raid that sank the Albemarle in eight feet of water using a spar torpedo on the front of a launch.

Three days later, without the threat of the Albemarle, Union forces recaptured Plymouth.

Elliott didn't witness his prize creation's demise, though.  He was back at Edward's Ferry constructing another ironclad (that wasn't completed before the war ended).

In 1867, the U.S. Navy refloated the Albemarle and towed it to the Norfolk (Virginia) Navy Yard.  It was deemed useless and sold for scrap, fetching a mere $2,500.

One of her 6.4-inch Brooke rifled cannons is on display at the Headquarters of the Commander U.S. Fleet Forces Command at Norfolk, Virginia, naval base.  Her smokestack is on display at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.    Her bell is on display at  the Port o' Plymouth Museum in Plymouth, North Carolina.

--Old B-Runner


Thursday, March 24, 2022

CSS Albemarle-- Part 7: Capture of Plymouth, N.C.

Recalled Elliott, "Captain Cooke ran the ram close to the southern shore, and then, suddenly turning toward the middle of the stream, and going with the current... dashed the prow of the Albemarle into the Southfield, making an opening large enough to carry her to the bottom...."

Cooke then turned his attention to the USS Miami, whose point-blank fire proved ineffectual against the Albemarle's armor.  After an attempt to board the ironclad was beaten back, the Miami fled downriver.

But, when dawn broke the next day, there was no sign of Hoke.  Elliott and a team of volunteers soon found the Confederates bivouacked along a creek near the river's mouth, about 12 miles away, and with the general, devised a battle plan in which the Albemarle would shell the Union defenses while Hoke launched an infantry attack on them.

By 10 a.m., the attack was over and Plymouth was in Confederate hands.

The fearsome ram would enjoy one more moment of glory.  On the afternoon of May 5, 1864, Cooke's vessel sortied into Albemarle Sound and engaged the entire Union flotilla.  All attempts to sink the Albemarle failed, and at nightfall both sides retired.

--Old B-Runner


Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Gilbert Elliott's CSS Albemarle-- Part 6: The Battle of Plymouth Is Joined

So, Robert Hoke's force is at Plymouth and his expected help from the Albemarle isn't.  A series on infantry attacks on April 18, 1864, had limited success, but Union naval gunfire from the river inflicted heavy losses on the Confederates.  The battle continued well into the night before Hoke called a halt.

The Albemarle reached Plymouth the following day after being delayed by both mechanical problems and sunken Union boats.  During a longboat reconnaissance conducted on the 18th, with the help of volunteers, Elliott took measurements and found that his ship could make its way over the Union hulls safely.

On its approach to Plymouth, the Albemarle's iron plating easily withstood the artillery fire from the Union forts.  "[T] those on board," Elliott wrote, "the noise made by the shot and shell as they struck the boat sounded no louder than pebbles thrown against an empty barrel."

As the Albemarle came abreast of Plymouth, the USS Miami and USS Southfield were spotted steaming up from the sound.  In an effort to trap the Confederate ship between them, the two ships were linked  by an iron chain.

--Old B-Runner


Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Gilbert Elliott's CSS Albemarle-- Part 5: Cooperating with Gen. Hoke in Attack on Plymouth

In the spring of 1864, Confederate General Robert E. Lee began looking for ways to regain initiative in the war in the Confederate heartland as well as reduce the building pressure from the Army of the Potomac against Petersburg and Richmond.  He detached North Carolina native Robert F. Hoke to launch an offensive against Plymouth, North Carolina.

The Union garrison there was well-protected by forts, defensive positions and a formidable flotilla of ships.  An important aspect of this venture would be the assistance of the CSS Albemarle.

Hoke met with Captain James Wallace Cooke, CSN, and found that the ram was still being fitted out.  The ram wasn't on the prow yet, the shop lacked a capable crew and it had not even had its "shakedown" cruise yet.

Not to be stopped, Hoke promised mechanics to work on the ship and sailors from his infantry.  Cooke agreed to join the planned attack by April 17,1864.

With a force of roughly 10,000 men, Hoke showed up at Plymouth on time.  But, the Albemarle was not there.

--Old B-Runner


Monday, March 21, 2022

Gilbert Elliott's CSS Albemarle-- Part 4: When Completed

The finished Albemarle was 152 feet long and with a 45-foot beam.  "The depth from gun-deck to keel was 9 feet," Elliott noted, "and when launched she drew 6 and one half feet of water, but after being ironed and completed her draught was about 8 feet."

The ram's iron plates were seven inches wide and two inches thick and its 18-foot wooden oak prow was covered with two inches of iron plating as well (all the better for ramming).

The armament  consisted of two  6.4-inch rifled Brooke guns mounted on pivot carriages, each gun able to work three gunports.  Propelled by two 200-hp steam engines, its top speed would be four knots.

--Old B-Ram


Saturday, March 19, 2022

Gilbert Elliott's CSS Albemarle-- Part 3: Problems with William Lynch

The project to build the Albemarle was also beset by administrative issues.  Questions over contract terms cropped up, especially  after William F. Lynch, North Carolina's ranking naval officer got involved.  In October 1863, he assumed overall supervision of construction, and, fearing that Edwards Ferry was too vulnerable to Union cavalry raids, ordered the unfinished ironclad towed upstream to Halifax.

"For many reasons it was thought judicious to remove the boat to ...Halifax," Elliott later wrote, "and there the work of completion, putting in her machinery, armament, etc., was done...."

While dragging the hull from the cornfield on a bluff to the river below, the hull was bent,  "but to our great gratification did not...spring a leak."  Once the hull was straightened out, it was hauled 22 miles up the Roanoke River to Halifax where it awaited its iron plates.

--Old B-Runner


Friday, March 18, 2022

Gilbert Elliott's CSS Albemarle-- Part 2: It Was a Hard Build Indeed

Elliott believed it would be necessary to build his ironclad away from the Union fleet, so it was built on Peter Smith's Edwards Ferry plantation.  It was built on the Roanoke River on dry land.  Elliott wrote "The river rises and falls and it was necessary to locate the yard on ground sufficiently free from overflow, to admit the uninterrupted work for at least twelve months." 

John L. Porter, the man responsible for converting the USS Merrimac into the CSS Virginia in 1861, prepared the vessel's plans and specifications and joined Elliott at Edwards Ferry to supervise construction.  They were soon joined by Captain James Wallace Cooke, the ironclad's designated commander.

Everything in the cornfield shipyard was makeshift, but plantation owner Smith became a willing partner in the enterprise and had three portable lumber mills constructed to cut the sturdy yellow pine timber for the ship's hull.  Construction by a team of white carpenters and slaves from nearby plantations continued night and day in spite of the stifling heat and humidity you get in North Carolina summers.

For many months there was a fear that the 376-ton ship would never launch since the iron needed for its plating was so scarce in the South.  Elliott finally obtained 700 tons of iron from abandoned railroad tracks in February 1864.

--Old B-Runner


Thursday, March 17, 2022

Gilbert Elliott's Infernal Machine, the CSS Albemarle (the Cornfield Ironclad)-- Part 1

From the January 2020 America's Civil War magazine  "Infernal Machine" by Gordon Berg.

The rumors had begun drifting in to the North Carolina river port of Plymouth that something was going on up the Roanoke River from them and it did not bode well.  It was something dangerous, especially to a sizeable Union fleet and some 3,000 soldiers guarding the place.

What it was, was something out of the mind if a young engineer-inventor named Gilbert Elliott.  His "infernal machine" was taking place and would be named the CSS Albemarle.  And, he had created a makeshift shipyard in the middle of a cornfield on Peter Smith's Edwards Ferry plantation.

His maternal grandfather, Charles Grice, owned a shipyard in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, but growing up, Gilbert had leaned toward a law career, but when the war broke out he enlisted in the 17th N.C. regiment and was captured at Cape Hatteras Inlet in December 1861.  After exchange, he was assigned to the James River Drewry's Bluff battery near Richmond.

To pass the time, he began sketching designs for warships and on a whim sent them to the Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory.  Mallory had three warship construction contracts to give and Elliott got one.

--Old B-Runner


Tuesday, March 15, 2022

George B. Livingston-- Part 2

"USS Despatch," special service, 1878-9;  "USS Enterprise," European Station, 1879-81; Torpedo  Instructor, 1881.

The USS Despatch was involved in the Virginius Affair.

Promoted to Lieutenant-Commander, October, 1881;  "USS Adams," Pacific Squadron, 1882-3:  R.S. "USS Colorado," 1883-4; store-ship "USS  Monongahela, 1883-4; commanding store-ship "USS Monongahela," 1885-6; Navy Yard, New York, 1889; Navy Yard, Norfolk, 1889-90.

--Old b-Runner


Monday, March 14, 2022

George B. Livingston, the Emma's First Commander

George B. Livingston was the first commander of the USS Emma when the former blockade runner entered U.S. service.

From "The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps, 1878,"

LIEUTENANT GEORGE B. LIVINGSTON

Born in New York.  Entered Navy as  volunteer officer during the Rebellion; transferred to regular service, 1868; Narragansett (third rate),  N.A. Station 1869.

Commissioned as  Lieutenant, March 21, 1870; Pacific Fleet, 1869-1872; USS Colorado, N.A. Station, 1874; USS Plymouth (second rate), N.A. Station, 1875; USS Alert (third rate), N.A. Station, 1875-7; R.S. USS Franklin, 1878.

--Old B-Runner


It's All About the USS Monitor in Andover, Mass.-- Part 2

Scheduled presentations:

**  Battle of the Ironclads/Raising the Monitor Q&A by John Quarstein  USS Monitor Center Director Emeritus.

**  USS Monitor--  Technical Aspects by James Worden of North Andover.

**  History of the Steam Frigate USS Merrimack 1855-1861 by Brian Howard NAHS Executive Director.

**  Displays of ship models and portrait of Rear Admiral John L. Worden, USN, provided by the Worden family.

**  Short film of the USS Monitor's 2002 recovery and ongoing restoration efforts.

Wish I was There.  --Old B-R'er


It's All About the USS Monitor in Andover, Massachusetts-- Part 1

From the March 15, 2022, Andover Patch  "Monitor vs. Merrimack--  Local connections to the Battle of the Ironclads, 1862" by Brian Howard.

It will be at the Stevens Center on the Common at 800 Massachusetts Avenue in North Andover, Massachusetts.  Cost just $10.

On March 9, 1862, the Union Navy's USS Monitor clashed with the Confederate ram CSS Virginia  in Hampton Roads, Virginia.  This even marked a major turn in naval warfare and local ties to the event abound here in Andover. 

The North Andover Historical Society will be recognizing the 160th anniversary with historians and descendants of  the USS Monitor's commanding officer, Lt. (later rear admiral)  John L. Worden.

(I'm not sure of North Andover's connection to the USS Moniyor.)

--Old B-Runner


Sunday, March 13, 2022

Some More on the USS Emma

Last month, I was writing about this ship that was at both battles of Fort Fisher.

From Civil War Navies 1855-1883

The Emma was launched just four days before her sister ship, the Gertrude, both named for the daughters of owner Thomas S. Begbie.    Both built by  Barclay Curle of Glasgow, Scotland.

Both had relatively short careers before being captured.  The Emma was captured 24 July 1863 by the USAT  Arago and the Gertrude by  the USS Vanderbilt  off Eleutrea on 16 April 1863.

Both were condemned in prize court and bought by the U.S. Navy and used in the blockade.

The Emma was involved in both battles of Fort Fisher and on  11 Feb 1865 bombarded Masonboro Inlet.  She captured the blockade runner Ella 3 December  1864.  Became the merchant ship Gaspe  in 1866 and wrecked  at Longlois, Canada on  14 Jan. 1872.

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

Rear Admiral S.P. Lee reported that the USS Emma had arrived at Newport News from New York on the afternoon of  November 7, 1863.

--Old B-Runner


Saturday, March 12, 2022

March 9, 1862: It's the USS Monitor vs. CSS Virginia-- Part 2: Neither Ship Survived the Year

Neither ship, however, survived 1862.

The Virginia was destroyed on May 11, 1862,  when her new commander, flag officer Josiah Tattnall, ordered her scuttled  and blown up to prevent her from being captured.

The Monitor remained in Hampton Roads until December 29, 2862, when she began a  journey south to  help with war efforts.  Off the coast of Cape Hatteras, a storm began to rock the ironclad, flooding her engines and causing massive leaks.

The crew signaled for help, but the ship was lost.  When she went down, 16 of her crew of 62 also lost their lives.

In 1974, an expedition confirmed her shipwreck location and she was designated a marine sanctuary on January 30, 1975.

--Old B-Runner


Friday, March 11, 2022

March 9, 1862: It's the USS Monitor vs. the CSS Virginia

We recently had the anniversary of this battle which turned naval architecture in its ear back all thos years ago.

From the March 9, 2022, We Are the Mighty  "Today in military history:   The Battle of the Ironclads."

Formerly known as the United States steam frigate USS Merrimack, the ironclad Virginia was built from the wreck of the U.S. ship.  When the Lincoln government learned what the Confederates were up to, they started their own ironclad building program and the USS Monitor was one of them.

On the day before, March 8, the CSS Virginia had attacked the wooden ships of the Union Navy in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and had an easy go of it, sinking two ships.

The Monitor arrived just in the nick of time during the night of March 8-9 and the next morning they two ships clashed in a battle that changed the world.  Both ships hit each other with shells, but neither could hurt the other one.

In addition to being covered with iron, the Monitor also had the first gun turret where cannons could change direction of fire without turning the ship.  Even today warships have a turret.

The battle changed naval warfare forever.

--Old B-Runner


Thursday, March 10, 2022

The CSS Neuse and Me

The CSS Neuse is the only remaining commissioned Confederate ironclad above the water.  It was part of a new Confederate technology to combat the superior manpower and  firepower of the Union Navy.  Learn about the technological advances and warfare in eastern North Carolina at the CSS Neuse Interpretive Center.

The Confederate Navy launched the Neuse in an attempt to gain control of the lower Neuse River and New Bern, North Carolina.  But, ultimately, they had to destroy the ship to prevent it from being captured in the remaining days of the war.

I got to see them recovering the hull of the Neuse from where it was sunk in Kinston, North Carolina, back when I was 12 in 1963.  My grandfather took my brother and me to the site.  I was already a big Civil War buff at the time and this just made me more so.

I visited the hull of the Neuse on several occasions while it was housed under the covered site by the river and also once in its new home in the building which was much-needed as it was breaking apart out in the elements.

Of course, as they were trying to get it off the Neuse River bottom, they had an earthen dam built around it.  All it looked like was a bunch of wood in a hull shape.  It was too bad that the casemate wasn't still there as well.  But, it was a real piece of history to me.

So, the Neuse and I Go Way Back.  --Old B-Runner


Wednesday, March 9, 2022

CSS Neuse Opening Preview Party This Friday

CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center to hold exclusive  exhibit opening on March 11, 2022, this Friday.  This will be the final phase of its permanent exhibits entitled "The Civil War in Eastern North Carolina."  They will showcase a variety  of aspects of the Civil War including causes, battles, personalities,, involvement of women and Blacks.

To help kick this off, the CSS Neuse Gunboat Association will host an exclusive exhibit opening preview on the evening of March 11 from 6 p.m. to  10 p.m.  Tickets for the event are $50 a person and include a catered dinner, musical entertainment and one free alcoholic beverage pre person.  (Hopefully from King's BBQ.)

Tickets may be purchased at either the  CSS Neuse Interpretive Center or through a special link  posted on the site's Facebook page.

In addition to the above activities,  the evening will include a raffle drawing and a silent auction.  The raffle prize is a 14-foot skiff that has been  hand-crafted using 19th century tools and construction techniques.  Tickets for the raffle are $10 each or 3 for $25.

Only 100 tickets to the event are available so don't delay getting yours.

--Old B-Neuse


Monday, March 7, 2022

S.C. Preserves Part of Charleston's Fort Johnson-- Part 4

That spring and summer of 1865,  seven companies of the 21st USCT regiment, formed the garrison at Fort Johnson.  On July 31, , the men of the 54th Massachusetts dismounted the fort's guns and the fort was abandoned.

In 1872 a quarantine station was established there.  Thus began its association with public health.  In 1948, the station was closed and the 90 acre site was transferred to the state.  Six years later, the College of Charleston devised a plan to establish a marine biology research  center there, and the Medical  College set up an animal research facility.

The old quarantine officer's residence was occupied by the president  of the Medical College.

In 1970, much of the Fort Johnson  tract was transferred to the DNR's forerunner, the South Carolina Department of Wildlife and Marine Resources.  

In the years since,  the condition of the MUSC buildings has  deteriorated, posing safety hazards.

--Old B-Runner


Saturday, March 5, 2022

S.C. Preserves Part of Fort Johnson Site-- Part 3: Before and After the War

By 1829, the Fort Johnson property had become a depot for the construction of Fort Sumter.  In 1860, engineers were scrambling to finish Fort Sumter as war clouds gathered.  On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union.

On December 26, 1861, Major Robert Anderson of the U.S. First Artillery ordered the families and troops at Fort Moultrie to shift  from Sullivan's Island to Fort Johnson, but the schooner carrying them stopped just short of the point, anchoring in the harbor.

When S.C. Governor Francis W. Pickens, learned that the forts, except Sumter, were essentially unoccupied, he ordered them seized.  General Pierre G.T. Beauregard decided a mortar to be fired from Fort Johnson would serve as a signal  for all batteries tom open fire on Sumter.

At the time, there were two batteries at Fort Johnson, one on the beach and one on the hill.

During the war, Fort Johnson and at Union-held Battery Gregg on Morris Island often exchanged artillery fire.  On July 3, 1864, Union troops attempted an amphibious landing at Fort Johnson, but failed.

In early 1865, with General Sherman's Army marching through the state, Confederates evacuated Fort Johnson and the rest of the massive Charleston defenses on February 17.

Troops with the 54th Massachusetts, a black regiment famous for he attack on Fort Wagner in Charleston Harbor and the 52nd Pennsylvania, a white regiment, rowed form Morris Island to Fort Johnson, taking control of 26 abandoned cannons.

--Old B-Runner


Friday, March 4, 2022

S.C. Preserves Fort Johnson Site in Charleston Harbor-- Part 2

The Medical University of South Carolina(MUSC) board of trustees has agreed to sell its Fort Johnson holdings at the northeastern tip of Windmill Point on James Island to the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust, which will place a conservation easement on the property to prevent  any commercial or residential development, then donate the land to the DNR.

State Senator  Chip Campsen was instrumental in securing both the Fort Johnson and May Forest properties.  (May Forest from the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy).  In the spring of 2021, he got fellow legislators to make an offer on the convent tract and the state purchased the 23 acres for $23.25 million.

At that time, they started looking at the adjacent Fort Johnson plot which had 1.58 acres.  They bought it for a huge price, $3.5 million.

The sprawling yaupon (an evergreen shrub in case you're wondering like me) will be thinned out or cleared and  eventually trails will be built with picnic tables, signage and water access.

Good News.  --Old B-Runner


Thursday, March 3, 2022

S.C. Preserves Part of Fort Johnson Site in Charleston Harbor-- Part 1

From the February 22, 2022, Charleston (SC) Post and Courier "SC Battleground Preservation Trust secures a piece of Fort Johnson on James Island" by Adam Parker.

Going back to April 1861, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, and the first shot was fired from shore at Union-held Fort Sumter in the middle of the harbor, sparking the long smoldering Civil War.  Most folks think those shots were fired from Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island.  But they weren't.

They were fired from Confederate Fort Johnson on James Island.

In the early morning of April 12, 1861, Col. James Chesnut  Jr. (yes, diarist Mary Chesnut's husband) ordered Captain George S. James to fire a signal shot over Fort Sumter.  Lt. Henry S.  Farley, commander of the  beach battery at Fort Johnson prepared the mortar and then fired it exactly at 4:30 am.

The shell arched in the air and exploded directly over Fort Sumter.  A second shot was soon fired by Lt. W.H. Gibbes and the war was on.

Fort Johnson is no more, at least the fortifications aren't.  Since 1970, the S.C. Department of Natural resources has been the primary  resident of Windmill Point.  The College of Charleston maintains its Grice Marine Laboratory there.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Fisheries Division is housed in a building on the point.  The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has its May Lab for environmental  microbiology research, and has owned a large structure in the northwestern corner of the site that has been unused for many years.

--Old B-Runner


Wednesday, March 2, 2022

What It Was, Was a Monitor Top Refrigerator (and, It Will Still Keep Your Beer Cold)

If you had asked me six months ago the question "What was a Monitor Top refrigerator," I would have replied that it was a refrigerator.

I had never heard of one before, but back in October of last year, I read about a house in California that was stacked with old stuff from America's past from the 1920s to 1950s.  One of the things they had was a Monitor Top Refrigerator.

I, of course, knew what a refrigerator was and what the Monitor Turret was.  But, I had never seen one.  I did some research and found out it was one of the first refrigerators Americans were able to buy back in the 1930s and was a huge step up from an ice box.

I saw pictures of them and even have a picture of one in the pictures to the right of this post. But, until today, I had bever seen one.  Now, I have.  Yesterday, I was at Granny's Diner in Johnsburg, Illinois, with a group of buddies from Sunnyside Tavern in Johnsburg and over in the corner, they had a Monitor top refrigerator.

It was  in perfect shape outside.  I asked the owner about it who said the guy he had bought it from was still using it to keep his beer cold and it still worked after all those years.

I have written about this kitchen appliance in this blog.  Go back to the October 2021 posts if you want to know more.

A Real Trip Back.  --Old B-RunTop


Tuesday, March 1, 2022

The 9th Maine in the Wilmington Campaign

As I wrote in an earlier post on February 22, 2022, I found that the 9th Maine was not at the the first two battles of Fort Fisher, but was transferred from the Army of the James and joined the other regiments of its brigade at Fort Fisher February 11, 1865, and then participated in the remainder of what is called the Wilmington Campaign or Battle of Wilmington.

This is where the 9th served in the Union Order of Battle for that campaign.

It was in TERRY'S PROVISIONAL  CORPS, commanded by  Major General Alfred H. Terry, Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Hawley.

SECOND DIVISION (XXIV CORPS)  Brig. Gen. Adelbert Ames

3RD BRIGADE   Lt. Col. Nathan J. Johnson (until  14 Feb.), Col. George F. Granger

13th Indiana
9th Maine
4th New Hampshire
115th New York
169th New York

--Old B-Runner