Other Medal of Honor Recipients Buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery

From Wikipedia.

Continuing with my Road Tripping Through History.

There are four other Union veterans buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery  (Name, life & where he earned his Medal of Honor):

CHARLES M. BETTS (1838-1905)  Greensboro, N.C. April 1865.  (This would have made him one of the last to receive the Medal during the war.)

WALLACE W.JOHNSON  (1842-1911)  2nd Day Battle of Gettysburg

GEORGE HENRY STOCKTON  (1833-1912)  Vicksburg

ELWOOD N. WILLIAMS  (1842-1921)  Shiloh

--Old B-Runner

USS Lexington-- Part 2: Action At Belmont, Fort Henry and Shiloh

The USS Lexington saw action on September 10, 1861, when it and the USS Conestoga exchanged shots with a Confederate battery at Lucas Bend, Missouri, and damaged the Confederate ship Jackson.

In November, the Lexington covered Gen. Grant's Army at the Battle of Belmont and then steamed up the Tennessee River to attack Fort Henry.  The Union gunboats forced Fort Henry to surrender and afterwards swept the Tennessee River of Confederate transports and captured the unfinished steamer Eastport and destroyed a railroad bridge.

After repairs, the Lexington and  USS Tyler engaged Confederates fortifying Pittsburg Landing on March 1, 1862,  then went further upriver and engaged a Confederate battery at Chickasaw, Alabama, on the 12th.

Then came the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, when, with the Union Army  looking deep  in defeat, the two ships dropped downriver and opened fire on the Confederate right flank as it crashed down on the Federal troops along the river.  Their concentrated broadsides stopped the Confederate advance.

They continued their heavy fire throughout the night.

Thank You Navy.  --Old B-Runner

U.S. Navy at Battle of Shiloh: USS Lexington and USS Tyler

Today, the McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table is having our monthly discussion group meeting in Crystal Lake at Panera Bread from 10 am to noon.  Today's topic:  the Battle of Shiloh.

Since I am a big Navy buff, I will definitely bring this aspect of the battle up at some point.

The two Navy ships were the USS Tyler and USS Lexington, both converted commercial craft.  When things were at their bleakest for Union forces, these two ships opened fire on advancing Confederates at the river and beyond and stymied the advance.

General Grant sure owed them a big thanks.

--Old B-Runner

The Navy At the Battle of Shiloh-- Part 2: The Great Service of the U.S. Navy Gunboats

Fire from the two wooden gunboats helped maintain Union positions until reinforcements arrived, and the next day contributed to forcing the Confederate retreat.  "In this repulse," wrote Grant, "much is due to the presence of the gunboats."

General Beauregard, CSA, attributed the Confederate loss the following day in large part to the presence of the gunboats.  "During the night [of the 6th] the rain fell in torrents, adding to the discomforts and harassed condition of the men.

"The enemy, moreover, had broken their rest by a discharge at measured intervals of heavy shells thrown from the gunboats; therefore, on the following morning, the troops under my command were not in condition to cope with an equal force of fresh troops, armed and equipped like our adversary, in the immediate possession of his depots and sheltered by such an auxiliary as the enemy's gunboats."

One of the Army divisions at Shiloh was commanded by Major General Nelson, a former naval officer assigned to the Army, "who," Lt. Gwin observed, "greatly distinguished himself."  Gwin went on to report of the battle,  "I think this has been a crushing blow to the rebellion."

--Old B-R'er

April 6-7, 1862: Navy at the Battle of Shiloh-- Part 1

APRIL 6TH, 1862:  The USS Tyler, Lt. Gwin, and USS Lexington, Lt. Shirk, protected the advanced river flank of General Grant's army at the Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) and slowed the initially successful attack of the Confederates.

Major General Polk, CSA, reported that the Confederate forces "were within from 150 to 400 yards of the enemy's position, and nothing seemed wanting to complete the most brilliant victory of the war but to press forward and make a vigorous assault on the demoralized remnant of his forces.

"At this juncture his gunboats dropped down the river, near the landing where his troops were collected, and opened a tremendous cannonade of shot and shell over the bank, in the direction from where our forces were approaching."

--Old B-Runner

March 1, 1862-- Part 2: Stay On the Boats

Flag Officer Foote added to yesterday's post, however,:  "But I must give the general order that no commander will land men to make an attack ashore.  Our gunboats are to be used as forts, and they have have no more men than are necessary to man the guns, and as the Army must do the shore work, and as the enemy wants nothing more than to entice our men on shore and overpower them with superior numbers, the commanders must not operate on shore, but confine themselves to their vessels."

Foote Already Didn't Have Enough Sailors For His Ships and Didn't Want to Lose Any Doing the Army's Job.  --Old B-Runner

March 1, 1862: Amphibious Operation At Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing), Tennessee

MARCH 1ST, 1862:  The USS Tyler, Lt. Gwib, and USS KLexington, Lt. Shirk, , engaged Confederate forces preparing to strongly fortify Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing), Tennessee.  Under cover of the gunboats' cannons, a landing party of sailors and Army sharpshooters was put ashore from armed boats to determine Confederate strength in the area.  Flag Officer Foote commended Gwin for his successful "amphibious" attack where several sailors met their deaths along with their Army comrades.

Of course, this place would become much better known across the country just over a month later.

--Old B-Runner

Naval Happenings 150 Years Ago: April 5 to 7th,1862: Island No.10 Falls-- First Navy Hospital Ship, Battle of Shiloh

APRIL 5TH

Flag Officer Farragut, on USS Iroquois, reconnoitered Forts Jackson and St. Philip. Despite fire from the forts, Farragut, observing from a mast, remained as "calm and placid as an onlooker at a mimic battle."


APRIL 6TH

USS Tyler and Lexington protected Grant's army at the Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing). Fire from the two wooden gunboats helped hold off successful Confederates until reinforcements arrived.


APRIL 7TH

USS Pittsburg ran past Island No. 10.

Island No. 10 surrendered to naval forces of Flag Officer Foote. Heavy cannons and munitions captured as well as four steamers. The CSS Grampus was sunk to prevent capture. This opened Mississippi River to Fort Pillow.

After surrender of Island No. 10, USS Mound City captured Confederate ship Red Rover which was later converted into the Navy's first hospital ship. Joined fleet June 10th and shortly afterwards received her first patients. Sisters of the Holy Cross volunteered and served on board., pioneers of US Navy's Nurse Corps.

USS Pensacola and Mississippi successfully brought over the bar of the Passes into the Mississippi River after several failed attempts, becoming the heaviest ships ever to do so. Flag Officer Farragut says he's ready to go after New Orleans.

B-Runner