Marines at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher-- Part 2: Digging Entrenchments with 'Our Noses and Toes'

Marine Corporal Henry B. Hallowell from the USS Juanita was part of the Naval Brigade and wrote:  "The guns from the fort poured grape and canister into us, cutting us to pieces.  A few managed to crawl to the base of the fort, others tried to retreat, but this was made impossible by a barrage being thrown over our heads from the fort to prevent retreating.

"We were in a pretty fix, with the fort raking our ranks from the front and shells exploding at our rear.  History states that we entrenched ourselves.  The only entrenching we did was hug the ground and dig with our noses and toes."

After prolonged exposure to withering musketry and cannon fire, the sailors carrying only "cutlasses, well sharpened, and ... revolvers" (as per Ad. Porter's orders) broke and ran, carrying the Marines with them.

--Old B-R'er

Marines at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher

From American Civil War Marines 1861-1865 by Ron Field.

This was the engagement where Sgt. Richard Binder received his Medal of Honor although he remained on the USS Ticonderoga and was not in the Naval Column.

The Naval Brigade, which attacked Fort Fisher along the beach while Army regiments  moved along the river side in their simultaneous attack of the fort.  It was under command of  Cmdr. Kidder R. Breese and consisted of 1600 sailors and 400 Marines.

Deployed as sharpshooters during the advance of the Naval Brigade, the Marines, under Captain Lucian L. Dawson, the senior officer of the squadron, were caught up in a generally disorganized assault in which the Army attack was delayed.  Hopelessly pinned down at the base of the defenses of the fort, a few Marines managed to to pass through a breech blown in the 9-foot palisades but were forced to fall back with heavy casualties.

--Old B-Runner

USMC Medal of Honor at Fort Fisher: Sgt. Richard Binder-- Part 2

After the war, Richard Binder was honorably discharged and received his Medal of Honor  on June 22, 1865, although the ceremony for it wasn't held until the 1890s.  Nine other men from the USS Ticonderoga received Medals of Honor at Fort Fisher.

In 1868 he married a woman named Fredericka who had immigrated from the same German city years prior.  They had a daughter and son.

He resumed cutting hair.  By 1890 he had four shops across Philadelphia and even expanded into tonics and toupees.  He was quite a cane collector and had 600 of them, including one that had been used by President Abraham Lincoln.

He died February 26, 1912, from heart disease and is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia.

For the Hairy Old.  --Old B-R'er

USMC Medal of Honor at Fort Fisher: Sgt. Richard Binder-- Part 1

From January 15, 2024, Medal of Honor Monday.

Sergeant Binder was born July 26, 1839, in Germany and moved to New York at age 15 before settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He worked as a barber and received his U.S. citizenship in 1860.  Just before his 22nd birthday, he enlisted in the Marine Corps on July 11, 1861.

He first served on a ship that sank at the Battle of Port Royal, South Carolina, on November 1861.   (The only Union ship I could find that sank at the battle was the transport Governor.)

From there he moved on to serve on other ships and participated in actions.  In 1864, he was transferred to the USS Ticonderoga.

During the second attack on Fort Fisher, January 13-15, 1865, Sgt, Binder was captain of a gun on board his ship.  During that time, he "performed his duties with skill and courage" according to his Medal of Honor citation.

Quite a Few Medals of Honor at Fisher.  --Old B-Runner

CSMC's Company E and USMC Medals of Honor at Fort Fisher

Company E of the Confederate States Marine Corps (CSMC) was formed in Savannah and served at that station.  After Savannah was evacuated in 1864, they moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and after that place was evacuated, moved to the Wilmington Station and took part in the defense of the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.

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MARINE RECIPIENTS of the MEDAL of HONOR at SECOND BATTLE of FORT FISHER

Rank / ship 

RICHARD BINDER--  sergeant, USS Ticonderoga

ISAAC N. FRY--  orderly sergeant USS Ticonderoga

JOHN RANAHAN--  corporal USS Minnesota

JOHN SHIVERS--  private, USS Minnesota

HENRY A. THOMPSON--  private USS Minnesota

The first two received theirs for operating cannons on the ship.  The last three received theirs while participating in the Naval Column attack on the fort.

--Old B. Runner

CSMC Commandant Lloyd James Beall and Israel Greene

He was a career U.S. military officer until the Civil War.  He was born in Rhode Island and graduated from the USMA.

His father, Lloyd Beall, was in the American Revolution and wounded at Germantown.  After the war was a mayor of Georgetown and during the War of 1812, was stationed with the artillery at Fort McHenry.

His two brothers were also in the U.S. Army, but remained loyal to the Union.

Confederate privateer and spy John Yates Beall, was executed after capture near the end of the Civil War.

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Another Confederate officer, Israel Greene, had been a U.S. Marine before the war and was also born in a northern state, New York.  He commanded the company of Marines under the overall command of Robert E. Lee, that captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry before the war started.

--Old B-Runner

Marines in the Civil War Quiz-- Part 2

Answers below.

6.  The USMC had a relatively minor role in the war.  Where did they mostly serve?

7.  However, they were involved as a unit in one battle.  What battle?

8.  What action attempted by US Marines on 8 September 1863 led to a stinging defeat?

9.  In their biggest action, some 400 Marines were involved in an assault on a fort on 15 January 1865.  What was the name of that fort?

10.  How many Marines received a Medal of Honor for this last action?

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ANSWERS

6.  Blockade duty on various ships.

7.  First Battle of Bull Run  (Where they ran as did most every Union soldier.)

8.  Attack on Fort Sumter

9.  Fort Fisher

10.  Five.  A total of 17 Marines received Medals of Honor in the war.

--Old B-Runner

McHenry County CWRT Discussion Group This Sat.: 'Marines in the Civil War'

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group will have a meeting this Saturday, April 29, to discuss the USMC and CSMC in the war.  

The meeting will be held at Panera Bread (US RT. 14 and Main Street) in Crystal Lake, Illinois, from 10 am to 11:30.  This will be in person and via Zoom.

The role -played by both the U.S. and Confederate Marines in the war is often overlooked, but, nonetheless important.  The CSMC was closely modeled after the USMC and served on ships as well as on land.  Both groups played a role in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.

Where there is always good discussion (often times on subject) and debate.

Come on Out.  --Old B-Runner

In Honor of the USMC's Birthday Today: The Confederate States Marine Corps

The official birthday of the USMC on November 10, 1775.  On this day, the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines.  All across the world, Marines, current and retired, will be celebrating today.

There was also a little-known second Marine Corps and that was the CSMC, The Confederate States Marine Corps from 1861 to 1865.  It was set up the same way as the USMC.

I was preparing a list of Confederate States Navy and Marines captured at Fort Fisher from Richard Triebe's book "Confederate Fort Fisher: A Roster 1864-1865"and will list some of the Marines today.

**  Ranson J. Adcock, private, Co. B, CSMC.  Duty on CSS Tallahassee.

**  James Barrett, Co. E, CSMC.  Duty on CSS Savannah  (Sailors and Marines from the Savannah Station were transferred to Wilmington after that city fell to Sherman)

**  Michael Bow, private, Co. B, CSMC, Duty on CSS Richmond and CSS Tallahassee.  Wounded in breast and bowels.  Not sent to prison.  Died of wounds at Fort Fisher Jan. 17, 1865.

--Old B-Runner

RoadTrippin' With Theo Timby-- Part 3: Some More Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery

Continuing with Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

**  John Harris  (1793-1864)  USMC, commissioned 2nd lt. in 1814.   War of 1812.   Commandant of USMC during first three years of the Civil War.

**  John Berrien Montgomery  (1794-1873)  War of 1812 and at Battle of Lake Erie.  Mexican War.  Also Civil War.  I have written about the USS Montgomery destroyer which was at Pearl Harbor and is named after him in my World War II blog.

**  John George Nicolay  (1832-1901)  Lincoln's personal secretary.  Involved with day to day details of the Lincoln administration.

**  Charles Harting Percy  (1919-2011)  U.S. Senator from Illinois.

**  Jesse Lee Reno   (1823-1862)  USMA graduate Class of 1846.  Classmates included George Pickett, George B. McClellan and Stonewall Jackson.  Mortally wounded September 14, 1862, near Battle of South Mountain in the Antietam Campaign.

--Old B-Runner

The USS Russell (DD-414) Named for John Henry Russell, US Navy

Earlier this month I wrote about John Henry Russell, an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Mexican War and the Civil War.  He retired as a rear admiral.

This famous World War II destroyer, and one of the most decorated warships during that war, was named after this man, as is a current guided missile destroyer USS Russell.  (It is also named after his son, the 16th Commandant of the USMC, John Henry Russell, Jr.  I wrote about him in my Cooter's History Thing blog.)

I am writing about it in my Tattooed On Your Soul:  World War II blog right now.

--Old B-Runner

Happy Birthday CSMC!!!

From Wikipedia.

This little-known branch of the Confederate military was still a part of the original Continental Marines established 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia.

The Confederate States Marine Corps was  established by an act of the Confederate Congress on 16 March 1861.

Its original manpower was authorized at  45 officers and 944 enlisted men, but was increased on 24 September 1862 to 1,026 enlisted men.

The organization of the Corps began in Montgomery, Alabama, and was completed in Richmond, Virginia, when the capital moved to that city.

The CSMC headquarters and main training facilities in Richmond throughout the war at Camp Beall on Drewry's Bluff and at Gosport Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia until it was captured.

The last Confederate Marine group surrendered on April 9, 1865.

--Old B-Runner

John Henry Russell, USN: Mexican War and Civil War

From Wikipedia.

I have been writing about the guided missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG-59) in my Cooter's History Thing blog.  It is still an active duty warship and named after John Henry Russell Sr. and his son John Henry Russell, Jr.  

The father served during both the Mexican and Civil Wars and retired as a rear admiral.  The son was a major general and 16th Commandant of the USMC.  I'll write about him in my Cooter's History Thing blog.

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JOHN HENRY RUSSELL   (4 July 1827 - 1 April 1897)

John Henry Russell was born in Frederick, Maryland and appointed midshipman 10 September 1841 and served on the sloop of war USS Cyane in the Pacific until 1843.  Next, he served on the USS St. Mary's in the Gulf of Mexico and participated  in operations at Galveston, Corpus Crispi, Brazos, Resaca, and Vera Cruz.

--Old B-Runner

USS New York (LPD-21)-- Part 2: Her Sister Ships Also Named for 9/11 Sites

On 9 September 2004, Gordon R. England, then Secretary of Defense,  announced that two of the USS New York's sister ships would be named Arlington and Somerset in commemoration of the places where two other planes used in the attacks came down:  Arlington County, Virginia, and Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

A symbolic amount of steel from the World Trade Center after it was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks, was used in the construction of the New York.

The ship is the first built designed fully from the CAD-screen up to support both  of the Marine primary capabilities, LCAC  landing craft and MV-22B Osprey aircraft.

The contract to build the ship was awarded to Northrop  Grumman Ship Systems of New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2003 and was under construction when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

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

Military Activity at Fort Fisher This Weekend

From the Feb. 26, 2021, News 12 ABC Wilmington, N.C.) "Military training this weekend  in Kure Beach" by Annette Weston.

There will be a lot of  activity at the Fort Fisher National Guard Training Center in Kure Beach this weekend.  The training center is located just north of Fort Fisher in the Fort Fisher U.S. Air Force Recreation Area.

The Marines and Sailors of the 24th Marine Expeditionary  Unit based at Camp Lejeune will be doing  training during the day as part of their regular-scheduled training before  they deploy overseas.

The training will take place  in the grass field south of the RV park.

Officials say people in the area could see military aircraft flying overhead and  around 150 Marine Corps personnel in uniform and 100 Marines role-playing in Middle Eastern attire or civilian clothing.

--Old Jarhead

April 15, 1865: In Case the President's Assassin Is Taken to Washington Navy Yard

APRIL 15TH, 1865:  Welles sent a telegram to Commodore John B. Montgomery, Commandant of Washington Navy Yard:  "if he military authorities arrest the murderer of the President and take him to the Yard, put him on a monitor and anchor her in the stream, with a strong guard on vessel, wharf, and in the yard.

Call upon the commandant of the Marine Corps for guard.  Have vessel immediately prepared to receive him at any hour, day or night, with necessary instructions.  he will be heavily ironed and so guarded as to prevent escape or injury to himself."

--Old B-R'er

January 4, 1865: Porter's Plan For a Sailor Assault on Fort Fisher

JANUARY 4TH, 1865:   Rear Admiral Porter, laying meticulous plans for the second Fort Fisher attack, ordered each of his commanding officers to "detail as many of his men as he can spare from the guns as a landing party."

They were to be armed with cutlasses and revolvers, and were to hit the beach when the assault signal was made "and board the fort in a seaman-like way.  The marines will form in the rear and cover  the sailors.  While the soldiers are going over the parapets in front, the sailors will take the sea face of Fort Fisher."

--Old B-Runner

Marine Corps Honors Oldest Pearl Harbor Survivor John Campbell, 99, in Solana Beach, California

From December 6, CBS 8 News.

A Pearl Harbor Day luncheon commemoration was held at the La Vida retirement home.

He knows he is one of the few surviving members of that day still alive and that number gets smaller every year.  The exact number of survivors is not known, but the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper estimates the number at seven.  I imagine that number is how many in the San Diego area.

"It was a Sunday morning," Mr. Campbell said.  "It's a mystery, all day and all night.  What is this?  What happened?  What is going on?  But we knew they were real bullets.  One guy on each side of me got wounded."

He has written a memoir "The Campbells Are Coming."

--GreGen

Capture of the Mail Boat Fawn By Confederates in N.C.

From the Navy and Marine Living History Association  Compendium of U.S. Marine actions  in the Civil War.

"SEPTEMBER 9, 1864:   Marines of the USS Shamrock and USS Chicopee under the command of Lieutenant Commander  Earl English, landed at Elizabeth City, North Carolina to search for those who had attacked the mail boat Fawn and killed seven persons on board.

"Failing to find those involved, they took seven prisoners back to the ships."

This was the ship from which U.S. Congressman George Washington Julian was captured, but quickly released.  I would have thought capturing a Congressman would have been a good bargaining chip in prisoner exchanges.

Oh Well.  --Old B-Runner