Road Tripping Through History: Henry Schutes Was Buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia-- Part 1

I was wondering if there were any other persons of interest buried at this cemetery along with Henry Schutes.  According to Find a Grave, there are some 200,000 people buried in the cemetery, but it has fallen upon hard times.

There are quite a few Medal of Honor recipients buried there.

I will list the other Navy recipients:

Charles Baker, USS Metacomet, Battle of Mobile Bay.

James Healey, USS Kearsarge vs. CSS Alabama.

Robert Jordan, USS Mount Washington, Nansemond River, Va.

--B-Runner

U.S. Navy Medal of Honor Recipient Thomas Taylor: Buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery

Still RoadTrippin' Through History.

From Find-A-Grave.

THOMAS TAYLOR

BIRTH:  1834   Bangor, Maine  

DEATH:  19 January 1884, New York City

BURIAL:  Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, 

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

Medal of Honor recipient born in Bangor, Maine and entered Union Navy from Maine. and attained rank of coxswain.

His citation reads:  "Served on board the USS Metacomet during the action against rebel forst and gunboats and with the rebel ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay 5 August 1864.

"Despite damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as the enemy raked her decks, Taylor encouraged the men of the forward pivot gun when the officer in charge displayed cowardice,  doing honor to the occasion."

--Old B-Runner

USS Jouett (DD-396), Named After James Edward Jouett, Union Navy Officer

This was the destroyer that assisted the cruiser USS Omaha in sinking the German blockade runner SS Rio Grande during World War II.  

Like the Omaha, she had a Civil War connection as its name came from James Edward Jouett, a Union officer during the Civil War (and Mexican War).  He also commanded the USS Montgomery which I have written extensively about.

He was at the Battle of Mobile Bay where his ship, the Metacomet, was lashed to Admiral Farragut's Hartford and he was part of the quote everyone knows Farragut supposedly said, "Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!"

Actually the words were, "Damn the torpedoes.  Four bells, Captain Drayton, go ahead.  Jouett, full speed."

Afterwards, Jouett took his ship, the Metacomet and chased after two Confederate gunboats escorting the CSS Tennessee and riddled the CSS Gaines and captured the CSS Selma.

--Old B-Runner

Operations Against Mobile Commence

MARCH 27-28TH, 1865:  Combined Army-Navy operations, the latter commanded by Rear Admiral Thatcher, aimed at capturing the city of Mobile commenced.  The objective was Spanish Fort, located near the mouth of the Blakely River and was key to the city's defenses.

Six tinclads and supporting gunboats steamed up the Blakely River to cut the fort's communications with Mobile while the army began to move against the fort's outworks.  The river had been thickly sown with torpedoes which necessitated sweeping operations ahead of the advancing tinclads.  These efforts, directed by Commander Peirce Crosby of the USS Metacomet, netted 150 torpedoes.

Nevertheless, a number of the Confederate weapons eluded the Union-- with telling results.  In the next five days, three Northern warships would be sunk in the Blakely.

--Old B-Runner

Two Union Launches Captured at Charleston Harbor

DECEMBER 31ST, 1864:  Two launches from the USS Wabash and Pawnee ran aground and were captured in Charleston harbor.  While on guard duty, the two launches were driven aground close to Fort Sumter by a strong flood tide and freshening wind..  A total of 27 sailors were captured.

DECEMBER 31ST, 1864: The USS Metacomet, Lt.Cmdr. Jouett, captured schooner Sea Witch southeast of Galveston, Texas, with cargo of coffee and medicine.

--Old B-R'er

Capturing Blockade-Runners

NOVEMBER 24TH, 1864:  USS Chocura, Lt. Cmdr. Meade, sighted schooner Louisa and chased her ashore on the bar off San Bernard River, Texas.  A heavy gale totally destroyed the schooner before it could be boarded.

NOVEMBER 27TH, 1864:  USS Princess Royal seized blockade-running British schooner Flash in the Gulf of Mexico off Brazos Santiago with cargo of cotton.  Later that day, the Princess Royal also captured blockade-running schooner Neptune.

Lots of prize money for the Princess Royal, but Commander Woolsey reported: "The vessel was empty, having just a cargo of salt, said salt having, according to the master's statement, 'dissolved in her hold'."

The USS Metacomet, Lt.Cmdr. James Jouett, captured blockade-running steamer Susanna in the Gulf of Mexico off Campeche Banks.  Half her cargo of cotton was thrown overboard in the chase.  Rear Admiral Farragut had regarded the Susanna as "their fastest steamer."

NOVEMBER 30TH, 1864:  USS Itasca seized blockade-running British schooner Carrie Mair off Pass Cavallo, Texas.

--Old B-Runner

Battle of Mobile Bay-- Part 4 The CSS Tennessee

Hardly past one hazard, there came the CSS Tennessee.    Admiral Buchanan tried to ram the USS Hartford with his CSS Tennessee.  The Union ship easily avoided the attack, but was raked by the CSS Selma, commanded by Lt. Peter U. Murphey,  while doing so.

The USS Metacomet, commanded by Lt.Cmdr. Jouett, engaged the Selma and caused her to surrender.shortly after 9 a.m..

The Tennessee then tried to ram the Brooklyn, but failed as well.

The CSS Gaines advanced but had her steering hit and came under heavy fire.  It was run aground near Fort Morgan and settled in two fathoms.  The CSS Morgan tried to save the Selma, but when faced with the possibility of being cut off, ran under the cover of Fort Morgan's guns and later made a run to safety to Mobile.

The USS Philippi ran aground and came under fire of Fort Morhan and riddled the ship with shot and shell, forcing the crew to abandon ship.    A boat crew from the CSS Morgan boarded it and set her on fire.

The Union fleet was now in Mobile Bay and anchored for a short time.  Farragut saw that Buchanan had intentions of destroying the Hartford and ordered the monitors and wooden vessels he considered best to engage the Tennessee to attack the ram with both guns and ram it when possible.

Phase Two Over.  --Old B-Runner

Lt. Murphey's Sword

Lt. Murphey's sword was surrendered to Captain James E. Jouett when the CSS Selma surrendered to the USS Metacomet.

Years later, Murphey's daughter, Katie Piercy Murphey, wrote Jouett requesting the return of her father;s sword.  She eventually donated it to the Cannonball House in Georgia.  It was since lost from there.  That story can be found in my Saw the Elephant Civil War Blog.  Use the Cannonball House label.

Old B-Runner

CSS Selma

The CSS Selma was originally named CSS Florida, but the name was changed when the cruiser entered service and took the name.  The Selma was commanded by Lt. Peter U. Murphey (Murphy).

On February 5, 1863, the Selma was steaming down Mobile Bay with 100 extra men, looking to board a blockader and capture it.  It hit a snag and sank in 8-foot deep water.  It was pumped out and repaired and back in service by February 13th.

The CSS Selma was plagued with desertion problems and at one point, its crew was reported to be down to just 15.

The following year, it was one of just four Confederate ships defending Mobile Bay during Farragut's attack: CSS Morgan, CSS Gaines and the ironclad CSS Tennessee.  The Selma was raked by the USS Hartford in the battle and then Farragut ordered the USS Metacomet cut loose (it had been lashed alongside the Hartford for the passage by Fort Morgan) and it chased the Selma into shallow water after an hour-long running fight.

The Confederate ship surrendered with the loss of seven men killed and eight wounded, including Murphey.  The CSS Selma then became the USS Selma for a year' service.

This is a follow up entry to a story from May 20, 2013, in this blog and October 12, 2011, in my Saw the Elephant Blog.  It all started with a lawsuit for Lt. Murphey's sword at Macon, Georgia's Cannonball House.



Don't Get Snagged.  --Old B-R'er

James E. "Fighting Jim" Jouett

From Wikipedia.

"Fighting Jim" Jouett (1826-1902)

American Navy in the Mexican War and Civil War.  His grandfather was Revolutionary War hero Jack Jouett and his father Matthew Harris Jouett, a noted American painter.

James Jouett was born 7 February 1826, near Lexington, Kentucky.  He was captured at the beginning of the Civil War at Pensacola, Florida, and after parole, joined the Gulf Blockading fleet off Galveston, Texas.  On November 7-8th, he was on the USS Santee when it captured the Royal Yacht and later he commanded the USS Montgomery and the USS R.R. Cuyler (I have written about these two ships).

In September 1863, he took command of the USS Metacomet.  At the Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864, the Metacomet was lashed to Farragut's flagship, the USS Hartford and later sent off in pursuit of two Confederate gunboats.  The Metacomet riddled the CSS Gaines with shot and captured the CSS Selma.

After the war, Pruett commanded the North Atlantic Squadron in 1884.  He retired in 1890 after brilliant service.  He made his retirement home at "The Anchorage" in Sandy Springs, Maryland, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 1, Site 85 A.

Two destroyers carried his name, one in each world war, and there was a guided missile cruiser.

Quite the Career.  --Old B-Runner