Lt. Clarence L. Stanton, CSN: CSS Chickamauga and Wilmington Station

I was looking up information about the Confederacy's CSS New Orleans, a ironclad floating battery in the Mississippi River that both John Julius Guidry and John Julius Guidry served on in 1862.  While doing that, I came across this information  on the CSNavy site.

Of course, when I saw this man had been at the Wilmington Station, that meant Fort Fisher and environs, so my attention and interest was naturally piqued.

LT. CLARENCE L. STANTON

Buried at the huge Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati.  This is where Union Generals Joseph Hooker and Godfrey Weitzel are buried.  Weitzel was at The First Battle of Fort Fisher.

Garden Lane,  Section 45, Lot1, Grave 33.

Born 12 June, 1841, Mayesville, Kentucky.  Died  6 January 1917.

Appointed from Kentucky.

 Acting Master:  April 28, 1863

First Lieutenant, Provisional Navy, June 2, 1864, to rank from January 6, 1864.

Served on the CSS Chicora, Charleston, South Carolina, 1863-1864.

CSS Chicamauga, 1864.

Wilmington Station, 1864.

Captured  April 6, 1865, Sailors Creek, Virginia.

Released on Oath, May 15, 1865,  Johnsons Island.

--Old B-Runner

Grant Planning for Second Attack on Fort Fisher and Explains How Butler Got Command of the First Attack

From Official Records War of the Rebellion Vol. XLVI, Prt II.

From City Point, Va., January 2, 1865 -- 3 p.m.

Hon.E.M. Stanton
  Secretary of War

General Sheridan proposed sending another division of troops here, but I suspended his action.  Let him get them to Baltimore now as soon as possible, and all the infantry on vessels that can go to Wilmington ready for orders.  Should I send troops there I will send him with them.

I can not go myself so long as General Butler would be left in command.  I will state that the former expedition was put under Weitzel by order, and I never dreamed of Butler going until he stopped here on his way down the river.  The operations taking place within the geographical limits of his department, I did not like to order him back.

                                                                   U.S. Grant
                                                                      Lieutenant General

The XXV Corps, Union Army

From Wikipedia.

The two brigades of USCT who accompanied the Fort Fisher expeditions were part of the XXV Corps.  Chaplain Henry M. Turner was a member of this corps.

The XXV (25th) Corps was made up almost entirely of black troops previously belonging to the X and XVIII Corps in the Union Army.

On December 3, 1864, the two corps of the Army of the James reorganized.  The white units went to the XXIV Corps.  Black troops became the XXV Corps under Major Genral Godfrey Weitzel.

The newly created corps did not have much of a role in the waning days of the Petersburg Campaign, but some of its units were at the two battles of Fort Fisher.  After that they were more heavily engaged in the subsequent Wilmington Campaign, resulting in the capture of that city in late February.

One of their most noteworthy accomplishments was being the first Union troops to enter Richmond, Virginia, after its evacuation.

In May of 1865, they were sent to Texas to stand as the "Army of Occupation" against Napoleon III in Mexico.  They disbanded in 1866.

--Old B-Runner

Action At Bayou Teche-- Part 4: Second Battle

The second engagement at Bayou Teche took place 14 January 1863.  It involved the same ships as the first fight.

Union General Godfrey Weitzel (later at Fort Fisher) learned that the J.A. Cotton was planning an attack on his force at Bertwick Bay.  Once again, the four ships from the previous fight steamed into the bayou followed by Union transports.  They passed the debris that obstructed the bayou and engaged the Cotton.  The Kinsman hit a mine and unshipped its anchor.

The CSS J.A. Cotton was badly damaged and set on fire by her crew to prevent capture.

The Union was unable to hold Bayou Teche and eventually had to invade it again in 1863 and 1864.

--Old B-Runner

150 Years Ago: Grant Writes Butler About Wilmington Expedition

DECEMBER 6TH, 1864:  Major general Grant wrote Major General Butler regarding the objectives of the proposed joint expedition against Wilmington, one of the most ambitious of the war:  "The first object of the expedition under General Weitzel is to close the port of Wilmington.

"If successful in this, the second will to be capture Wilmington itself....The object of the expedition will be gained by effecting a landing on the mainland between Caope Fear River and the Atlantic north of the north entrance to the river, then the troops should entrench themselves, and by cooperating with the Navy effect a reduction and capture of those places.

"These in our hands, the Navy could enter the harbor and the port of Wilmington would be sealed."

Old B-R'er

Cincinnati's Fort Fisher Connection

When we got back from Washington Park last night, I did a bit of research on it and found out it had been a series of cemeteries before 1855 when it was turned into the park.  Bodies were reinterred in Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery.  My buddy Denny said that the Proctor and Gamble and Kroger of those companies are buried there.

Looked the cemetery up and found quite a list of other notables including Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase and a whole lot of Union generals (and even one Confederate one) were there.  Two of the Union names particularly jumped out at me as having Fort Fisher and Wilmington connections.

Godfrey Weitzel was involved in the the first attack on Fort Fisher.  If I recall, he was supposed to be in command until his commanding general, Ben Butler, superceded him.  The other one was Jacob D. Cox who was very involved in the capture of Wilmington in the five weeks following the fall of Fort Fisher.

We're Off to see Them in a Little Bit.  --Old B-R'er