The Attack on the Mailboat Fawn-- Part 3: Alas, Poor Major Burnham

"If there was a paymaster's mail on board the 'Fawn,' it was the first thing to be destroyed, for when we boarded her we had found that the crew had thrown a number of mail and other bags into the furnace.

"Among those captured, to my great astonishment,  I found Major John H. Burnham, of the 16th Connecticut, whom I had assisted in capturing at Plymouth.  This brave officer had been exchanged and had reported to Norfolk for duty.

"On account of bad health he had been given a furlough, but before leaving for home he decided to go to Roanoke Island on the 'Fawn,' and see his old  comrades who were now on duty at that place, but, unfortunately for him, the boat was captured as set forth in the foregoing.

"Just here came a struggle between duty to country and sympathy for the unfortunate soldier, broken in health caused by confinement in prison, who had been looking forward to a speedy reunion with loved ones whom he had not seen for over two years.

"I would have gladly liberated him, but duty forbade, and poor Burnham was again an inmate of a Confederate prison."

Alas, Poor Burnham.  --Old B-R'er

Albert Gallatin Hudgins, CSN

From Texas History  "Register of Officers of the Confederate States Navy, 1861-1865)

ALBERT GALLATIN HUDGINS

Born and appointed from Virginia.  Resigned as acting midshipman, U.S. Navy, March 11, 1861.  Acting master , September 24, 1861.  Lieutenant for the war, February 8, 1862,   Second lieutenant September 8, 1862. Second lieutenant, October 23, 181862, to rank from October 2, 1862.

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

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

Served on the CSS  Sumter, 1861, wounded and captured while in charge of prize brig  Cuba, July   8, 1861; exchanged  at Aiken's Landing, Virginia, August  5, 1862.

CSS Baltic, Mobile Squadron, 1862-1863.  Drewry's Bluff, Virginia, 1863.  Participated in the expedition for the capture of  U.S. steamers Satellite and Reliance,  August 23, 1863.  Johnsons Island  expedition, 1863.

C.S. steamers  Raleigh and Arctic, Wilmington Station,  1863-1864.

Special duty, 1864.  CSS Bombshell; captured in Albemarle Sound, May 5, 1864, ; paroled at Charleston, South Carolina, December  15, 1864.

C.S. steamers  Virginia (No. 2) and Richmond, James River squadron, 1865.

Semmes Naval Brigade 1865.  Paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina,  April 28, 1865.

--Old B-Runner

James N. Thurston, CSMC

In the last post, I wrote that Nelson Tift had involvement with the construction of the CSS Atlanta and noticed that the Confederate officer above him on the list had been captured on that ship.

From Register of Officers of the Confederate Navy 1861-1865.

JAMES THURSTON

Born in South Carolina.  Appointed from South Carolina.  Second lieutenant Confederate  Marine Corps, September 20, 1861.  First lieutenant Marine Corps, July 4, 1862.

Served in C.S. Army, 1861.  Charleston Station, 1861.  Savannah Station, 1861-1863.

C.S.S. Atlanta; captured by  the U.S.S. Weehawken, June 17, 1863; escaped  August 19, 1863, from Fort Warren; recaptured; paroled  September 28, 1864; exchanged at Cox Wharf, Virginia, October 18, 1864.

Drewry's Bluff, Virginia,  1864.

--Old B-Runner

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

After Fort Fisher, the Prisoners-- Part 4: 518 of 1,121 Fort Fisher Prisoners Died at Elmira in Five Months

When the first shipment of men from Fort Fisher arrived in Elmira on Monday, 30 January 1865, the weather was bitterly cold and the snow was deep.  Private Thaddeus C. Davis, from  Morehead City, NC 3rd,  Co. G, 40th Regiment, 3rd N.C., recalled after the war, "We arrived  (at Elmira) about  eight o'clock in the evening, in four feet of snow,  and many prisoners had neither blankets nor coats."

The Union Army inspecting officer at the prison, Lt. James R. Reid, wrote in February 1865, "The Fort Fisher prisoners arrived in cold weather very depressed, poorly clad, and great numbers were soon taken sick with pneumonia and diarrhea, rapidly assuming a typhoid character."

In February 1865, there was a prisoner exchange and most of the sick at Elmira Prison were sent to the James River in Virginia for exchange. 

Of the 1,121 Fort Fisher men sent to Elmira, 518 would die in five months of which 372 were North Carolinians.  Of that number, 319 did at Elmira and were buried in the Confederate section of the Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira.

Fifty-three of the sick Tar Heel soldiers who were paroled either died in transit or died very soon  in various hospitals in Richmond, Virginia, Raleigh, Greensboro, Weldon and Charlotte, North Carolina.

--Old B-Runner

After Fort Fisher, the Prisoners-- Part 3: How Elmira Became 'Helmira'

Steamer DeMolay arrived in New York on January 27 with850 rebel prisoners from Fort Fisher.

The steam frigate USS Colorado also arrived in  New York.

According to  the book "Fort Fisher to Elmira" by Richard Triebe there were 1,121 Confederate soldiers sent to Elmira from Fort Fisher.  

Of those, 761, or 68% of the men were native North Carolinians.  There were 357 men from South Carolina and four were Confederate Marines.  Out of the 1,121, 518, or 48% would die within five months.

The major causes of death at Elmira were  pneumonia, diarrhea and  small pox.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Jackson Mutiny-- Part 9

**  The men in the seven units  who did not want a parole (which meant if they took it and were exchanged they'd have to return to Confederate service) were offered  an opportunity  to sign an oath of future allegiance to the United States as an alternative to being sent to prison and many signed the oath.

**  Many of them eventually joined  the Union Army.

Again, there is not much information available as far as this mutiny is concerned.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Jackson-- Part 2: A Mutiny, Prison and 'Infested With Snakes'

Not to be confused with the Old Fort Jackson at Savannah, Georgia.

After Farragut sailed past the forts and New Orleans fell, the forts continued to battle Union forces.  Then, there was a mutiny by the garrison of Fort Jackson against their officers and conditions which caused the surrender of the forts.

Later, Fort Jackson was used a s a Union prison.  It was here that the French champagne magnate  Charles Heidsieck was held  for seven months on charges of spying.  (After reading about this gentleman, I am going to have to write about him.)

On November 9, 1927, the State of Louisiana sold Fort Jackson as surplus government property to Mr. and Mrs. H.J. Harvey, who later donated the property to the Parish of Plaquemines in 1960 in hopes that the fort and 82 acres of land it sits on, would be restored.

That same year, the fort was declared a National Landmark and it was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1967.

The Plaquemines Parish began  renovations of the fort in 1961.

However, the National Park Service declared that "the Fort area had become a jungle with mud-filled tunnels infested with snakes and flooded with water."

--Old B-Runner

The Fall of New Orleans' Fort Jackson-- Part 5: Hurricanes Have Taken a Toll

The fort was repaired, but not used much for the rest of the war.  For a short time during the short Spanish-American War it was used as a prison and in World War I as a training ground before it was decommissioned.

Plaquemines Parish leaders succeeded in having it listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1967.  They cleaned the place up and turned it into a military museum.

A century after the battle,  Hurricanes Betsy in 1965, Camille in 1969 inundated it with water.  In August 2005, it suffered what was essentially a direct hit by Hurricane Katrina, which submerged much of the fort for more than a month.

Today, the fort is closed to visitors, although artifacts once housed inside the fort are now on display at a nearby museum.

--Old B-Runner

John Julius Guthrie, Jr.-- Part 2: Service in Western Waters, Capture and Exchanged

Ordered to the New Orleans naval station, he was promoted to the rank of acting master  on October 21 and sent aboard the General Polk.

In March, he transferred to the floating battery New Orleans, under the command of his father at Island No. 10.  (So John J. Guthrie commanded the ship and had his two sons with him as well.)

After the fall of Island No. 10 on April 8,  Guthrie was captured and sent to the Union POW camp at Johnson's Island in Lake Erie.

Exchanged in October, he served at the Richmond and Wilmington naval stations and finished the war at Montgomery, Alabama.

After the war, he returned to Norfolk County, Virginia, and farmed.

--Old B-Runner

Confederate Civil War Markers in Wilmington, N.C. Area Are Down

From the August 20, 2020, Wilmington (NC) Star-News  Photos:  Wilmington-area   historic markers in need of repair.

At least eight area state highway markers  have been damaged, stolen or knocked down and are waiting to be replaced.  Some by the recent hurricane.  None of these have been done in by BLM.  Thanks, BLM.

These are North Carolina's "History On a Stick" markers.

**  The now vacant post where W.H.C. Whiting  highway historical marker by Fort Fisher was before it was blown down by Hurricane Isaias in August 2020.

It read:  "D 104 /  W.H.C. WHITING /  1824-1865 /  Confederate major general and engineer.  He devised the Cape Fear defense system.  Wounded nearby in fall of fort.  Died in Union hospital."

**  The Fort Fisher state highway historical marker was blown down during Hurricane Isaias and is still missing.  It was located in Fort Fisher.

It read:  "D 12 /  FORT FISHER /  Built by Confederacy.  Its fall Jan. 15, 1865, closed Wilmington., last important  southern port for blockade running."

**  Fort Caswell state highway historical marker was knocked down after Hurricane Florence in 2018 and remains missing.

It read:  "D 8  /  FORT CASWELL  /  Named for Gov. Caswell.  Begun by U.S. in 18226; seized by N.C. troops, 1861; abandoned by Confederates , 1865.  Stands five miles southeast.

Let's Get Those Markers Back Up Again.  You Must Know Your History.  --Old B-Runner

ESPN Man's Ancestors Captured at Fort Fisher

From the June 10, 2020, ESPN  by Ryan McGee.

In a very hateful column about the Confederate flag and NASCAR, he had some interesting stuff to say nonetheless.

In the process of defending his anti-flag stance, he related some of his family's history.  And, of course, as soon as I saw the words Fort Fisher, well, he had my interest.

His family owned slaves and two of his ancestors were captured defending Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.  His great-great-great grandfather and uncle were sent to  the Elmira Prison Camp, aka "Hell-Mira." in New York.

They were fortunate enough to survive and when the war ended walked 600 miles home to Rockingham, North Carolina.

His family still owns the former plantation house where his ancestors had slaves.

--Old B-Runner

Action at New Topsail Inlet on August 22, 1863-- Part 2: Cushing's At It Again

AUGUST 22ND, 1863:  Boat crew from the USS Shokokon, Lieutenant Cushing, destroyed schooner Alexander Cooper in New Topsail Inlet, North Carolina.

"This was,"  Rear Admiral S.P. Lee wrote, "a handsome affair, showing skill and gallantry."

Ten days earlier, Cushing had sighted the blockade runner while he was on a reconnaissance of the inlet.  "This schooner," he said, "I determined to destroy, and as it was so well guarded I concluded to use strategy."

The evening of the 22nd, he sent two boats' crews ashore under the command of Acting Ensign Joseph E. Cony.  The men landed, shouldered a dingy, and carried it across a neck of land to the inlet.

Thus the assault took place from behind the Confederate works with marked success.  In addition to burning the Alexander Cooper, Cony destroyed extensive salt works in the vicinity and took three prisoners back to the Shokokon.

Very Sneaky Mr. Cushing.  --Old B-Runner

April 27, 1865-- Part 2: Booth Buried, Conspirators Held

While the body was on board the monitor, an autopsy was performed and an inquiry conducted to establish identity.  Booth's corpse was taken by boat to the Washington Arsenal (now Fort McNair) where it was buried in a gun box the following day.

Herold was incarcerated in the hold of the Montauk which, along with the USS Saugus, was being utilized as a maximum security prison of eight of the suspected conspirators.

--Old B-R'er

Big To Do at the Fort This Weekend-- Part 5: Sunday, Jan. 19

1:00 PM--  Dr. Angela Zombek  "Military Prisons & POWs During the Civil War"  at the Masonboro Parlor at the E. Gehrig Spencer Theater.

**  Infantry demonstration at Shepherd's Battery.

1:30  PM--  Free guided tour of the fort.

2:00 PM--  Artillery demonstration at Shepherd's Battery.

**  Above the Scenes tour, tickets required; limited to 25 persons.

**  Junior Reserves  "Cyphers" in the Living History Area.

2:30 PM--  Dr. Jamie Martinez, "Confederate Slave Impressment in North Carolina."

**  Torpedo demonstration in Living History Area.

**  Infantry demonstration at Shepherd's Battery.

**  Free guided tour.

3:30 PM--  Infantry demonstration at Shepherd's Battery.

4:00 PM--  Artillery demonstration at Shepherd's Battery.

5:00 PM--  Visitors Center closes.

It's Over Now.  --Old B-Runner

William Henry Ward, CSN-- Part 1: Former U.S. Navy Officer, Two-Time Prisoner at Fort Warren

In my October 29 post I wrote that he was in command of the CSS Olustee (CSS Tallahassee) when he eluded blockaders off Wilmington, N.C. and went on a commerce destroying mission along the Atlantic coast.

From the North Carolina Civil War Sailors Project site.

In 1861, resided in Norfolk, Virginia.    He had previous service in the U.S. Navy and was arrested for disloyalty and sent to Fort Fort Lafayette, New York August 31, 1861, and then to Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, until paroled and exchanged in January 1862.

An official Navy document has him being appointed as an acting sailing master in the Confederate Navy on October 21, 1861, at Tallahassee, Florida,  and was ordered to report to New Orleans  and report to Captain George N. Hollins for duty.

Served aboard the CSS Louisiana and appointed lieutenant March 13, 1862.  He was captured on the Mississippi River April 1862 and sent as a prisoner to Fort Warren again.

Same Old, Same Old.  --Old B-R'er

September 19, 1864-- Part 1: John Yates Beall, CSN, Captures Two Steamers on Lake Erie

SEPTEMBER 19, 1864:  Confederates under Acting Master John Yates Beall captured and burned steamers Philo Parsons and Island Queen on Lake Erie.  Captain Charles H. Cole, CSA, a Confederate secret agent in the Lake Erie region, conceived the plan and received assistance from Jacob Thompson, Southern agent in Canada and the daring Beall.

The plan was for Cole to aid in the capture of the iron side wheeler USS Michigan, which was then guarding the Confederate prisoners (officers) on Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, Ohio, by befriending her officers and attempting to bribe them.

Beall was to approach on a captured steamer from the mouth of Sandusky Bay and board the Michigan, after which the prisoners would be released  and the whole force would then embark on a guerrilla expedition along the lake.

--Old B-R'er

USS Columbia-- Part 4: Surrender and Imprisonment

Rufus E. Lester claimed that his regiment, the  25th Georgia Infantry, participated in the battle over the USS Columbia.  The January 17, 1863, Wilmington Daily Journal reported that Col. Lamb at Fort Fisher had sent a Whitworth rifled cannon with a range of four miles along with a detachment of cavalry to assist.

As a result of this battle between the USS Cambridge and USS Penobscot and the Confederates,  the Columbia received considerable damage from the crossfire during the morning of January 16.  Between the firing and heavy seas, rescue operations for the Columbia's crew were halted.  Seeing the inevitable, Lt. Couthouy threw most of his cannons overboard.and then hoisted  a white flag of surrender.

Lifeboats began moving the remaining crew ashore around noon.  Twelve officers, including Couthouy and 28 sailors became prisoners of war.  After a brief stay in Wilmington, the officers were moved to a prison camp  in Salisbury, N.C., and the sailors to Richmond, Virginia.

--Old B-Runner

James H. Tomb's Grave-- Part 2: Served in Brazilian Navy

James Hamilton Tomb (surname also known as Tombs) , born Florida, 1839

Declined appointment  as engineer in the U.S. Navy, April 23, 1861

Appointed 3rd Assistant Engineer, CSN

Captured on the Mississippi River, April 1862

Confined Fort Warren, Boston Harbor

1st Assistant Engineer commanding CSS David (described as a cigar torpedo steamer), 1864

Appointed Chief Engineer, Provisional Navy , January 7, 1864,  to rank from October 5, 1863

Attempted unsuccessfully, to destroy the USS Memphis, off Charleston, South Carolina, March 5, 1864

Served in the Brazilian Navy, 1866-1867

Also served, postwar, on the Norfolk and Western Railroad.

Died 1929, buried Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida.

Impressive List Here.  --Old B-Runner

So What Became of Acting Master's Mate William H. Kitching?

Two days ago I mentioned that he was captured in a picket boat from the USS Nipsic on Feb. 26, 1864, and held on the CSS Charleston in Charleston Harbor.

What happened to him after that?

On March 28, 1864, Gen. Benjamin F. Butler wrote from Fort Monroe to Robert Ould, Confederate Agent of Prisoner Exchange.

"Sir, Will you please inform me as to the whereabouts and present condition of William H. Kitching, who was taken prisoner while in command of a picket boat, from the U.S. gun-boat Nipsic, on the night of the 26th February, last, near Charleston, S.C?"

I couldn't find a reply.

Elsewhere in the U.S. Navy  Register of officers I found his name, with his joining on 28 March 1863 and resignation on 22 April 1865.

Other than that, I can find nothing about him.

He Evidently Survived His Ordeal.  --Old B-Runner