Tuesday, January 21, 2014

An Honor To The Uniform

A United States Marine, Henry Wasmuth was killed saving the life of an Ensign on January 21st 1865 at Fort Fisher.

Henry Wasmuth was born about 1840 in Germany.  He would become a naturalized United State citizen.
Wasmuth enlisted at the beginning of the Civil War in the United States Marine Corps on June 11th 1861.  He was among the Marines attached to the USS Powhatan, a sidewheeler which took part which took part in the assault on Fort Fisher in North Carolina on January 15th 1865.

It was during an amphibious assault on Fort Fisher that Ensign Robley D “Fighting Bob” Evans was wounded by a Confederate sharpshooter.  Wasmuth picked up the wounded Evans and carried him to place of safety.  Wasmuth stayed with Evans despite the future United States Admiral’s warning to take cover.  Within a short time the Confederate sharpshooters found Wasmuth, the bullet entering his neck cut his jugular vein.  Wasmuth bleed to death within minutes on January 21st 1865.


Evans would write of young Private Wasmuth that “he was an honor to his uniform."

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