An Honor To The Uniform

A United States Marine, Henry Wasmuth was killed saving the life of an Ensign on January 21^st 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 11^th 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 15^th 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 21^st 1865.

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

A Fighting Tow

The USS Osceola left Boston, Massachusetts towing the monitor the USS Canonicus, they reached Hampton Roads, Virginia on May 3^rd 1864.

The USS Osceola was a wooden, double ended side-wheel gunboat.  It was launched at Boston, Massachusetts by the Curtis and Tilden Company on May 29^th 1863.  She was delivered to the United States Navy Yard in Boston and placed under Commander J M B Cletz on February 10^th 1864.

The Osceola left Boston towing the monitor USS Canonicus on April 22^nd 1864.  They reached Hampton Roads, Virginia on May 3^rd 1864.  The next night the Osceola headed up the James River as part of a joint expedition to clear a path for Army transports through Confederate mines in the river.  The troops landed safely at Bermuda Hundred, Virginia as a part of Union General Ulysses S Grant’s campaign against Richmond, Virginia.  She spent the rest of the year supporting the Union offensive, including an attack on Fort Fisher near Wilmington, North Carolina causing the fort to fall into Union hands.

The Osceola was decommissioned on May 13^th 1865.  She was sold at auction on October 1^st 1867.

The Gibraltar Of The South

The Second Battle of Fort Fisher, was fought January 15th 1865 just outside of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Union Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler failed to take Fort Fisher in December, and was relieved of command. Union Major General Alfred Howe Terry was given command of the “Provisional Corps”, along with support of a naval force and ordered to renew the attack on Fort Fisher. Fort Fisher a massive fortification protected the mouth of the Cape Fear River. The Fort had 47 guns, and was built of logs with sand over it, and was known as the “Gibraltar of the South“. On January 13th 1865 Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter directed a bombardment on the Fort, which went on for two days. By noon on January 15th 1865 the bombing had silenced all but four of the Fort’s guns. About 2,000 Sailors and Marines led by Lieutenant Commander Kidder Breese moved on the Northeast Bastion of the Fort where they were routed in an assault. This attack drew Confederate attention away and at 2 pm a second Union attack of about 4,500 men was launched. The Confederate position was strong, despite the bombardment, and the battle went on for hours, lasting until after dark. Sometime after 9:30 that night the Confederates realized the Fort was untenable. They ran up a white flag and Terry received the official surrender from Confederate Brigadier General William Henry Chase Whiting just before 10 pm.

Loosing Fort Fisher took away the last remaining Confederate sea port, sealing the South off.

The General, The America's Cup

A railroad executive, yachtsman and Union General Charles Jackson Paine was born August 26th 1833 in Boston Massachusetts. He graduated in 1853 from Harvard, and made a nice fortune with the railroad.

With the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 Paine became a Captain in the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry. The next year in October 1862 he was commissioned a Colonel in the African American 2nd Louisiana Volunteers. Paine resigned his commission March 4th 1864 and went back to Massachusetts.  In July 1864 Paine re-entered the service as a Brigadier General, and he led a division of black troops at New Market Height, and during both expeditions against Fort Fisher, and the Battle of Wilmington.

Following the war he was the district commander of New Berne, and he arranged the return of Robert Gould Shaw’s sword to his family.  During his latter years Paine developed an interest in yachting. He owned several yachts which brought home the America’s Cup from British challengers. He died August 12th 1916.