List of Officers and men of the

U.S. Ship "Morning Light."

captured on January 21, 1863, off Sabine Pass, Texas.

compiled by Terry Foenander.

This list of personnel who were aboard the USS Morning Light when she was captured off Sabine Pass, Texas, on January 21, 1863, was transcribed from the "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion," series 1, volume 19, pages 557 and 558.

The Morning Light was a 937 ton ship built in 1853 at Kensington, Pennsylvania. She was launched in August of that year, and was purchased in September, 1861 by the Union Navy, at New York, where she was commissioned into service as an 8-gun vessel on November 21, 1861. After a short service cruising the lower east coast for Confederate privateers and blockade runners, she was assigned, in early 1862, to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. [DANFS, IV]

The vessel had been one of the blockading fleet stationed at Sabine, Texas, which also included the schooners Rachel Seaman and Velocity. Acting Master John Dillingham, commanding the USS Morning Light, expecting an attack against his fleet, had requested reinforcements for his outnumbered force, including the addition of a steam gunboat, but these requests were denied. On the evening of January 20, 1863, the Confederate vessels were seen to be preparing for an attack, and although Dillingham made preparations to receive the attack, when it did come, the next morning, his force was quite inadequate to repel the invasion. The results were that the Morning Light and the Velocity were captured, but the Rachel Seaman was able to escape. The Confederates then attempted to get both vessels over the bar, so as to prevent their recapture by the Union forces, but, because the Morning Light was of a heavier draft, she was unable to get over the bar, and the captured personnel were removed from her. The vessel was then destroyed by fire.

The following list of the personnel aboard the vessel when she was captured on January 21, was compiled by Acting Master Dillingham, while he was still in captivity, at Houston, on April 1, 1863, and sent through the lines to his commander, Henry H. Bell. It is assumed that the list is as complete as can be, due to the fact that he would have obtained the details from the officers and men of the vessel, all of whom, with the exception of those killed in the action (and who are also included in the list), were held in captivity with him. A number of the men did not survive captivity, but those who did, were released months later. The list includes the names, ratings, and, in some cases, some remarks.

Sources of additional information are shown against some entries, in brackets, with reference to the sources named at the end of the listing.

Note the four persons surnamed Soshia, all African Americans, who were most likely related, (perhaps brothers), to each other.

George H. Abbott, yeoman; died December 12, 1863, at Camp Groce, Texas, as a prisoner of war.

Timothy Baldwin, ship's cook; died in August, 1863, at Camp Groce, Texas, as a prisoner of war.

William Barnett, landsman.

Henry Bartlett, landsman; exchanged.

Lawrence Bartley, ordinary seaman.

Charles Baxter, seaman; died September 23, 1863, at Camp Groce, Texas, as a prisoner of war.

W.H. Blaney, landsman; exchanged.

Charles R. Bliss, landsman; exchanged.

John Bowen, coxswain.

Michael Boyle, ordinary seaman.

William Brock, ordinary seaman; exchanged.

George Bryan, third class boy; negro.

Henry D. Buck, seaman.

Daniel Burke, seaman.

William Campbell, captain of forecastle; died June 26, 1864, at Camp Groce, Texas, as a prisoner of war.

Edmund Carr, landsman; negro.

Jerry Chambers, third class boy; negro.

John L. Chambers, acting master's mate; appointed August 28, 1862; resigned, May 6, 1865. [Callahan.]

W.J.R. Clark, surgeon's steward.

J.H. Cleggett, landsman; negro.

O.A. Coburn, ordinary seaman.

James Collins, ordinary seaman; exchanged.

James H. Collins, ordinary seaman; exchanged.

Boson Davis, third class boy; negro.

George Dawson, seaman.

John Dickson, seaman.

John Dillingham, acting master and commander of the vessel; appointed May 24, 1861; resigned December 28, 1864, after his release from captivity. [Callahan.]

William Dread, third class boy; negro.

Benjamin Drummond, ordinary seaman; negro.

James Duffey, landsman; dead [circumstances unknown].

Thomas Eagan, ordinary seaman.

Patrick Ferlin, ordinary seaman; killed in action, January 21, 1863.

William Ferry, ordinary seaman.

William W. Fowler, acting master; appointed February 26, 1862; resigned May 12, 1865. [Callahan.]

Fray Francois, third class boy; negro.

Antonio Galushia, coxswain.

Daniel George, captain of foretop; exchanged.

W.H.H. Gilbert, seaman.

Robert Green, third class boy; negro.

John T. Griffith, carpenter's mate.

Joseph Hafley, seaman; exchanged.

John Halsey, captain of forecastle.

Daniel Illingworth, seaman; exchanged.

William Jenkins, captain of maintop.

Augustus Johnson, seaman.

James Johnson, wardroom cook; negro.

Robert Johnson, third class boy; negro.

Peter Keenan, landsman; died November 30, 1863, at Camp Groce, Texas, as a prisoner of war.

Michael Kenney, ordinary seaman.

Charles Lane, seaman.

Peter Le Prevost, captain of afterguard; previously wounded in action, grazed in the scalp, at Cedar Lake, Texas, on November 28, 1862; died July 9, 1863, at Camp Groce, Texas, as a prisoner of war. [ORN 1, 19, 382.]

John P. Lind, quartermaster.

Joseph Little, master at arms.

Gustav Louisiana, third class boy; negro.

Morris E. Lyons, captain's steward; escaped.

A.W. Marshall, ordinary seaman; fatally wounded in action, and died from wound in brain on January 27, 1863.

James Mason, ordinary seaman.

Alphonso Mathews, seaman; exchanged as a soldier [?].

Archy McArthur, ordinary seaman.

John McClennan, captain of hold.

John McNulty, landsman; exchanged.

George F. Mitus, ordinary seaman.

Patrick Monon, first class boy.

John Morrison, boatswain's mate.

Charles Mosely, seaman.

Francis Murray, seaman.

Henry Newell, seaman; believed to have escaped.

Edward Noble, seaman; exchanged as a soldier [?].

W.T. O'Brien, landsman; died December 25, 1863, at Tyler, Texas, as a prisoner of war.

John D. Oliver, seaman.

George Owen, seaman.

James Peterson, landsman; negro.

Joseph Plumber, landsman; negro.

Miles C. Poulson, first class boy.

James Redan, ordinary seaman; negro.

George H. Rice, acting master's mate; previously wounded in action, struck on the left wrist by a spent ball, at Cedar Lake, Texas, on November 28, 1862; appointed June 11, 1861; promoted acting ensign, May 30, 1865; honorably discharged February 12, 1868. [ORN 1, 19, 382; Callahan.]

Charles Ryan, seaman; exchanged.

John Ryan, ordinary seaman.

David Saterfield, landsman; negro.

A.J. Seymour, second class boy; negro.

Thomas Shepherd, quartermaster; exchanged.

John W. Sherfy, surgeon; appointed August 26, 1861; captured with the vessel; released on February 17, 1864; may have been a resident of Champaign City, Illinois; later served as acting assistant surgeon aboard the USS Pontiac; honorably discharged April 30, 1869. [ORN 1, 16, 52 and 1, 19, 558-562; Callahan.]

Anderson Shields, third class boy; negro.

Joseph C. Shorter, wardroom steward; negro.

W.L.G. Smith, landsman; negro.

Henry R. Snyder, seaman.

Brazil Soshia, third class boy; negro.

James Soshia, third class boy; negro; died in Houston, Texas, on March 21, 1863, as a prisoner of war.

John Soshia, landsman; negro.

Phillip Soshia, third class boy; negro

Isaac Stubbs, landsman; negro.

Michael Sugrue, seaman; previously wounded in action, in the middle of the left forearm, at Cedar Lake, Texas, on November 28, 1862. [ORN 1, 19, 381.]

William Sweeney, seaman.

John S. Taplin, seaman; exchanged as a soldier [?].

Charles Thomas, gunner's mate; died in September, 1863, at Camp Groce, Texas, as a prisoner of war.

William Thomas, seaman.

George H. Travis, first class boy.

C.B. Tweedy, ordinary seaman; died in July, 1864, at Hempstead, Texas, as a prisoner of war.

Archy Vance, third class boy; negro.

F.A. Van Ronk, seaman; exchanged.

Henry L. Van Wyck, paymaster's steward.

Jerry Walker, third class boy; negro.

James H. Warden, quarter gunner.

Henry W. Washburn, acting master and executive officer; appointed February 26, 1862; previously wounded in action, along the outer side of the right forearm, at Cedar Lake, Texas, on November 28, 1862; honorably discharged April 3, 1866. [ORN 1, 19, 382; Callahan.]

Edward Williams, landsman; negro.

John Williams, 2nd, seaman.

John H. Williams, boatswain's mate; exchanged.

Alex Wilson, second class boy; negro.

M.F. Wilson, ordinary seaman.

Augustus Wode, landsman.

Sources of additional notes:

Callahan - List of Officers of the Navy of the United States, and of the Marine Corps, from 1775 to 1900, edited by Edward W. Callahan; originally published 1901; reprinted by Olde Soldier Books, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland.

DANFS - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, volume IV; compilation of the Navy Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division, Washington, D.C.; published in 1969 by the United States Government Printing Office.

ORN - Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion - entries include series number, followed by volume, and page.

© Terry Foenander.

December, 2001.