Notable Burials at Philadelphia's West Laurel Hill Cemetery-- Part 1 Road Trippin'

From Wikipedia.

This is a continuation of my Road Trippin' Through History that I started in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog last week.  I wrote about a Sgt. Richard Binder, USMC, who had received a Medal of Honor for service at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in 1865.

When I Road Trip Through History, I start with a story and see where it takes me.  One of the things I like to do is find out if there are any folks of interest buried where the person is interred.  Sgt. Binder is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery.  The cemetery is by Philadelphia, but actually in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania and is affiliated with the larger Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Earlier today, I, posted about four Union soldiers who received Medals of Honor during the Civil War in my Running the Blockade blog.

There are a number of early baseball players buried there, but I am not familiar with any of their names.

ALEXANDER MILNE CALDER  ((1845-1923) Sculptor.  Designed the George Meade statue in Philadelphia along with the Benjamin Franklin statue atop the Philadelphia City Hall.

WILLIAM E. CARTER  (1875-1940)  Millionaire and survivor of the Titanic.

More to Come.  --Cooter

Deaths in June-July 2022-- Part 7: Siragusa, Williams, Freeman and Caan

JUNE

TONY SIRAGUSA, 55

**  Charismatic defensive tackle who was part of one of the most celebrated defenses in the NFL history with the Baltimore Ravens.  Died June 22

HERSCHEL "WOODY" WILLIAMS, 98

**  The last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, whose heroics under fire over several crucial hours of the Battle of Iwo Jima made him a legend in his native West Virginia.  Died June 29.

The Greatest Generation.

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

JULY

BRADFORD FREEMAN, 97

**  Last survivor of the famed American Army unit featured in the oral history book and miniseries "Band of Brothers."  Died July3.

The Greatest Generation.

JAMES CAAN, 82

**  The curly-haired tough guy known to movie fans as Sonny Corleone of "The Godfather" and to TV audiences as both the dying football player in "Brian's Song" and the casino boss in "Las Vegas."  Died July 8.

His death in "The Godfather" was a real bloody mess.

Hans Johnsen, USN, Medal of Honor for Action on USS Winslow

From Wikipedia.

HANS JOHNSEN

(January 3, 1865 - June 17, 1920)

Chief machinist serving in the U.S. Navy during the Spanish-American War where he received a Medal of Honor for bravery.

He was born in Sandnes,  Norway, and fought in the Spanish-American War on board the torpedo boat USS Winslow at the Battle of Cardenas.  Along with the Medal of Honor, he was warranted as a gunner on June 27, 1898, and promoted to chief gunner on June 27, 1904.

During World War I, he received a temporary promotion to lieutenant on July  1, 1918.

He died June 17, 1920, and is buried in Bayview-New York Cemetery in Jersey City, New Jersey.

George F. Brady, USN-- Part 2: Committed Suicide and Gravestone Didn't List His Medal of Honor

In addition to the Medal of Honor, he was promoted to the warrant officer rank of Gunner on June 27, 1898.  His first assignment at the new rank was on the armored cruiser USS New York (ACR-2).  Then, he was transferred to Naval Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island, on 21 November 1900.

His old ship, the USS Winslow, on which he won his Medal of Honor, was stationed there from 1901 to 1904, so it is likely he was back on his old ship.

Sadly, he committed suicide while serving on the USS Monongahela at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, on November 6, 1903.  He stated shortly before his suicide that "the pain was unbearable", but it is unclear if his pain was physical or emotional.

He was buried in the Island Cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island, where his wife and children lived.  As his tombstone did not indicate that he had received the Medal of Honor, this fact was not discovered until January 20 when Charles Mogayzel of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was able to find Brady's gravesite.

Representatives of the U.S. Navy and local veterans  organizations dedicated a Medal of Honor grave marker on Brady's grave on Memorial Day later that year.

His name in records pertaining to the Medal of Honor list his name as "George F. Brady" and the name on his tombstone is "George P. Brady."  The reason for this discrepancy is probably that his name was mis-transcribed when his Medal of Honor citation was written.

--Cooter

George F. Brady, USN: Spanish-American War Medal of Honor Recipient on USS Winslow

From Wikipedia.

GEORGE F. BRADY

(September 7, 1867 to November 6, 1903)

Born in Ireland and enlisted in U.S. Navy  at age 17 on November 30, 1884.  He had risen to the rank of  Chief Gunner's Mate by the time of the Spanish-American War.

He was aboard the torpedo boat USS Winslow during the Battle of Cardenas, Cuba, on May 11, 1898.  During the battle, the Winslow was badly damaged by Spanish gunfire  Brady made attempts to  repair the ship's steering gear and helped maintain its watertight integrity to prevent it from sinking.  He also took command of the ship after its commander was wounded and taken off it.   

For his heriosm, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Navy on September  3, 1899.

--Cooter

USS Winslow (TB-5)-- Part 3: One Battered Ship

Badly damaged, the Winslow was towed clear of the action.  Her commanding officer and a number of other in the crew were wounded.  

Lt. Bernadou saw to it that the wounded and dead were transferred to the Hudson and then left the ship himself, turning command over to Chief Gunner's Mate  George F. Brady, who, along with Chief Gunner's Mate  Hans Johnsen and Chief Machinist  Thomas C. Cooney-- later received Medals of Honor and was promoted to warrant officer.

The day following the engagement, the Winslow arrived at Key West for temporary repairs there and in Mobile, Alabama.  She returned to Key West for ten days before sailing  noth on 16 August.  After brief stops at Port Royal, S.C., and Norfolk, the Winslow reached NewYork on 27 August.  She was placed out of commission at the New York Navy Yard on 7 September 1898 to begin more extensive repairs.  This was one battered ship.

Except for a brief trip to Philadelphia in mid-October, the Winslow remained inactive until early 1901.  She then was in a decommissioned status in New York and later at Norfolk Navy Yard where she was listed as in reserve.

--Cooter

What Is This RoadTripping Through History?

Roadtripping Through History is something I do often with all these blogs.  I start with a story and see how far I can take it, kind of like the old Paul Harvey's "Rest of the Story" in those interesting newscasts he used to do.

This particular (I guess you could call it a thread) started with a story I wrote about in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog about five U.S. Navy Medal of Honor recipients buried in cemeteries around Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

I then found out when I looked for more information on each one, that there might have been confusion on one of the names as there was someone else with nearly the same name.  His name was John Jones.  Then the other man was John E. Jones.  John Jones (buried in Portsmouth) got his Medal during the rescue of crewmembers of the sinking USS Monitor.

The John E. Jones got his for action on the USS Oneida at the Battle of Mobile Bay (along with seven other recipients from that ship).  Well, the commander of that ship must have been quite busy writing out the recommendations and the Wikipedia article said the commander was C.V. Gridley.

The name Gridley immediately brought to mind the "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley" quote from George Dewey at the Battle of Mobile Bay in the Spanish-American War.  Was this the same guy?  As it turns out, he was, but he had not been the commander of the Oneida at the battle of Mobile Bay.  However, he was on that ship as a junior officer, but not the commander of it.

And, that is how I have come to writing about that here.

In addition, earlier this month in this blog, I wrote about the USS Zafiro which transported the stricken with illness Gridley off the USS Olympia after the Battle of Manila Bay.  Then that led to the Dewey Medals given to U.S. participants at that battle.

So, You Never Know Exactly Where You're Going to Go When You Roadtrip Through History.  --Cooter

The Dewey Medal-- Part 3: Very Few Were Made

The Dewey Medal was a one-time only decoration.  It consists of a circular medallion inscribed front and back, with a profile if Dewey on the front and a sailor sitting on a gun on the back.  It is suspended by a blue and gold ribbon.

Admiral Dewey also received one, but through modesty always wore it with the sailor's picture on it.  Dewey is one of only four Americans entitled to wear a medal with their mage on it.  The other three are Rear Admiral William T. Sampson (Sampson Medal for his victory at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish-American War), Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd (1st and 2nd Byrd Expeditions to Antarctica) and General of the Armies John J. Pershing.

The Dewey Medal is one of the few  United States military awards to have fewer recipients than the Medal of Honor..  Only 1,825 medals were struck, each machine engraved to the recipient with his name, rate(enlisted) or rank (officer).

--Cooter

WW I German Prisoners Come to Hot Springs, N.C.-- Part 1: From German Ocean Liners

I have been writing about the Chattanooga National Cemetery in my Tattooed On Your Soul:  World War II blog this past week or so.  One of our last two WW II Medal of Honor recipients, Coolidge was recently buried there as was Desmond Doss, another WW II Medal of Honor winner.  He was made famous in the movie "Hacksaw Ridge."

Also, eight members of the Civil War's Andrews' Raiders are buried there.  They are the ones who stole the Confederate locomotive and were chased across northern Georgia.

Another thing I found of interest about the Chattanooga National Cemetery is that there is a monument put up by Nazi Germany on the grounds honor German prisoners who died in the United States during World War I.

From the June 9, 2014, Appalachian History. Net  "First World War I POWs arrive at Hot Springs, NC" by Dave Tabler.

On June 8, 1917, the first of 2,300 German prisoners arrived by train at Hot Springs to begin life in an internment camp.  Their civilian merchant ships had been docked at various  American ports two months earlier when the United States entered World War I.

At that time, the government seized those vessels and declared the crews of those ships to be "alien enemies."

--Cooter

Blacks in the Military-- Part 5: World War I

Many Blacks joined the U.S. military after the entry of the United States in World War  in 1917.  Of the 200,000 Blacks who served in the regular army, most did so in support roles within segregated units.  Some 170,000 never even left the country.

There were notable exceptions, though.  The 369th  Infantry Regiment, The Harlem Hellfighters, fought alongside the French Army for six months, during which 171 of its members earned the French Legion of Merit honor.

One member of the 369th also received a Medal of Honor, one of only two recipients of that honor among black troops during that war.

--Old Secesh

Blacks Serving in the Military-- Part 4: Spanish American War and Aftermath

In April 1898, following a period of rising tension over Spanish treatment of native Cubans, the United States declared war on Spain.

The Navy had enough manpower, but the Army only had 28,000 soldiers.  Enlistees, volunteers and National Guard units soon added 220,000 more, including 5,000 black men, but the only black troops to fight in the war were the Buffalo Soldiers.

The bloodiest and best-known battle in Cuba was the Battle of San Juan Hill, during which the most difficult fighting was by the Buffalo Soldiers, five of whom received the Medal of Honor for that action.

They would go on to achieve fame and distinction in the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1903), Mexico (1914), World War I (1916-1918) and World War II (1944-1945).

Blacks Serving in the U.S. Military-- Part 3: The Civil War and Post War, the Buffalo Soldiers

Feb. 23 War 1812 search

Of course, some 180,000 Blacks served in the Union Army during the Civil War.  I will write about the black experience in this war in my Saw the Elephant: The Civil War blog.

After the Civil War, Congress organized the Army into ten cavalry regiments and forty-five infantry ones.  When the Army pared back to 25  regiments of infantry in 1869, the four black regiments were consolidated into two.  The two were the 24th and 25th, which came to be known as the "Buffalo Soldiers" and were posted mostly to the Southwest and West.

Their job was primarily to battle Indians who gave them that name.

Buffalo Soldiers would serve in the U.S. military for the next fifty years, primarily in the Indian Wars , for which thirteen enlisted men and six officers received the Medal of Honor.

Top Ten Navy Sailors of All Time-- Part 2: SEALs, Armstrong and Kennedy

6.  Michael Monsoor  Navy SEAL Medal of Honor recipient.  Dived on top of a grenade and saved comrades.  Iraq

7.  Richard Marcinko  Founder of the famous SEAL Team 6.

8.  Neil Armstrong  Well, you know what he did.

9.  Dr. Jonny Kim    Medic and sniper for SEAL Team 3.  Went to Harvard Medical School.  Now a candidate for astronaut.

10.  John F. Kennedy  PT-109

11.  Roy Boehm  Fought off sharks when his ship, the USS Duncan, sank  in WW II and founded the Navy SEALs.

Okay, 11, Not 10.

Top Ten Navy Sailors of All Time-- Part 1

From April 1, 2018, Navy Times by John Fannin, American Grit.

Photographs and information are with each man.

1.  John Paul Jones  "The Father of the U.S. Navy"  American Revolution  Tie

1.  John Barry   Also known as "The Father of the U.S. Navy."   Tie

3.  Chester W. Nimitz  World War II

4.  Oliver Hazard Perry   War of 1812   Battle of Lake Erie

5.  Michael M. Murphy   Medal of Honor recipient and Navy SEAL   Killed in Afghanistan

Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming

I gave been writing about Francis E. Warren in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog.  He is a famous person in Wyoming history, including first governor, a long-serving U.S. Senator and a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.

One of the honors he received was having this air base named after him.

From Wikipedia.

Located three miles west of Cheyenne, Wyoming, one of three strategic missiles bases in the U.S..  It has no runway for fixed-wing planes, however.  It has never been used by modern-day pilots.

It became famous when World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker crashed his plane on the field and survived.

The base traces its origins back to the Railroad Act of 1862 when plans for the transcontinental railroad were put in place and protection from the Indians was needed.  It evolved from a frontier infantry post to a cavalry post to the current missile facility.

--Cooter

Maj. Charles Whittlesey & "Lost Battalion-- Part 3: Jumped Overboard?

Whittlesey's reply was "You go to hell, though he later denied it.  That night, a relief force made its way to the "Lost Battalion."  Of the original 554 troops, 107 had been killed,  63 were missing and 190 wounded.  Only  194 were able to walk out.

Major Whittlesey received a battlefield promotion to lieutenant-colonel and when he returned to the United States, was awarded a Medal of Honor on December 6, 1918.

The "Lost Battalion" was one of the most talked about events of the war and in 1919 the story was made into a movie.  Charles Whittlesey tried to return to his law practice but was in huge demand for speeches, parades and honorary degrees.  It began to wear on him.

In November 1921, he acted as a pallbearer at the burial of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.  A few days later he booked passage on the SS Toloa from New York to Havana.  After dining with the captain on November 26, 1921, he left the smoking room at 11:15 p.m., saying he was retiring for the evening.  He was in seemingly good spirits according to the captain.

Charles Whittlesey was never seen again and presumed to have jumped overboard.  His body was never recovered.  In his cabin, many letters were found addressed to family and friends.  One even provided for his luggage that he brought with him.

--DaCoot

Major Charles White Whittlesey, Cmdr. of the "Lost Batallion"-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Jan. 20, 1884--  Presumed dead Nov. 26, 1921.

United States Army officer and recipient of the Medal of Honor.  Led the "Lost Battalion" during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I.

Born in Florence, Wisconsin.  Grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  Law degree from Harvard Law School.  Established a law firm.

One month after the U.S. entered World War I, he took leave from his partnership and entered the Army as a captain in the 308th Infantry Regiment.  Promoted to major by September 1917.

On the morning of October 2, 1918, his division, the 77th, ordered to move forward against heavily fortified German lines as part of the massive Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

--Cooter

WW I: Sept. 29, 1918: Frank Luke Earns Medal of Honor

SEPTEMBER 29, 1918

Frank Luke, Jr. is first U.S. pilot to earn a Medal of Honor.

It was awarded posthumously for his 18 kills in 18 days.

--Cooter

The Sinking of the USS President Lincoln-- Part 6: Lt. Edouard Izak Medal of Honor Winner

Continued from June 21.

The U-90 surfaced and came among the survivors looking for officers and particularly the commanding officer.  They took G.A. Anderson but returned him.  Most of the officers had removed their insignia and many of the men said that the captain had gone down with the ship.

The Germans were able to identify one officer, Lt. E.V.M. Isaacs, USN, and they took him.  Edouard Isaac later received the Medal of Honor.  He escaped from a German prison camp and got back to Allied lines and reported what he had learned about German submarine operations during the time he was on the U-90.

He died in 1990, the last living recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War I.

(His actual name was Edouard Izak.  He changed the name after the war to this.)

--Cooter

Vietnam Medic Receives Medal of Honor-- Part 2: James McCloughan

James McCloughan was then a 23-year-old private first class who had been drafted the previous year after earning a degree in sociology from Olivet College.  He repeatedly entered the "Kill Zone" to rescue wounded comrades despite the flying shrapnel from rocket propelled grenades.

He "voluntarily risked his life on nine separate occasions to rescue wounded and disoriented comrades" said the White House.

McCloughan described the shrapnel as a "real bad sting."  In 2016, then Secretary of Defense Ash Carter recommended him for the honor which usually is supposed to be awarded within five years of the event, but Congress can waive that time limit which is what happened in McCloughan's case.

Congratulations Mr. McCloughan!!