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The Bienville Rifle /home.earthlink.net/~sdriskell/8th/8th.htm |
September/October 1999, Page 5 back, next |
When the War Stopped in St. Francisville ~
It was June 12, 1863 and the seige of Port
Hudson was pitting 30,000 Union troops under
Major General Nathaniel P. Banks against 6,800
weary Confederates under Major General
Franklin Gardner, fighting over the all-important
control of traffic on the Mississippi River. Port
Hudson and Vicksburg were the only rebel
strongholds left along the Mississippi, and if the
Union forces could wrest from them control of
the river traffic, they could cut off supplies from
the west and completely surround the Confederacy.
Admiral David Farragut had attempted to
destroy Confederate cannons atop the bluffs
from the river, but of his seven ships, four were
turned back, one was completely destroyed, and
only his flagship and the USS Albatross passed
upriver safely, leaving ground troops to fight it
out for nearly another month.
After perilously running
through the Grand Gulf batteries on the river to
the north, Lt. Commander John E. Hart of the Albatross writes that the Admiral signaled,
"How many killed?" And he answered none.
The Admiral signaled, "How many wounded?"
And he answered none. And just then kitty, the
ship's mouser, produced kittens which Hart
insisted become part of the official report ...
important to note the wartime births as well as
the all-too-frequent deaths.
A valiant naval officer whose skill and bravery
were renown, Commander Hart would have
even more lasting impact through his death
which occurred as the Albatross lay at anchor
near Bayou Sara, having shelled both that low-
lying port settlement and the city of St.
Francisville atop the bluffs. Masonic and Naval
records list Hart as having "suicided", died by his
own hand "in a fit of delirium", perhaps he
suffered from dementia induced by yellow fever,
for a mere four days earlier he had certainly
exhibited no depression or despair in his letter
home. At any rate, Hart most certainly died.
Hart was a Mason, and aboard his ship were
other officers also "members of the craft",
desirous of burying their commander ashore
rather than consigning the remains to the river
waters.
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A boat was sent from the Albatross under a flag of truce to ascertain if there were any Masons in the town of St. Francisville. Now it just so happened that the two White brothers living near the river were Masons, and they informed the little delegation that there indeed was a Masonic lodge in the town, in fact one of the oldest in the state, Feliciana Lodge No. 31 F and AM. Its Worshipful Master was absent, serving in the Confederate Army, and its Senior Warden, W.W. Leake, was likewise engaged. But according to Masonic correspondence, "Brother Leake's headquarters were in the saddle", he was reported to be in the vicinity, and he was soon found and persuaded to honor the request. As a soldier, Leake reportedly said he considered it his duty to permit burial of a deceased member of the armed forces of any government, even one presently at war with his own, and as a Mason he knew it to be his duty to accord Masonic burial to the remains of a brother Mason without taking into account the nature of their relations in the outer world. The surgeon and officers of the USS Albatross struggling up from the river with Hart's body, were met by W.W. Leake, the White brothers, and a few other members of the Masonic Lodge. In the procession was also a squad of Marines at trail arms. They were met at Grace Episcopal Church by the Reverend Mr. Lewis, rector, and his wife. With full Episcopal and Masonic services, Commander John Hart was laid to rest in the Masonic burial lot in Grace's peaceful cemetary, respect being paid by Union and Confederate soldiers alike. |