Browsing named entities in Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing). You can also browse the collection for John McGowan or search for John McGowan in all documents.

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Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Star of the West, (search)
lead spies, and left New York at sunset, Jan. 5, 1861. Far down the bay she received, under cover of thick darkness, four officers and 250 artillerists and marines, with their arms and ammunition, and proceeded to sea, under her commander, Capt. John McGowan. On the morning of Jan. 9 she reached Charleston Bar, before daylight. Finding all the shore-lights put out, she extinguished her own. Just at dawn a scouting steamboat discovered her, burned colored lights as signals, and ran for the i American ensign at the fore. As she passed on, a continuous fire was kept up from Morris Island, and an occasional shot from Fort Moultrie was hurled at her. Two steam-tugs and an armed schooner put out from Fort Moultrie to intercept her. Captain McGowan, finding himself hemmed in, powerless, and in imminent danger of capture, turned his vessel seaward, after seventeen shots had been fired by the insurgents, and returned to New York, Jan. 12. This firing on the flag of the United States was