hide Matching Documents

The documents where this entity occurs most often are shown below. Click on a document to open it.

Document Max. Freq Min. Freq
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing) 4 2 Browse Search
View all matching documents...

Your search returned 4 results in 3 document sections:

Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Norfolk, destruction of (search)
of the vessels was completed. They might all have been saved. Paulding saw the fatal error. He saw that more than scuttling must be performed to render the ships useless to the Confederates. He also perceived that with his small land force he could not defend the navy-yard; so, using the discretionary power given him, he proceeded to burn the slowly sinking ships, and to commit to the flames all the buildings and other inflammable property in the navy-yard. He sent 100 men under Lieut. J. H. Russell with sledge-hammers to knock off the trunnions of the cannon. The Dahlgren guns resisted the hammers, but those of a large number of the oldpattern guns were destroyed. Many were spiked, but so indifferently that they were soon repaired by the Confederates. All the men were taken on board the Pawnee and Cumberland, excepting those who were to commit the work of destruction. Before dawn on the morning of April 21 the conflagration was started, but the destruction was not made com
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Russell, John Henry 1827-1897 (search)
Russell, John Henry 1827-1897 Naval officer; born in Frederick City, Md., July 4, 1827; joined the navy in 1841; served in the early part of the Mexican War, taking part in the blockade and capture of Vera Cruz and other actions; graduated at the United States Naval Academy in 1848. During his Pacific exploring cruise in 1853-56 he succeeded in establishing communication between the American and English envoys and the Chinese government; was promoted lieutenant in September, 1855. He commanded a naval expedition in September, 1861, which destroyed the Confederate privateer, Judah, while under the protection of shore batteries and about 9,000 men at Pensacola. In recognition of this feat he received the thanks of President Lincoln and the State of Maryland. Later, as commander of the steamer Kennebec in Farragut's fleet, he participated in important engagements, winning much distinction; was promoted rear-admiral and retired in 1886. He died in Washington, D. C., April 1, 189
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Santa Rosa Island, battle on (search)
Santa Rosa Island, battle on Fort Pickens stands on Santa Rosa Island, off the harbor of Pensacola. In June, 1861, the 6th New York (Zouave) Regiment, Col. William Wilson, arrived there as a part of the defenders of the fort. There was also a small blockading squadron near. On the night of Sept. 2 a party from Fort Pickens under Lieutenant Shepley burned the dry-dock at the navy-yard at Warrington, and on the night of the 13th about 100 men under Lieut. J. H. Russell, of Commodore Merwin's flag-ship Colorado, crossed over to the navy-yard and burned the Judah, then fitting out for a privateer. There were then near the navyyard about 1,000 Confederate soldiers. These daring feats aroused the Confederates, and they became aggressive. Early in October they made an attempt to surprise and capture Wilson's Zouaves on Santa Rosa Island. About 1,400 picked men, commanded by General Anderson, crossed over from Pensacola in several steamboats, and at 2 A. M. on the 9th landed 4 or 5