Lt. Edward John Kent Johnston;
CSA Navy
Edward John Kent Johnston, born in Ireland in 1827 to Scottish parents, in Dublin, Ireland.
Lt. Johnston's journey started when he immigrated to this country from Ireland when he was 3.
While as a young man he held various jobs and settled in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1852 he married Virginia Papi in the Cathedral in St. Augustine.
In 1861 he joined the Confederate Navy, leaving a wife and 4 children behind. He was a Lieutenant on the CSS Atlanta and was the assistant engineer, the third in command.
While trying to run the Union blockade, to bring in much needed supplies, the ship was run aground and captured by Federal forces at Savannah harbor on June 17, 1863. He was sent to a Federal prison where he died from pneumonia on Oct. 13, 1863 and was buried outside the prison gates.
He was so well liked by the fellow prisoners and prison staff that they raised 75 dollars for a 1500 pound gravestone for him. He is believed to be the only Confederate prisoner to receive such an honor.
Base closings forced the government to move him 3 times to end up at Ft. Devins in Massachusetts. His widow was never informed of his death and never remarried after 50 years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under a somber gray, cloud filled sky, amid the towering moss draped oaks, a son of the South was laid to rest. Hundreds of reenactors, citizens in period dress, dignitaries, family members and spectators attended the service in Fernandina Beach, Florida at the historic Bosque Bello Cemetery.
Then the process of bringing him home began. Ms. Dana Chapman, of the Georgia Civil War Commission and former member of the UDC, started her quest 9 years ago to have Lt. Johnston brought home to be buried with his family at the family plot. After all those long years of hard work and dedication, her labor of love was rewarded in the huge turnout to honor to last Confederate prisoner buried in New England. Ms. Chapman made the reproduction CSS Atlanta flag which covered the gravestone which was the original one and had been brought down with Lt. Johnston's remains. She even made a uniform for one of his ancestors. The casket was draped in the Bonnie Blue Flag that had been used to cover his grand daughters casket, who had been president of the UDC. When it came time for Ms. Chapman to speak at the service, as she had done at the exhumation at Ft. Devins, tears rolled down her cheeks as did many of those present who heard her emotional address.
Source: http://www.dixie.be/web/content.php?article.1000119
CSA Navy
Edward John Kent Johnston, born in Ireland in 1827 to Scottish parents, in Dublin, Ireland.
Lt. Johnston's journey started when he immigrated to this country from Ireland when he was 3.
While as a young man he held various jobs and settled in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1852 he married Virginia Papi in the Cathedral in St. Augustine.
In 1861 he joined the Confederate Navy, leaving a wife and 4 children behind. He was a Lieutenant on the CSS Atlanta and was the assistant engineer, the third in command.
While trying to run the Union blockade, to bring in much needed supplies, the ship was run aground and captured by Federal forces at Savannah harbor on June 17, 1863. He was sent to a Federal prison where he died from pneumonia on Oct. 13, 1863 and was buried outside the prison gates.
He was so well liked by the fellow prisoners and prison staff that they raised 75 dollars for a 1500 pound gravestone for him. He is believed to be the only Confederate prisoner to receive such an honor.
Base closings forced the government to move him 3 times to end up at Ft. Devins in Massachusetts. His widow was never informed of his death and never remarried after 50 years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under a somber gray, cloud filled sky, amid the towering moss draped oaks, a son of the South was laid to rest. Hundreds of reenactors, citizens in period dress, dignitaries, family members and spectators attended the service in Fernandina Beach, Florida at the historic Bosque Bello Cemetery.
Then the process of bringing him home began. Ms. Dana Chapman, of the Georgia Civil War Commission and former member of the UDC, started her quest 9 years ago to have Lt. Johnston brought home to be buried with his family at the family plot. After all those long years of hard work and dedication, her labor of love was rewarded in the huge turnout to honor to last Confederate prisoner buried in New England. Ms. Chapman made the reproduction CSS Atlanta flag which covered the gravestone which was the original one and had been brought down with Lt. Johnston's remains. She even made a uniform for one of his ancestors. The casket was draped in the Bonnie Blue Flag that had been used to cover his grand daughters casket, who had been president of the UDC. When it came time for Ms. Chapman to speak at the service, as she had done at the exhumation at Ft. Devins, tears rolled down her cheeks as did many of those present who heard her emotional address.
Source: http://www.dixie.be/web/content.php?article.1000119
Lt. Edward John Kent Johnston;
CSA Navy
Edward John Kent Johnston, born in Ireland in 1827 to Scottish parents, in Dublin, Ireland.
Lt. Johnston's journey started when he immigrated to this country from Ireland when he was 3.
While as a young man he held various jobs and settled in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1852 he married Virginia Papi in the Cathedral in St. Augustine.
In 1861 he joined the Confederate Navy, leaving a wife and 4 children behind. He was a Lieutenant on the CSS Atlanta and was the assistant engineer, the third in command.
While trying to run the Union blockade, to bring in much needed supplies, the ship was run aground and captured by Federal forces at Savannah harbor on June 17, 1863. He was sent to a Federal prison where he died from pneumonia on Oct. 13, 1863 and was buried outside the prison gates.
He was so well liked by the fellow prisoners and prison staff that they raised 75 dollars for a 1500 pound gravestone for him. He is believed to be the only Confederate prisoner to receive such an honor.
Base closings forced the government to move him 3 times to end up at Ft. Devins in Massachusetts. His widow was never informed of his death and never remarried after 50 years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under a somber gray, cloud filled sky, amid the towering moss draped oaks, a son of the South was laid to rest. Hundreds of reenactors, citizens in period dress, dignitaries, family members and spectators attended the service in Fernandina Beach, Florida at the historic Bosque Bello Cemetery.
Then the process of bringing him home began. Ms. Dana Chapman, of the Georgia Civil War Commission and former member of the UDC, started her quest 9 years ago to have Lt. Johnston brought home to be buried with his family at the family plot. After all those long years of hard work and dedication, her labor of love was rewarded in the huge turnout to honor to last Confederate prisoner buried in New England. Ms. Chapman made the reproduction CSS Atlanta flag which covered the gravestone which was the original one and had been brought down with Lt. Johnston's remains. She even made a uniform for one of his ancestors. The casket was draped in the Bonnie Blue Flag that had been used to cover his grand daughters casket, who had been president of the UDC. When it came time for Ms. Chapman to speak at the service, as she had done at the exhumation at Ft. Devins, tears rolled down her cheeks as did many of those present who heard her emotional address.
Source: http://www.dixie.be/web/content.php?article.1000119
CSA Navy
Edward John Kent Johnston, born in Ireland in 1827 to Scottish parents, in Dublin, Ireland.
Lt. Johnston's journey started when he immigrated to this country from Ireland when he was 3.
While as a young man he held various jobs and settled in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1852 he married Virginia Papi in the Cathedral in St. Augustine.
In 1861 he joined the Confederate Navy, leaving a wife and 4 children behind. He was a Lieutenant on the CSS Atlanta and was the assistant engineer, the third in command.
While trying to run the Union blockade, to bring in much needed supplies, the ship was run aground and captured by Federal forces at Savannah harbor on June 17, 1863. He was sent to a Federal prison where he died from pneumonia on Oct. 13, 1863 and was buried outside the prison gates.
He was so well liked by the fellow prisoners and prison staff that they raised 75 dollars for a 1500 pound gravestone for him. He is believed to be the only Confederate prisoner to receive such an honor.
Base closings forced the government to move him 3 times to end up at Ft. Devins in Massachusetts. His widow was never informed of his death and never remarried after 50 years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under a somber gray, cloud filled sky, amid the towering moss draped oaks, a son of the South was laid to rest. Hundreds of reenactors, citizens in period dress, dignitaries, family members and spectators attended the service in Fernandina Beach, Florida at the historic Bosque Bello Cemetery.
Then the process of bringing him home began. Ms. Dana Chapman, of the Georgia Civil War Commission and former member of the UDC, started her quest 9 years ago to have Lt. Johnston brought home to be buried with his family at the family plot. After all those long years of hard work and dedication, her labor of love was rewarded in the huge turnout to honor to last Confederate prisoner buried in New England. Ms. Chapman made the reproduction CSS Atlanta flag which covered the gravestone which was the original one and had been brought down with Lt. Johnston's remains. She even made a uniform for one of his ancestors. The casket was draped in the Bonnie Blue Flag that had been used to cover his grand daughters casket, who had been president of the UDC. When it came time for Ms. Chapman to speak at the service, as she had done at the exhumation at Ft. Devins, tears rolled down her cheeks as did many of those present who heard her emotional address.
Source: http://www.dixie.be/web/content.php?article.1000119
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