Harry Hill (USS Marblehead)

Harry Hill was born around 1834 in Albemarle County, Virginia. He enlisted in the US navy in New York City, New York, on September 15, 1863, for a period of 1 year. Officials listed him as a "mulatto" and rated him as a captain's cook. Although it is unclear if he had ever been a slave, he would have been free by the time he lived in New York. As a captain's cook, he was considered a staff petty officer and probably received between $25 and $30 per month, considerably more than most Black sailors, who were rated as boys or landsmen. Hill served on board the USS Marblehead, a screw gunboat doing blockade duty with the South Atlantic Blockade Squadron. Hill was on board when the ship, on duty near Legareville, South Carolina, suffered 20 hits in a duel with Confederate seacoast howitzers on December 25, 1863. Nonetheless, the Marblehead successfully fought off its attackers, leading to the subsequent capture of 2 of the enemy’s guns. Hill disappeared from the historical record after leaving the navy in 1864. 

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DATABASE CONTENT
Name:Hill, Harry
Alternative names:
Roles:
  • Sailor
Gender:M
Race:Black
Regiment/Ship:
RegimentCompany
U.S.S. Marblehead
Branch of service:Navy
Enlistment/Muster:
TypeDatePlaceAccepted/RejectedAgeStatusReason
Enlistment1863-09-15New York, NYaccepted29Unknown
Residence at enlistment:
Rank In:Captain’s Cook
Rank Out:Captain’s Cook
Highest rank achieved:Captain’s Cook
Pensions:
Person 1Person 2NumberRelation Type
Hill, Harrynoneapplication-invalid
Hill, Harrynoneapplication-minor
Hill, Harrynoneapplication-parent
Hill, Harrynoneapplication-widow
Birth date:1834
Birth date certainty:About
Birth place:Albemarle County, VA
Death date:
Death place:
Causes of death:
Occupations:
SOURCES

Naval Service Record for Harry Hill, accessed at the National Park Service's Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-sailors-detail.htm?sailorId=HIL0048; “Marblehead I (Sc Gbt),” Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, accessed online at the Naval History and Heritage Command website, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html.