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: |
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Gender: | M |
Race: | Black |
Regiment/Ship: |
Regiment | Company |
U.S.S. Marblehead | |
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Branch of service: | Navy |
Enlistment/Muster: |
Type | Date | Place | Accepted/Rejected | Age | Status | Reason |
Enlistment | 1863-09-15 | New York, NY | accepted | 29 | Unknown | |
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Residence at enlistment: | |
Rank In: | Captain’s Cook |
Rank Out: | Captain’s Cook |
Highest rank achieved: | Captain’s Cook |
Pensions: |
Person 1 | Person 2 | Number | Relation Type |
Hill, Harry | | none | application-invalid |
Hill, Harry | | none | application-minor |
Hill, Harry | | none | application-parent |
Hill, Harry | | none | application-widow |
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Birth date: | 1834 |
Birth date certainty: | About |
Birth place: | Albemarle County, VA |
Death date: | |
Death place: | |
Causes of death: | |
Occupations: | |