Thomas B. Huger
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Thomas B. Huger (died April 25, 1862) was an officer in the
Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...
during the
U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded fr ...
. Before the war, he had served for over 20 years in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
.


Biography

Huger was born in
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
. He joined the U.S. Navy as a
midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...
in March 1835. In 1845 he married Mariamne Williams Meade, the daughter of merchant Richard W. Meade and sister of Civil War general
George Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army and the Union army as Major General in command of the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War from 1 ...
; she died in 1857. Huger was promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
in February 1848 and continued in the service until his native state seceded from the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Resigning his commission in the U.S. Navy in January 1861, he became a
First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
in the Confederate Navy the following March. He commanded a battery on
Morris Island Morris Island is an 840-acre (3.4 km2) uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War. The i ...
, South Carolina in 1861 and was appointed as commanding officer of the
gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...
CSS ''McRae'' later in that year. Huger's ship operated in defense of
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
and the lower
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
. On April 24, 1862, while battling Federal Navy ships near Fort Jackson and
Fort St. Philip Fort St. Philip is a historic masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about upriver from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, just opposite Fort Jackson on the other side of the river. It formerly served a ...
, ''McRae'' was badly damaged and Lieutenant Huger was mortally wounded. He died the next day. Huger was wounded while engaged in fighting the Iroquois—a ship on which he served while in the US Navy. After he was wounded, his former shipmates recognized him and raised their caps as a token of respect. After his wounding, he was brought back to Charleston, South Carolina. On his death bed, he was informed that a US Navy officer wanted to see him. Huger responded, “Let him come in; I have no enemies now.” When Huger learned the officer’s name and the fact that he was a Southerner fighting for the Union, Huger declined to see him. Union Navy officers attended his funeral.^1


References

:''This page incorporates text from the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
'' U.S. Naval Historical Center. 1. A Diary from Dixie, Mary Boykin Chesnut, (2006) p 171-172 Year of birth missing 1862 deaths Confederate States Navy officers Military personnel from South Carolina United States Navy officers Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub