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A FORTY-NINER IN THE PILOTAGE.Capt. Win. H. Fleetwood's Nearly Half Century of Active Service.Another Savannah pilot who has hadan interesting career is Capt. W. H.Fleetwood, who entered the service in1855 at the age of 15, as an apprenticeunder Capt. William Dixon. Capt. Fleetwood was given hi9 first branchin 1859 and served until the outbreak of hostilities between the North and the South, when he volunteered in the Republican Blues and was sent to Fort Pulaski and Tybee with that company.lie served in the Republican Blues only a short time before he was assigned to duty on the Confederate states transport F. S. Bartow under Commodore Tattnall. He served on the Bartow for a short while and resigned to assist in the organization of the Twenty-first Georgia Battalion of Cavalry. Maj. W. P. White was in command of ihis battalion which did service at Savannah, Charleston and Waecamaw. The battalion was finally consolidated with other battalions of calvary and the Seventh Georgia Calvary wasCAPT. W. If. FLEETWOOD.onned. The now regiment was order'd to Richmond, Va., and placed in jJen. Wade Hampton's command.The Seventh Georgia Calvary took an ictive part in a. number of the most llsastrous battles fought around Rich-nond during the war and suffered leavy reverses. It started out numbering about one thousand officers and non. and lost heavily in killed, wound'd and missing. Company B, of which 7apt. Fleetwood was a member, suffered perhaps more than any other company in the regiment. All the olfi-:ers and three-fourths of the enlisted nen of the company were killed orvound*-d and the company was disbanded, the remaining members being issigned to other companies.When Lee surrendered there were mly thirty-nine officers and men of he Seventh Georgia Cavalry left, out ! the origin'al regiment of 1.000.After the surrender at Appomattox apt. Fleetwood returned to Savannah nd re-entered the pilotage. He as given his full branch and also a Taster’s certificate for the Atlantic oast and was engaged on the various teamships plying between this port nd Baltimore, Philadelphia and New ork.Capt. Fleetwood has also served as aptain on the following tug boats: tarlight, Winpenny, Leon, Charleston, tevens, Ajax and Christiana. He has omnmnded the following steamers: Vater Lilly, Carrie, Katie, David Hark, City of Bridgeton, Advance and Togress. The last two named steam-rs were built under his supervision in lUgusta.During his career as a pilot Capt. Meetwood has served on the pilot oats John R. Wilder, H. F. Willink, ’. A. L. Lamar, Sophie, Surprise and prite. He was captain of the Wilder nd the last three named boats.While serving on the Lamar Capt. Meet wood rescued seven men from rowning on 'Tybee bar, and while cap-aln of the Sprite he rescued five men rom a capsized boat in the Savannah Iver.Capt. Fleetwood piloted the cruiser Philadelphia into Tybee Roads during May celebration in 1892 and piloted out to sea when she left here. Dur-„ the Spanish-American War he piled the first and l'argest transport, e Minnewaska into the Savannah rbor and moored her at the Ocean eamship wharves.Capt. Fleetwood is still one of the Dst active pilots in service. Heif11t\IictftVs121€Sctc.]II(1iii1€lt;if111tSIlt;i
Newspaper Details
Savannah Morning News
Savannah, Georgia, US
Sun, May 01, 1904
Page 23
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 20 Jun 2020
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