SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR NAVY GUNBOAT CAPTAIN HERO PURCELL DISCHARGE DOCUMENT SIGNED

Here’s a
1910
US Navy Honorable Discharge Document Signed by Spanish American War Era Naval
Officer
JOHN LEWIS PURCELL
(1857 –
1912)
CAPTAIN and COMMANDER, UNITED STATES
NAVY
SERVING ON MANY US NAVAL WAR SHIPS FROM
1873-1911,
CAPTAIN and COMMANDER OF THE USS
LANCASTER 21 MAR, 1910 – 1 DEC, 1911,
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
LIEUTENANT, USN, OF USS OSCEOLA IN 1898
,
COMMANDER OF THE GUNBOAT
U.S.S. PADUCAH
29 DEC 1908 –JAN 11, 1910
CAPTAIN OF U.S.S.
MOHICAN
1906
LT. COMMANDER OF THE
U.S.S.
ABARENDA
3 NOV, 1903
– 7 MAY, 1904,
LIEUTENANT USS DON JUAN DE AUSTRIA
ca.1899-1903,
LT U.S. RECEIVING AHIP VERMONT MAR
1897-MAR 1898
LT U.S.S. AMPHITRITE JAN 1896 – FEB
1897,
LT U.S.S. ATLANTA JULY 1895 – DEC.
1895,
LT TRAINING –SHIP ESSEX FEB 1894-JUNE
1895,
LT US RECEIVING SHIP MINNESOTA 1891-1894,
ENSIGN
U.S.S. NIPSIC
OCT 1887- OCT 1890,
SAMOAN DISASTER
HERO
MEMBER OF THE NORTH ALASKA EXPLORING EXPEDITION and COAST
SURVEY AUG 1883-JULY 1887,
ENSIGN ON THE U.S.S. MINNESOTA and
JAMESTOWN AUG 1881- NOV 1882
-&-
ENSIGN ON THE U.S.S.CONSTELLATION,
TRENTON,” AND QUINNEBAUG OCT 1879- MAR 1881
When an ensign on the
USS Nipsic, Purcell performed very heroically during a bad storm off the coast
of Apia, Samoa, March 15 and 16,1899, especially after he and some crew had
managed to get ashore from USS
Nipsic
.
He patrolled the shore with other officers and
helped drag men in the waves to the shore, saving their lives. He made valiant
attempts to get a line to USS
Vandalia
, but which were sadly
unsuccessful – but not for want of trying. He received especial praise from
Rear-Admiral Kimberly when the latter made his reports to the US Secretary of
the Navy. He later became a Lieutenant on USS
Osceola
and served during
the Spanish-American war in 1898, retiring as a Captain in 1911.
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HERE’S A 1910
NAVY DISCHARGE DOCUMENT SIGNED BY PURCELL WHILE CAPTAIN and COMMANDER OF THE
U.S.S. LANCASTER.
BOLDLY and BEAUTIFULLY SIGNED BY CAPTAIN
PURCELL
!
OTHER
(UNRESEARCHED) NAVAL OFFICER ENDORSEMENTS APPEAR ON THE VERSO OF THE DOCUMENT.
The document measures 8” x 10½” and is in very fine
condition, with folds.
AN UNCOMMON PIECE
OF AMERICAN NAVAL HERITAGE and HISTORY.
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Name:
John L Purcell
Age in 1910:
53
Birth
31 May 1856 New Jersey
Death
15 Apr 1912 Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Birthplace:
New Jersey
Home in 1910:
Philadelphia Ward 39, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Race:
White
Gender:
Male
rank:
Captain
Marital Status:
Single
Father’s Birthplace:
Ireland
Mother’s Birthplace:
Ireland
Native Tongue:
English
Occupation:
Naval Officer
Industry:
United States Navy
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John L. Purcell,
Cadet Midshipman, 30
September, 1873. Graduated 10 June, 1881. Ensign, Junior Grade, 3 March, 1883.
Ensign, 26 June, 1884. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, 28 May, 1892. Lieutenant, 29
April, 1896.
(Further career in U.S.
Navy until retirement in 1911 –
Retired
with rank of Captain.)
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Spanish-American War
Lieutenant
John L. Purcell
to Rear Admiral
William T. Sampson
, Commander, North Atlantic Fleet
U. S. S.
OSCEOLA
,
Navy Yard,
Norfolk
,
Virginia
,
August 31, 1898.
S I R:–
The following summary of the cruise of the
OSCEOLA
for the month of August is
respectfully submitted:
The
OSCEOLA
remained at
Guantanamo
Bay
coaling and doing special towing duty until the evening of the 8th
instant, when she left for Daiguiri to water. During her stay in Guantanamo the
commanding officer published a letter of the Commander-in-Chief commending the
conduct of officers and crew during the engagement at
Manzanillo
July 1st, 1898.1 Returned to Guantanamo August 10th, and left immediately to
join the
NEWARK
,
SUWANEE
and
ALVARADO
, convoying the
RESOLUTE
, a battalion of marines
on board for the
Isle of Pines
.2 August 12th at
daylight came up with the
NEWARK
and other vessels off Cape Cruz, and
proceeded with them to Manzanillo, where we arrived at 10.50 A. M., August
18th.
The senior officer present3 sent a demand ashore for the surrender of the
military and naval forces of the city, within three hours from the time of
delivery of the ultimatum. The ultimatum was delivered at 12.35 P. M., and the
conditions were refused. At 1.25 P. M. on signal cleared for action, and
proceeded to the entrance of the channel between Cays leading to Caimanera
Point. At 3.35 P. M. entered the channel,
OSCEOLA
leading,
SUWANEE
and
HIST
following. About 3.45
P.M. we opened fire, shelling the beach at 4000 yards range and gradually
closing. At 4.07 P. M. we saw a flaf [i.e. flag] of truce flying from the
Commandant’s Headquarters. We ceased firing and communicated this information
to the
SUWANEE
. The latter ordered an advance, and
we went ahead. A signal from the
NEWARK
to cease firing was then flying. We
went ahead, the
SUWANEE
,
OSCEOLA
and
HIST
in the order named, and when close
abreast of the city water battery, we stopped to await the coming of the
ALVARADO
flying a flag of truce. When the
latter had arrived in shore of the
SUWANEE
a fire was suddenly opened on us from
the shore batteries, supported by heavy infantry fire. A general action followed,
lasting about twenty minutes. This vessel remained in 2 3/4 to 3 fathoms of
water, drawing at the time about fourteen feet. One shell struck across our
stern and crushed a filled 3-pdr ammunition box, but did no other damage. We
withdrew from action by order of the commanding officer of the
SUWANEE
.4
The following morning a notice of the signing of the protocol was received and
the declaration of armistice made known. We left that day for Cape Cruz by way
of Manzanillo Channel, and the day following proceeded under orders to
Cienfuegos, to notify the other ships of the armistice, and then proceeded to
Key West, remaining at the latter place about twelve hours, and then proceeded
to Hampton Roads. Anchored there August 22nd, about noon. August 24th proceeded
to Navy Yard at Norfolk to repair pumps. Remained there coaling and scaling boilers
with ship’s force and repairing pumps the rest of the month.
Very respectfully,
J L Purcell
Lieutenant U. S. N.,
Com’d’g.
Source Note: TDS, DNA,
RG 313, Entry 47, Box 5. Addressed below close: “The Commander-in-Chief,
Commanding U. S. Naval Force,/North Atlantic Station.” Stamp:
“RECEIVED/FLAG-SHIP N. A. STATION/SEP 18 1898.”
Footnote 1: The
commanding officer at Guantanamo was Cmdr.
Bowman H. McCalla
. Sampson’s letter of
commendation has not been found.
Footnote 2: See:
Sampson to Commo. John
A. Howell, 6 August 1898.
Footnote 3: Capt.
Caspar F. Goodrich
.
Footnote 4: Lt. Cmdr.
Daniel Delehanty
.
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Special Report of
Rear-Admiral L.A. Kimberly – Conduct of Officers and Men.
APIA, SAMOA, April 16, 1889.
SIR: I take pleasure in calling the attention of the Department to the
efficient and indefatigable services rendered by the following officers, who
were on shore or who reached shore during the recent hurricane at Apia, which
was so destructive of life and property:
Ensign John L. Purcell, U.S. Navy.
Lieut. John A. Shearman, U.S. Navy.
Ensign H.P. Jones, U.S. Navy.
Ensign H.A. Field, U.S. Navy.
These officers worked incessantly, doing all that it was possible to do in
saving the Nipsic, in efforts to launch boats and get lines to the Vandalia,
and in patrolling the beach and saving life. They all worked until overcome by
physical exhaustion. Ensign Field was in ill health when he left the ship and
worked until 4 p.m., when he succumbed. He has since been on the sick-list and
nigh unto death.
Ensign Purcell
and
Lieutenant Shearman did not yield until after midnight and were promptly at
hand early the following morning. Ensign Jones, in addition to his services on
the shore, is highly commended by his commanding officer in a letter to me of
March 26, of which the following is an extract:
I beg to call your attention particularly to the valuable services of Ensign
H.P. Jones, Jr., who was officer of the deck of the morning watch and who
superintended the steering of this ship properly and carefully for two long
hours to prevent the Olga from cutting us down. He stood bravely at his post by
my side on the poop through all the storm, rain, and volumes of smoke, when at
times we could see but a few feet ahead, as the blinding smoke and heat were
simply terrible. Mr. Jones is a young officer of great promise, and bids fair
to be of value to the service and to his country.
I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club
(UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society and the
American Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). I
subscribe to each organizations’ code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed.
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