Benjamin H. Porter (New York State Military Museum.)
From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in September 1863:
ENSIGN BENJ. F. PORTER, of the New Ironsides, a young and promising officer, about whose daring courage so much has recently been told, has his home at Skaneateles.
It seems that Benjamin Franklin was a popular given name in the 19th century (for example, see B.F. Butler), but in this case the young officer was almost certainly Benjamin H. Porter, who graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1862 or 1863. The incident of daring courage probably took place on the night of August 20-21, 1863 when the USS New Ironsides was the target of a torpedo boat attach in Charleston harbor. According to USS New Ironsides in the Civil War,[1]Ensign Porter repeatedly hailed the torpedo boat as it approached. The torpedo never made contact and the New Ironsides escaped without damage.
There is evidence that at some point Porter was captured during the relentless, if unsuccessful, Union effort to capture Fort Sumter and Charleston. I don’t know when, so far.
Ensign Porter was mentioned in press reports of September 1863. Southerners noted the following incident as an example of Yankee overconfidence because “care packages” were addressed to him and a comrade at Fort Sumter. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch September 15, 1863:
New Ironsides mapped in main Ship Channel
Affairs at Charleston.
The Charleston Mercury, of Friday, says that the enemy has refrained from firing since his unsuccessful assault on Fort Sumter. Our batteries on James and Sullivan’s Islands, together with Fort Moultrie, keep up a steady fire on the Morris Island works. It adds:
The enemy is reported busy at work on batteries Gregg and Wagner, having erected a large platform for his guns on the latter, and thrown up an extensive sand embankment on the former. The Yankees are also said to be working on their batteries on Craig’s Hill and building embrasures for guns pointing to Sullivan’s Island, which it is believed will be the next point of attack.
The Ironsides was lying in her old position yesterday, opposite battery Wagner, receiving ammunition from a schooner alongside of her. The monitors remain at their old anchorage. One of the enemy’s steamers appeared busy yesterday transporting guns and ordnance. …
They admit that the fire from Sullivan’s Island in the last fight was very accurate, one of the monitors having been struck on the turret twenty-nine times, without, they say, doing any damage. One monitor had her smoke stack blown off entirely. The Ironsides was struck fifty times without, they say, inflicting any serious damage. The prisoners manifest a great deal of confidence in the ability of General Gill more to take the city.
So confident were they of success in the late expedition that two boxes were received under flag of truce, one addressed to “Lieut. E. P. Williams, commanding Fort Sumter,” and another to “Ensign Benjamin H. Porter, Fort Sumter.” They were packed with lemons, jellies, liquors, &c., evidently prepared for a general glorification.
The Benjamin Porter House is a Bed & Breakfast in Skaneateles, New York. The house belonged to Benjamin H. Porter’s uncle. The current owners named it in honor of the Porters and their own son, a graduate of the Naval Academy in 2002.
“The Iron-Clad Frigate New Ironsides and Two Ericsson Batteries going into action at Charleston”
- [1]Roberts, William H. USS New Ironsides in the Civil War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1999. Print. page 76.↩
