23 Dec 2019

History:

Lost Capitol Hill: Michael Shiner in the Civil War

John Dahlgren (LOC)

Over the last few weeks, I looked at Michael Shiner and his time during the Burning of Washington. Today, I want to look at another important moment in his life: The outbreak if the Civil War.

By 1860, Shiner had been a free man for many years. He lived on Pennsylvania Avenue with his wife and still worked at the Navy Yard.

The outbreak of the Civil War was a major crisis at the Washington Navy Yard. Its commandant, Franklin Buchanan, resigned on April 22, 1861, fully expecting that his home state of Maryland would be the next to secede. When that did not turn out to be the case, Buchanan – after attempting, and failing, to recall his resignation – joined the Confederate navy. This left John Dahlgren (pictured) in charge of the Navy Yard, with the open question as to who else at the installation harbored secessionist tendencies. Shiner describes what happens next:

on the first Day of June 1861 on Satturday Justice Clark was sent Down to the Washington navy yard For to administer the oath of allegiance to the mechanics and the Labouring Class of working men With out DistincSion of Colour for them to Stand by the Stars and Stripes and defend for the union and Captain Dalgrren Present and I believe at that time I michael Shiner was the first Colered man that had taken the oath in washington DC and that oath Still Remains in my heart and when I had taken that oath I Taken It in the presence of God without predudice or enmity to any man And I intend to Sustain That oath with The assistance of the Almighty God until I die for when a man takes an oath For a Just cause it is more then taking a Drink of water Sitting Down to his Breakfast

In all, over 400 workers joined Shiner in swearing the oath, while some 37 refused to do so and thus were fired.

In all, it was an exciting day for both the country and the Navy Yard. That day, there was a skirmish at Fairfax Courthouse, during which Cavalry soldiers fought with Secissionists, managing to capture a number of the latter, who were brought to Washington Navy Yard for further transport to jail in Alexandria.

Meanwhile, further down the Potomac, a number of US vessels fired on the Aquia Creek fortifications. While the battle did not result in any deaths, one of the vessels, the USS Thomas Freeborn had to be brought back to Navy Yard for repairs.

Ad for Justice of the Peace John D. Clark, the only person in the city directories of teh time to match Shiner’s descriptino of the man who swore in the Navy Yard workers. Clark was later accused of having secessionist tendencies (Archive.org)

Shiner continued to recount the important events of the Civil War, both for the country and personally. This includes a number of visits of the President to the Navy Yard, the last of which he recounted as follows:

and on friday evening before he was assanated Mr Licoln and his Lady whear Both down at the washington navy on good friday the 14 1865

If you are interested in reading more about Shiner and his diary, the best source is the Naval History and Heritage Command page that contains a transcription (which is the source I have used for these articles) and some context of the diary.


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