Euclid P. Hodges (abt. 1838 - 1863)

Born about 1838 in Virginia, United States

Died 27 May 1863 at about age 25 in Blountstown, Calhoun, Florida, United States

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Biography

Euclid was born in Virginia in about 1838. His parents were Churchill A. Hodges and his mother was named Catherine. Euclid was living with his parents in Richmond City, Henrico County, Virginia in 1850.^[1] His father was a Hotel Keeper. Euclid was age 12.

He was living in Washington City, District of Columbia in 1860. ^[2] He was working as a clerk and was living with his parents, C.A. Hodges and Catherine Hodges. The election of 1860 resulted in the election of Abraham Lincoln and with it followed the secession of South Carolina. On April 12th Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor was bombarded by South Carolina troop commanded by Pierre G. T. Bearegard and war had begun. Virginia had met in Feb of 1861 in convention and decided to leave the union via articles of secession.

War came to Virginia and Maryland in April of 1861.

Military

Euclid was a Private in the 9th Virginia Cavalry in Company H, Lee's Rangers, King William, from June 10th 1861 to 1862. Company H was created on 10 June 1861.^[3] For a period beginning in Mar 1862 Euclid was the clerk to the Adjutant. The 9th Cavalry Regiment was formed in January, 1862, using the 1st Battalion Virginia Cavalry as its nucleus. It's companies were from the counties of Stafford, Caroline, Westmoreland, Lancaster, Essex, Spotsylvania, Lunenburg, King William, King George, and Richmond. The unit served in W.H.F. Lee's, Chambliss', and Beale's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia.^[4] The 9th Virginia Cavalry was in the Brigade of General Fitzhugh Lee at the Second Battle of Manassas 28-30 August , Sharpsburg/Antietam 17 September, and Fredericksburg on December 13th.

After these battle experiences Euclid was transferred to the Confederate States Navy on 18 Jan of 1863.

The C.S.S Chattahoochee was a new ship for the Confederate Navy. She was a double steam engine powered gunboat with three masts for sailing. Construction had just completed at the navy yard at Saffold, Georgia in Early County the end of 1862 under the command of Lt. Catesby ap Roger Jones and was launched in Jan of 1863. The ship was commissioned on Feb 1863. It took much longer to complete her construction than anticipated and then she was damaged in an accidental grounding during her first trip downriver from the navy yard. Towed to the Florida town of Chattahoochee, she underwent extensive repairs; but by the time the vessel was fully operational, the Confederate army had moved forward with plans to obstruct the Apalachicola River, to prevent Union gunboats entering from the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately for the officers and crew of the Chattahoochee, these same obstructions prevented her from going down-river to the open sea. Lieutenant Jones was subsequently sent to a new post with Lieutenant J.J. Guthrie arriving to replace him. With the opportunity lost to engage with the enemy in open water, several officers requested assignments to other vessels; but most of the ship's original crew chose to remain. Reluctantly, Guthrie was forced to be content with steaming up and down the river and conducting the occasional artillery drill. The Chattahoochee was armed with a powerful 32-pound rifle, a heavy 9-inch gun, both mounted on pivots, as well as four 32-pounders mounted in broadsides (two on each side) and with constant practice, her crew became very efficient in operating her guns.

The C.S.S. Chattahoochee was berthed at the Arsenal Wharf at Chattahoochee when news reached her that a Federal boat party from the U.S.S. Port Royal had entered the lower Apalachicola and captured the schooner 'Fashion', which was taking on cotton for a planned attempt to run the blockade. Although the capture of the 'Fashion' took place below the obstructions, the crew of the Chattahoochee raised steam on May 26th and started down the Apalachicola. The vessel reached the bar at Blountstown, a shallow point in the river that night but found water too shallow to continue. Lieutenant Guthrie ordered the ship anchored for the night before continuing downstream in a small boat to see if there was any way to get around the obstructions. Many later believed it was his intention to ram them.

Tragically, neither the captain nor his crew knew that a severe early season hurricane was about to move in from the Gulf. The wind and rain increased through the night and by the morning of May 27th 1863 when Guthrie returned, the vessel was already feeling the brunt of the approaching storm. These conditions probably contributed greatly to what happened next. As the crew prepared to raise steam for the trip upriver, an argument broke out over how much water was in the boiler. Reportedly, a gauge was not working and before the ship's chief engineer could intervene, a massive steam explosion rocked the vessel.

Euclid was on duty aboard the C.S.S. Chattahoochee in May of 1863. He was an officer and 3rd Assistant Engineer.

Euclid along with 15 of his shipmates died when the boilers exploded while they were at anchor at Blountstown, Florida on the Apalachicola River. He and the others that died were transported to the Arsenal Wharf at Chattahoochee, Florida and buried near there. A memorial to them was erected in 1994 by the UDC in Florida. Lt. Gift,the Executive Officer, reported in the Columbus Enquirer Newspaper in Columbus, Georgia a casualty list of those killed and injured in the explosion on the 9th of June.

Research Notes

There is a Euclid Hodges living in Washington City, District of Columbia in 1860. He is age 21 and born about 1839.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8D7-946 : 23 December 2020), Euclid Hodges in household of Churhill A Hodges, Richmond, Henrico, Virginia, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCVM-YRQ : 18 February 2021), Euclide Hodges in entry for C A Hodges, 1860.
3. ↑ https://civilwarintheeast.com/confederate-regiments/virginia/9th-virginia-cavalry-regiment/
4. ↑ https://civilwarintheeast.com/confederate-regiments/virginia/9th-virginia-cavalry-regiment/

• "United States Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7Q3P-L23Z : 6 September 2019), Euclid P Hodges, 1861-1865.

• "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F92Y-Q2K : 25 August 2021), Euclid P. Hodges, 1861-1865.
• "Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J34Y-M97 : 5 December 2014), Euclid P Hodges, 1861; from "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Virginia," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing military unit Ninth Cavalry (Johnson's Regiment), NARA microfilm publication M324 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1961), roll 93.

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96894368/euclid-p-hodges