William Hearne Military Record
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In his early life, William was a seaman. In 1858, at the age of 17, he had left home, working in Portland, Maine as a ships carpenter. He enlisted in the Navy on September 22, 1859. From September 22, 1859 he was an ordinary seaman aboard the USS Pennsylvania until November 8, 1859. Then, on March 31,1860, he joined the crew of the the USS Water Witch. On October 30, 1860, he was promoted to seaman. The Water Witch was a Sidewheel sloop built at the Washington Navy Yard in 1852. On October 26, 1860, it, and William, were forced home by yellow fever and laid up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. On April 20, 1861, the Pennsylvania was sunk (the one on fire in this picture) at the Norfolk, Virginia Navy Yard. The Water Witch was sunk in 1864 during the war. On October 5, 1861, at the age of 20, (he gave his age as 21) William switched services and enrolled in the 1st New York Mounted Rifles Regiment to serve three years. He mustered in as a private, Company A and was promoted to Sergeant on October 7, 1862.
William Hearne and the Broadwater Bridge Battle
He was then mustered in as a Second Lieutenant in Company H on June 10, 1863. He was disabled by rheumatism while serving in Virginia in 1863, which was to debilitate him for the rest of his life. He mustered out of Company H on November 11, 1864 at Varina, Virginia when his service commitment was up. (He is listed in New York in the Civil War Rebellion by Phisterer - third edition- 1909 on pages 1116 and 1125).
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