Capt. Simms' Battalion

Capt. Simms’ Battalion was stationed on the James River towards Richmond. They were comprised of Companies B and C.

COMPANY B
Company B was organized on April 23, 1861 and was comprised of recruits which Capt. Van Benthuysen recruited in New Orleans. Records indicate the 95 men were enlisted in New Orleans. All but 20 left New Orleans on April 24th and arrived in Pensacola on April 26, 1861. The 20 left behind were to be part of the crew on the Sumter.

Van Benthuysen and his company were ordered to Mobile on February 13, 1862 but were soon dispatched to the Gosport Navy Yard at Norfolk. They arrived at Norfolk on March 11, 1862. At that time, Van Benthuysen served as the commander of the Marine Guard at the Gosport Yard. On March 19th Capt. Simms’ was placed in command of the Marines. On the night of May 9-10, 1862, during the evacuation of the Norfolk area, Company B was transferred to Drewry’s Bluff.

COMPANY C
Capt. Thom’s Company C was sent from Pensacola to the Gosport Yard on November 29, 1861. They were the first body of Marines in Virginia. Upon arrival, they were sent on board the receiving ship United States. The Marines were later assigned as Marine Guards for the C.S.S. Virginia, 54 Marines; C.S.S. Jamestown, 20 Marines; and the C.S.S. Patrick Henry, 24 Marines.

The C.S.S. Jamestown and Patrick Henry could not cope with the Federal ironclads and retreated up the James River to Drewry’s Bluff. On approximately May 10th, two guns from the Jamestown were taken ashore and she was sunk to complete the river obstruction. Three guns form the Patrick Henry were added to the defenses at Drewry’s Bluff and the crews went ashore to man the guns.

Following the destruction of the C.S.S. Virginia on May 11, 1862 at Craney Island (outside of Norfolk), the Marines, commanded by Capt. Thom, marched to Suffolk where they boarded a train to finish their journey to Richmond. Upon arrival at Richmond, they were sent down the James River to Drewry’s Bluff to support the crews of the Patrick Henry and the Jamestown.

MARINES AT DREWRY'S BLUFF
As the Federal ships came up the James River and tried to remove the obstructions, the Marines would fire upon them annoying their gunners and hinder their work. The commanders of the gunboats all complained of the rifle fire from the gun pits.

Comments from the commanders of the Federal gunboats included: ...under sharp fire of musketry from both banks, ...bullets piercing the bulwarks, ...rifle pits lining the banks manned by sharpshooters who annoyed the gunners. Commander John Rodgers, U.S.S. Galena, commented that the sharpshooters hindered the removing of obstacles that were placed in the river. The Galena suffered 13 killed and 11 wounded by the small-arms and artillery fire.(Pg. 40 & 41 Donnelly)

These Marines were so-called “sharpshooters”. “This function was the main service performed by the Marines, i.e., the pinning down of the enemy’s gunners and riflemen.” (Pg. 41 Donnelly)

LETTER FOLLOWING ACTION AT DREWRY'S BLUFF
Capt. Simms sent the following letter to Colonel Lloyd J. Beall concerning the C.S. Marines.

                                     Drewry's Bluff Battery
                                     May 16th 1862

Colonel,

I have the honor to make you the following report. On the 15th inst. the enemy's gunboats having made their appearance near the battery at Drury's Bluff, I stationed my command on the bluffs some two hundred yards from them to act as sharpshooters. We immediately opened a sharp fire upon them, killing three of the crew of the Galena certainly, and no doubt many more. The fire of the enemy was materially silenced at intervals by the fire of our troops.

It gives me much pleasure to call your attention to the coolness of the officers and men under the severe fire of the enemy. The companies comprising my battalion were commanded by Capts. Van Benthuysen and Meiere.

                                     Very Respectfully
                                     Jno. D. Simms
            (signed)                 Capt. C.S.Marines
                                     Commd'g

(Pg. 42 Donnelly, Report of Capt. John D. Simms, Comdg. Marine Battalion, to Col. Lloyd J. Beall, Comdt., C.S.M.C., Drewry’s Bluff Battery, May 16, 1862, Van B. Pp. Also see Richmond Daily Examiner, Mon., May 19, 1862, 1:3. The report is in the Richmond Daily Examiner, Sat., May 24, 1862, 1:2.)

Additional comments concerning these troops can be found in The Confederate States Marine Corps: The Repel Leathernecks by Ralph W. Donnelly, White Mane Publishing Company, Inc., 1989.

Pages cited in the above text are from Donnelly’s book.

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UNIFORM

To honor those who fought in the war, we wear the uniform of the unit we represent. We spent many hours, telephone calls, E-Mails, and trips to research our uniform. As a result, we feel it is as accurate as possible yet wearable for shooting competition and conforms to safety rules.

Our uniform consists of:

Cadet Blue Frock Coat Dark Blue Trousers White Jefferson Shirt Dark Blue French Kepi or Forage Cap Black Cross Strap Cartridge Box to match the Weapon used Brown or Black belt with a single or double Snake Buckle Brown or Black Cap Box to match the belt Haversack (white) of the 1864 design Shoes of the period--Modern shoes may be worn for safety

Regional Commander congradulating the team after inspection.

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Words Of Thanks Go To

Our team wants to thank the N-SSA Board of Directors and fellow N-SSA Members for their assistance in our endeavor.

A special thanks goes to Mr. David M. Sullivan for taking the time to discuss the Confederate Marine Uniform with us. He took time from his writing/publishing of The UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS in the Civil War-The First Year to talk to us. His book is now available through White Mane Publishing Co, Inc., P.O. Box 151, Shippensburg, Pa. 17257-0152

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This page was updated 4/14/1998