Man's mission to honor Fort Fisher battle heroes

Although Gen. Newton M. Curtis received his Medal of Honor for the Battle of Fort Fisher, some other heroes of that encounter did not.

Now, a Rhode Island man is on a mission to see that a dozen veterans of Fort Fisher get the recognition they deserve. One of them, says Ted Stone, Warwick, R.I., was DePeyster native Edward Petrie. A member of the 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry, Petrie was promoted to corporal March 1, 1865. He was born in 1846 and died Nov. 29, 1930.

A former Marine, Mr. Stone works for a pharmaceutical company. His military background remains in his heart, and with that background, he says he feels a camaraderie with these long-forgotten heroes.

Mr. Stone enjoys reading old war stories, and in one of his reads, he discovered that the 12 veterans of Fort Fisher had been recommended for Medals of Honor, but somehow never got them.

He has researched the men, trying to find descendants, and has sent inquiries to Civil War historians, veterans groups, military offices, Secretary of the Army John McHugh, and even President Obama, attempting to set the record straight and get these men their due.

"I'm just looking to do something which I think is human and decent," he told the Warwick Beacon newspaper, which reported his mission in March.

Also on his list are:

■ Silas Baker, 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry, killed at Fort Fisher on Jan. 15, 1865, and listed as missing.

■ James E. Cadman or Cramer, 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry, wounded at Fort Fisher.

■ William D. Cabe (could be a misspelling), 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry.

■ Eugene H. Cooper, 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry, wounded at Fort Fisher, promoted to corporal and transferred to the 169th New York Infantry.

■ Dewitt C. Hotchkiss, 112th New York Volunteer Infantry, who served on the ironclad Monitor as a member of the Infantry Marine Service. He lived in Poland, N.Y., had three children, died in 1933 and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Stockton.

■ George Hoyt, 142 New York Volunteer Infantry.

■ Oscar R. Kingsland, 112th New York Volunteer Infantry after enlisting in the 28th Light Artillery Regiment of New York, wounded at Fort Fisher, died on April 28, 1865, and buried at Wilmington, N.C., National Cemetery.

■ William J. McDuffie, 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry, promoted to corporal on March 1, 1865.

■ David H. Morgan, 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry, born Feb. 29, 1844, died June 14, 1887.

■ Samuel L. Porteous, born Aug. 3, 1836, served with the 142 New York Volunteer Infantry, died Feb. 17, 1880.

■ James Spring, 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry, lied about his age in order to join the Union army, presented Curtis with a captured Confederate flag at Fort Fisher, later to be killed in the battle.