JOHNSTON-JAMES

CIVIL  WAR  POWDER  MONKEY

ONLY  6½  YEARS  OLD

From the earliest days of the U.S. Navy, young boys between the ages of 11 and 18 were enlisted to become Powder Monkeys whose primary role was to deliver gun powder and shot to gun crews during battle.  Young boys were ideally suited for the task as they frequently had to run through narrow passageways and up narrow staircases.  In addition being small in size helped them stay hidden behind the ship’s gunwale, keeping them from being shot by enemy ship’s sharp shooters.

James Vincent Johnston was among the youngest boys to render service as a Powder Monkey in battle during the Civil War.  The Missouri History Museum in St. Louis is in possession of a Civil War photograph which shows Johnston in a sailor suit.  Research by the museum concerning the picture disclosed that Johnston was born on September 23, 1857, at Hannibal, Missouri, and his father, Captain John V. Johnston, was Commander of the USS FOREST ROSE, a 155-foot stern wheel steamer assigned to patrol duty in the Mississippi Squadron on the Mississippi River throughout her Civil War career.  The ship conveyed transports, carried messages, and fired on Confederate shore positions and troop detachments with her two 30-pound rifles and four 24-pound howitzers.

The library’s research revealed that in early February 1864, Captain Johnston had both his wife and son on board FOREST ROSE.  As the ship approached Waterproof, Louisiana, a large Confederate force was observed attacking a Union detachment on shore.  Clearing his vessel for action Captain Johnston instructed his wife to lie on the deck in a cabin where he tied his son, James, to a table leg.  During the ensuing action, James managed to untie himself and escaped the cabin whereupon he took over for a Powder Monkey who had been killed early in the battle.  Ignoring his father’s instructions to leave the work to others, James continued to carry gun powder and shot to the gun crews until the conclusion of the battle.  James was only six and a half years old at the time and the crew was so struck with the boy’s bravery and conduct that they had a sailor suit made for him with the quartermaster insignia embroidered on the sleeve.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)