SAUNDERS-JAMES

CIVIL  WAR  UNION  SAILOR

Historical records report that James Les Saunders was born on July 7, 1849 in Centerville, Pennsylvania, and served as a Landsman in the Union Navy from August 29, 1864 to June 29, 1865.  His service was aboard the USS Moose, a 189-ton wooden sternwheel steamer purchased by the Navy in May 1863 and converted to a gunboat.  The Moose patrolled Confederate waterways to halt smuggling, control movements of Southern troops, and prevent the South from trading with other countries.  While Saunders was a crewmember the ship was involved in several successful encounters.  Saunders reportedly died on January 27, 1892 and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Union City, Pennsylvania.

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