SINCLAIR-WILLIAM

LOST  AT  SEA

William Beverley Sinclair Jr. was reportedly born during 1845 in Virginia, the son of Surgeon William Beverley Sinclair who was serving in the U.S. Navy.  Young Sinclair’s grandfather, Arthur Sinclair II, had been a Commodore in the U.S. Navy, so following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom had distinguished USN careers, William Sinclair Jr. joined the Confederate States Navy (CSN) as a Midshipman at the age of 16 on December 1, 1861, as his father had preceded him by resigning his USN commission and joining the CSN.  After a short period of training Midshipman Sinclair was ordered to England where he boarded the CSS NASHVILLE on which he served before being assigned to CSS RICHMOND (1862-1863).  He was later reassigned to the sloop-of-war cruiser CSS FLORIDA.

On July 10, 1864, Midshipman Sinclair met an unfortunate death while assigned to FLORIDA.  Historical records indicate that while off the Delaware Capes, boats were transferring ammunition from a captured prize to FLORIDA when the boat in which Midshipman Sinclair was working capsized and sank.  It was reported that Sinclair generously gave an oar to one of the sailors who could not swim and was struggling in the water.  As Sinclair attempted to swim to his ship he became exhausted and sank when reportedly only about 20 yards from the ship.  He was the only man reportedly lost during the accident.

On November 17, 1864, the CSN Department issued the following general order:

“Information has reached the Department of the death of Passed Midshipman William B. Sinclair, late of the Florida, at sea, on the 10th of July last.  In passing from a prize ship to the FLORIDA, his boat was swamped, and he, the only one of the crew lost, perished in rescuing a seaman who could not swim.  On this, as on many previous occasions, this young officer displayed that courage, coolness, and conscientious devotion to duty and to right, which ever marked his brief career.”

S. R. Mallory, 
Secretary of the Navy

The body of Midshipman Sinclair was not recovered.  However, a memorial marker in his memory has been placed in the Confederate Section of the Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama.

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