John Yates Beall | |
|---|---|
 John Yates Beall on the day of his execution | |
| Born | (1835-01-01)January 1, 1835 |
| Died | February 24, 1865(1865-02-24) (aged 30) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch |  Confederate States Army Confederate States Navy |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |  Acting Master |
| Unit |  2nd Virginia Infantry |
| Commands | The Raven The Swan |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
John Yates Beall (January 1, 1835 – February 24, 1865) was aConfederate privateer in theAmerican Civil War who was arrested as a spy inNew York and executed atFort Columbus onGovernors Island.
Beall was born inJefferson County, Virginia (nowWest Virginia) on his father's farm, Walnut Grove. He attended theUniversity of Virginia to study law but upon the death of his father in 1855 he left his studies to take up farming.
The New York Times reported that Beall owned a plantation with 100 slaves.
BEALL is a native of Jefferson County, Virginia, 32 years of age, and was educated at the Charlottesville University. When the war broke out he was owner of a large plantation and one hundred slaves, possessing beside a large fortune, and is said to be heir apparent to Lord EGELBY, a British nobleman. He entered the rebel service as Captain of Company G, Second Virginia Regiment, Col. ALLEN, which was attached to Stonewall JACKSON's brigade. He afterward was transferred to the rebel navy, and while holding a commission as Acting Master from the authorities at Richmond, committed the crimes which he is condemned to expiate with his life.[1]
At the start of the war, Beall joined Bott's Grays, Company G, in the2nd Virginia Infantry. He received a wound in the lungs which left him incapable of active service.
Inspired byJohn Hunt Morgan, he conceived a plan to launchprivateers on theGreat Lakes. He presented his plan to Confederate authorities, who were interested but declined to act since it might endangerrelations with neutral Britain. Beall was commissioned as acting master in theConfederate States Navy, though not given a command. He then proceeded on his own as a privateer, active in the areas of thePotomac River andChesapeake Bay.[2] He assembled a crew of 18 men and commanded two boats,The Raven andThe Swan. His second in command was a 22-year-old Scotsman namedBennet G. Burley. Beall was captured by Union forces in November 1863 and jailed atFort McHenry, inBaltimore, until he was released in a prisoner exchange on May 5, 1864.
Upon his release, he returned to the north shore ofLake Erie to Canada West, part of theProvince of Canada, in order to implement a plan to free Confederate prisoners onJohnson's Island. On September 18, 1864, a small group of volunteers embarked fromSandwich andAmherstburg, Canada West, and, with Beall, captured the shipPhilo Parsons offKelleys Island, and then theIsland Queen, which wasscuttled. The plan included capturing the U.S. gunboatMichigan. However, at this point the crew refused to proceed further without outside assistance. Beall reluctantly agreed, and together they sailed back to Sandwich (the former name of and now a neighborhood ofWindsor, Ontario), where they scuttled thePhilo Parsons and separated, all escaping arrest except for Burley, whose extradition was demanded by U.S. authorities.[3]
Beall then decided to free some captured Confederate officers by derailing a passenger train, but he and a companion, George S. Anderson, were arrested inNiagara, New York, on December 16, 1864. They were imprisoned atFort Lafayette, New York. Anderson agreed to testify against Beall in return for leniency.
GeneralJohn Adams Dix ordered amilitary commission for Beall's trial, which began on January 17, 1865. He was represented byJames T. Brady. The arrest of Beall had not been published in any newspaper, and Confederate authorities were unaware of his status. On February 8, the commission found him guilty on all charges and sentenced him to death. Beall was then transported to and held atFort Columbus onGovernors Island inNew York Harbor to await his execution.
The story of Beall's arrest and trial then appeared in the newspapers, and efforts were made to save him. Appeals were made to PresidentAbraham Lincoln by many prominent people, including six U.S. Senators and 91 members of Congress,[4] but Lincoln refused to intervene, not wanting to undermine Dix's authority. Another reason he cited was that Beall's actions had endangered the lives of Northern civilians.[5][6] Beall was executed on February 24, 1865. His last words were "I protest against this execution. It is absolute murder—brutal murder. I die in the service and defence of my country."[7]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
