A Filipino Bluejacket

AndyHall

Colonel
Joined
Dec 13, 2011
Battise.jpg


This LoC image is marked as being of an African American named Charles Batties, but I believe it's of Charles Battise, an 18-year-old Filipino who enlisted in the U.S. Navy for a three-year term on November 30, 1865 at Boston. Battise is described as having black hair, black eyes, and being 4 feet 11 1/2 inches tall.

Page 381 - (Boston).jpg
 
Could be that he'd shipped aboard a merchant coming from Asia, or maybe a whaler... and then perhaps when he got to Boston he couldn't find a berth on a merchant vessel, or maybe he had a friend that talked him into joining up, or maybe he just thought it was a good thing to do. Hard to say at first glance. But the sailors of that time period were something of an international polyglot, and while the American merchant service was not exactly over-run with Asians, it's not too much of a surprise to find some here and there.
 
Something like 45% of U.S. Navy enlistees were foreign-born, significantly higher than in the Union army. But then, as Mark points out, both civilian and naval crews were traditionally like that during that period.
 
Mark, Looking at the muster roll that Andy put up... I think your right on the buddy talking him into joining, or he talked a buddy... cause right under his name is a Joseph Bernardo, 23, also born in Manila. I cant tell what the rating is because of the obscuring piece of paper, but I can bet these two fellers joined up together.
 

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