A Filipino Bluejacket

[AndyHall]

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.

 

[Republican Blues]

Just looking at him, yeah, he is Filipino... no doubt about it.. Great image Andy, Thanks!!

 

[donna]

A great find. I believe he Filipino too.

 

[101combatvet]

Well... there is a Manila in Utah.

 

[John Winn]

That's a good find. Thanks for posting. I wonder how he got to Boston and what his story is. Four feet eleven; maybe he ran the rigging.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

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.

 

[AndyHall]

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.

 

[Republican Blues]

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.