Dixon DeWitt, US Navy, Cabin Boy

[rickvox79]

Hello everyone,

This post sorta falls between the Naval forum and the ancestry forum but I thought the Naval forum was the better place for it since my questions were mostly related to that. I unlocked a branch in my family tree that I hadn't discovered yet and found a 4th great uncle named Dixon Dewitt (1848-1890) that appears to have been in the Navy. At first I thought he would have been to young but then noticed his tombstone marker said "Cab Boy 2, US Navy". Looking at this pension it states "2 Class Boy" with service on the Hastings and Clara Dolson.

Ironically I just noticed the thread from some years back with the amusing story on the Clara Dolson haha. Anyway, I have read books on the Battle of Mobile Bay and the Civil War in Pensacola, so I have a small knowledge on the Naval aspect of the war but it is still pretty limited. I was curious about what cabin boys would do, what the rankings like 1st, 2nd and 3rd class boy would mean exactly. Any other information on the Clara Dolson or Hastings would be interesting as well.

 

[AndyHall]

"Boy" was a naval rating (rank) given to enlistees who were young and inexperienced.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

The Clara Dolsen (spelling sometimes varies) was used for much of the war as a "receiving ship" for the Mississippi Squadron; receiving ships were essentially floating barracks for new personnel and transferring personnel, and were often also where new would-be sailors received their initial issue of clothing, etc., and if they were lucky, a small amount of introductory training. Dixon might have served aboard as "permanent party" as we'd say in modern terms, part of the continuing staff of the vessel, or he may have been there temporarily pending assignment to another vessel.

The Hastings was a "tinclad" light-draught river gunboat.