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More Tributes to William C. Mills – Naval Battle Survivor
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 10, 2020
William C. Mills, who was previously profiled here on this blog, was a survivor of the sinking of the Congress by the Merrimac during the Civil War. The print above, shows the explosion that occurred on the Congress that resulted in its burning and sinking. The sinking took place in the Battle of Newport News, which occurred on 8 March 1862. Approximately 120 sailors, including the captain, lost their lives in the sinking.
William C. Mills died 21 September 1916 at Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. He was recognized there on the Millersburg Soldier Monument, which was erected only two years before his death. As a resident of Millersburg, it is highly possible that he was present at the monument dedication in 1914 and appeared in the photo of the veterans:
Unfortunately, to date, no information has been seen to accurately identify those in the photograph.
William C. Mills was known well enough throughout the state of Pennsylvania for his obituary to appear in City newspapers.
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From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 22 September 1916:
CAPT. MILLS OF CIVIL WAR FAME DIES
MILLERSBURG, Pennsylvania, September 21 [1916] — Capt. William C. Mills, last of the survivors of the battleship Congress, which was sunk during the Civil War by the Merrimac, died at his home here early this morning. He was 75 years old.
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer, 22 September 1916:
MILLERSBURG – William C. Mills, died this morning. He was seventy-five years old and was the last of the survivors of the crew of the Congress that was sunk by the Merrimac.
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From the Lancaster Semi-Weekly News Era, 23 September 1916:
CAPTAIN WILLIAM C. MILLS, said to be the last of the survivors of the warship Congress, which was sunk during the Civil War by the Merrimac, died at his home at Millersburg, Pennsylvania, of heart disease there Thursday morning. He was seventy-five years old.
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From the Carlisle Evening Herald, 22 September 1916:
LAST SURVIVOR OF SHIP CONGRESS DIES
William C. Mills, aged 74 years, a retired miller of Millersburg, died Thursday morning at 5:30 o’clock at his home in Lenkerville following a sudden attack of neuralgia of the heart. He was a Civil War veteran and the last survivor of the Congress sunk by the Merrimac during the war.
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From the Harrisburg Telegraph, 22 September 1916:
CAPT. W. C. MILLS, MEMBER OF CUMBERLAND CREW, DIES
Millersburg, Pennsylvania, September 22 [1916] — Captain William C. Mills, a veteran of the Civil War died suddenly of heart disease yesterday at the home in Lenkerville, aged 77 years. Mr. Mills came to Lenkerville from Chester County after the war and for many years followed milling. During the war he was a member of the warship Cumberland, and was one of the crew who escaped when rammed by the Merrimac in Hampton Roads. He also witnessed the battle between the Merrimac and the Monitor after the destruction of his ship. He is survived by two sons, William C. Mills Jr., of Millersburg, and Harry F. Mills of Hazleton, and four daughters, Mrs. Annie Noble and Mrs. H. H. Heicher, of Harrisburg; Mrs. William H. Goodwin of West Chester, and Miss Sue Mills at home.
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Finally, the one local newspaper, the Elizabethville Echo, 28 September 1916, also announced his death, but was the only one that included his prior service the 9th Pennsylvania Infantry:
William C. Mills
The death of William C. Mills, aged 74, occurred at his home in Lenkerville on Thursday morning, September 21st, caused by a sudden attack of neuralgia of the heart. He was born in Chester County and was a soldier in the Civil War, serving in Company F, Ninth Pennsylvania Infantry and later was in the Marine service. He was on the ship Congress when it was sunk by the Merrimac. Mrs. Mills died eight years ago. There are five daughters and two sons surviving. Funeral services were held on Sunday afternoon.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
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