Richard Burke

Coal Heaver, USS Brooklyn

Richard Burke was born c1842 in Ireland and enlisted in New York as a Coal Heaver on 21 January 1864 for a one year term.^[1] Per his rendezvous index card, Burke was attached to the USS Brooklyn on 20 April 1864. ^[2]

Burke was aboard the Brooklyn during the 5 August 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay, in which action he was killed after being struck by a shell.^{[3], [4]}

Richard Burke was 22 years old and had been in the Navy for just under six months.

Interment

Section 2, Grave 285, Mobile National Cemetery. Surname misspelled on stone as "Bruke".

Burke and the rest of the Brooklyn KIAs from the Battle of Mobile Bay were originally buried at Fort Powell. The graves were later removed by the Army Quartermaster Department to Mobile National Cemetery.

Dependents

Awards and Memorials

References

^[1] Return of the United States Naval Rendezvous, Boston, MA for the week ending May 7, 1861

^[2] NARA T1099. An index to rendezvous reports during the Civil War, 1861-1865.

^[3] "Report of Casualties on the USS Brooklyn" NARA "Letters Received by the Secretary of the Navy From Commanding Officers of Squadrons, 1841-1886".

^[4] Muster Rolls of U.S.S. Brooklyn 1864-1865