Opinion
Le Roy Fitch Union gunboat commander
Le Roy Fitch became one of the honorable men who received great respect from those men serving under his command as well as those men who were his superiors. Not once did he falter in following orders or carrying them out in a superior manner. In fact, the destroyer, U.S.S. Fitch, was named for Commander Le Roy Fitch in 1941. His grandniece, Mrs. H.W. Thomas christened the U.S.S. Fitch as it slid into the water.
Le Roy Fitch was a half brother of Dr. Graham Newell Fitch who lived at the corner of Seventh and Market. His father was Dr. Frederick Fitch, a well-known surgeon in Washington County, N.Y. Dr. Fitch moved to Bellona, N.Y., and married Mary Capen on Dec. 4, 1808. Dr. Graham Fitch was born on Dec. 6, 1809, the first white child born in Le Roy, N.Y. Dr. Frederick lost a leg in the War of 1812. He continued in the medical profession and Graham followed in his father’s footsteps. Graham married Harriet Satterlee. Their first child was born March 5, 1834, in New York. The Fitch family moved westward in July 1834 with Dr. Frederick stopping in Logansport for a few months. He married Harriet Thomas and then continued on to Pekin, Ill., while Dr. Graham Fitch remained in Logansport. Le Roy Fitch was born Oct. 1, 1835, in Peking, Ill.
Dr. Frederick Fitch returned to Logansport in 1837 and moved in with Dr. Graham Fitch. Dr. Frederick Fitch died March 18, 1850, leaving Le Roy a ward of Dr. Graham Fitch. Because Dr. Graham Fitch was elected to the United States Senate, he was able to have Le Roy appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1851. He graduated as a lieutenant June 20, 1856.
Lt. Fitch served on several ships after graduation. The Civil War began and Lt. Fitch was appointed lieutenant commander at age 29. He was assigned to the Mississippi River fleet of “Tinclad” patrol ships. Tinclads were boats covered with a light covering of metal that could prevent bullets from penetrating the wood. He took part in the battles on the Cumberland River, Tennessee River, and later the Ohio River to prevent Morgan’s Raider from escaping back into Kentucky. The Confederacy set up sniper groups all along the Cumberland, Tennessee and Ohio rivers. The swift Tinclads moved in and destroyed the sniper nests. Cmdr. Fitch was ordered to burn the town of Palmyra in Tennessee to teach the snipers a lesson.
After the Civil War, Cmdr. Fitch taught for a year at Annapolis. He then commanded the gunboat, “Marblehead” in the Atlantic and Caribbean. He came home to Logansport two years and then became commander of the Pensacola Naval Yard in Florida. In 1872, he was assigned to the Navy Department in Washington, D.C.
Cmdr. Fitch became very ill and returned to Logansport in 1873. He died in April 1875.
Le Roy married Mary Smith, the daughter of Major Benjamin H. Smith. Their home was the site of the first St. Joseph Hospital on Cliff Drive.
• Richard B. Copeland is a Cass County Historian and may be reached at ptnews@pharostribune.com. The material for this article came from the Cass County Historical Society archives and the Internet.
- Opinion
-
-
Public forum
Letters of up to 400 words may be submitted to Public Forum, Pharos-Tribune, 517 E. Broadway, Logansport IN 46947. The e-mail
address is publicforum@pharostribune.com, and the fax number is (574) 732-5070. Please include an address and telephone number we can use for verification purposes. -
Context sometimes gets lost
Managing Editor Kelly Hawes writes about the recent situation with U.S. Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod.
-
Sign case offers some valuable lessons
A downtown property owner is trying to win approval for a sign he built in violation of city regulations.
The case should provide some lessons for both the city and other property owners. -
Public Forum, July 25
Letters of up to 400 words may be submitted to Public Forum, Pharos-Tribune, 517 E. Broadway, Logansport IN 46947. The e-mail address is publicforum@pharostribune.com, and the fax number is (574) 732-5070. Please include an address and telephone number we can use for verification purposes.
-
Ousted director seeks public support
Former Executive Director of Cass Transit and the Downtown Senior Center Sue Hoehler asks for community support.
-
Whatever happened to real music over dinner
Local columnist Joe Bowyer recalls the music of the past.
-
Flora woman’s letter in GOP speech
Local columnist Dave Kitchell takes a look back at the past 100 years.
-
A look at local lawmakers
Local columnist Richard Copeland writes about local lawmakers.
-
Thorns & Roses
Thorns & Roses is our staff’s compilation of the best and worst of the week, but if you have your own nominations, feel free to send them along for publication in our Public Forum. Submissions of up to 400 words may be addressed to Pharos-Tribune, 517 E. Broadway, Logansport IN 46947. The fax number is 574-732-5070, and the e-mail address is publicforum@pharostribune.com. Don’t forget to include your name, address and daytime telephone number.
-
Fair brings another record-setting auction
The annual Cass County 4-H Fair auction recognizes and rewards the county’s 4-H members for their hard work.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Public forum
