Sharon:
Don't mean to rain on your parade, but I have almost less interest in black Union sailors than I do pondering whether Cathy Wliiams really served in the 38th Inf after the Civil War. These two topics just don't pop up on my personal radar screen.

I had posted my message when I read Bennie's re black sailors in the Federal Mississippi R. fleet. I had recently been out to Vicskburg park (about a half hour drive from where I live) and visited the very interesting Cairo museum-and that's where I got the muster roll handout.

But I am not totally disinterested--and the info I copied from the Vicksburg handout and what you posted re the black sailors on the Cairo is a perfect examle of how "history" gets messed up. And in this case I think the folks at Vicksburg did the messing.

For example:
your message has George Antone as a "mulatto" with occupation "unknown" at time of enlistment. Vicksburg paper listed him as "black" and a former "sailor".

You have John Mitchell's civilian trade as "sailor," Vicksburg gives "unknown"

All minor stuff I admit. But all too often I have seen minor errors become major legends/urban myths.
I'm sure you will agree, that the devil is in the details--they very, very small details.

Tom Phillips