Tybee Island in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Henry Sims Morgan
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 12, 2022
1. Henry Sims Morgan Marker
Henry Sims Morgan graduated with the class of 1897 from West Point Academy. A second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, he was in charge of construction of a battery on Wassaw Island from 1897 to 1898.
Morgan drowned on August 31, 1898 while he and five other volunteers attempted to save the crew of the Italian Bark Noe, and a small boat was launched in the attempt and it capsized. Morgan and one of the other volunteers died. Morgan was only twenty-four years old.
Morgan's classmates placed a plaque in his honor at West Point Academy, and in 1923 a duplicate was made and placed at Fort Screven.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Heroes • Military • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is August 31, 1898.
Location. 32° 1.296′ N, 80° 50.663′ W. Marker is on Tybee Island, Georgia, in Chatham County. Marker can be reached from Meddin Drive north of Sprucewood Avenue/Gulick Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in parking area of Battery Garland in Fort Screven. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tybee Island GA 31328, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Loss of the HMS Otranto October 1918 (here, next to this marker); H.M.S. Otranto and Fort Screven (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named
this page online
Regarding Henry Sims Morgan. The other rescuer who drowned was Harry Smith, a rigger working on Morgan's fortification project. The other men clung to the capsized boat for several hours until they were washed ashore on Daufuskie Island, S.C. Sometime around 1900, two African-American men found skeletal remains in a remote inlet on St. Catherine's Island, Ga., about 25 miles south of the site of the attempted rescue. The men, fearing white reprisals, secretly buried the remains. It wasn't until 1906 that the grave was found and the remains identified as Morgan's. He is buried in his
via Lowdes County Historical Society, unknown
2. Henry Sims Morgan: Valdosta's "Forgotten" First West Point Graduate
Lowdes County Historical Society website entry
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Also see . . .
1. The Morning News, Sept. 2, 1898, page 8 (PDF). Article in the Savannah newspaper about the deadly rescue attempt. Article begins in the left column. (Library of Congress, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers project) (Submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Morning News, Sept. 2, 1898, page 3 (PDF). Continuation of Savannah newspaper article about the ill-fated rescue attempt off Tybee Island. Story continues in the second column from left. (Library of Congress, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers project). (Submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 12, 2022
3. Henry Sims Morgan Marker
Featured marker is second from right.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on March 25, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3. submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
