Captain John Julius Guthrie

Captain John Julius Guthrie. . , Captain Guthrie was born in Washington, North Carolina on April 15, 1815. He was one of our naval heroes, and lost his life in endeavoring to rescue the men from the USS Huron, which was lost off the coast of North Carolina, November 25, 1877., In 1833 he was appointed a cadet at West Point but after a year's attendance he received an appointment in the United States Navy as a midshipman. He rose to the rank of lieutenant and served on numerous vessels to include arduous service as a member of the squadron blocking Vera Cruz during the war with Mexico. While serving as Executive Officer, USS Saratoga on April 21, 1861 he led a boarding party to capture the slaver Nightingale in the Congo River and freed over 900 captive slaves to Liberia. The Nightingale was the last slaver ever captured by an American warship and was owned, manned and equipped in Boston, Massachusetts., Upon return to the states Guthrie accepted a commission as captain in the Confederate States Navy and served with gallantry in both command and staff positions until the close of the war., In 1875 President Grant appointed him as the superintendent of the life-saving stations along the coast of North Carolina and Virginia. It was off the coast of Kitty Hawk Beach that the man-of-war USS Huron stranded and Guthrie drowned in his noble attempt to save the lives of those on board.