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County), known as the "Sarsfield Guard" were led by Captain Silas W. Sawyer and Lt. Thomas C. Lawler, both of whom would play roles in the events in Bay St. Louis on Oct. 20, 1863.
The 9th Connecticut was made up of mostly first-generation Irish Catholic immigrants, whose commitment to God and each other would prove evident throughout the conflict and long after.
After the Union victory in Vicksburg in July 1863, the 9th was stationed at "Proctorville," the name given to the area around Fort Proctor near Shell Beach in St. Bernard Parish.
War is hell
Construction crews excavating the rectory at the OLG church after Hurricane Katrina made a curious discovery. An unexploded cannon ball had been unearthed, but just how and why it was there puzzled the church administration.
According to the book "Louisiana's	Loss,
Mississippi's Gain," by Robert Scharff, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.
After learning of the tannery and the salt-making operation in Hancock County, Union commanders set out to destroy them.
"If you could shell those places and seize the salt-boilers, we should get rid of the guerrillas and their sympathizers," Claiborne wrote.
The Union had several boats at Ship Island capable of traversing through shallow waters. Some of them were fitted with cannons which were used to deter blockade runners, and in this occasion to shell the city of Bay St. Louis in an attempt to destroy the tannery.
One account of the bombardment was given by the wife of James Ulman.
According to Ulman, as the gunboats approached, the family took refuge at OLG church, where they thought they would be safe. The first shell, however, blasted through the church steeple.
Mrs. Ulman hid in a dutch oven during the remainder of the siege.
Mrs. Bookter, who is the namesake of the street that runs parallel to St. Stanislaus had shells go through her roof and front window.
After the shelling, some Union troops landed on shore and began to loot the town.
The town, occupied mostly by old men and women whose husbands were off at war, were terrified.
Members of the Monet family are said to have hid their valuables in a hollow oak tree near their home at 611 North Beach.
In the past century, this particular story has given rise to a local legend of sorts about buried treasure along North Beach Blvd.
Bay St. Louis resident Louis Spotomo fled to New Orleans after the raid. He attached his gold under-
In early October, Sawyer and his men got a more meaningful assignment.
Sawyer took a small detachment of men by boat to Bay St. Louis, most likely to find and destroy the tannery.
The Butternut and Gray, however, were waiting for them.
According to a "dispatch" that was printed in the "New Orleans Times" newspaper, the company had no sooner landed on shore when they encountered about "85 rebels" who opened up a withering fire from concealed positions behind houses and buildings.
Seven Union prisoners were taken, four of whom were wounded, and Sawyer and the rest of his men returned to Fort Proctor empty handed.
The four wounded men were taken to the home of Mrs. Giacomo Monti at Brown's Vinyard, which was located in Waveland near what is now the comer of Old Spanish Trail and Highway 90.
The book "The history of the 9th Regiment," published in 1903, says, without giving dates, that four men were wounded and three were taken prisoner at Bay St. Louis. The three non-wounded prisoners eventually ended up in Andersonville prison camp, where two of them perished in 1864.
Second raid
The third time was the charm for the Union in Bay St. Louis.
According to a dispatch from Commodore H.H. Bell, the U.S.S. Commodore on Oct. 15, 1863, a steamboat converted to a war ship, towed a yacht, the Corypheus, into the Bay of St. Louis and landed there with a detachment of 200 soldiers.
This	time,	the
Confederate soldiers were either	out-of-town	or
frightened by the large Union presence and the landing was unmolested.
A short time later, the Union soldiers found the tannery and burned it to the ground.
The federal troops "completely destroyed the buildings, vats and a mill for grinding bark, also a large amount of hides stored," Bell wrote.
The raid caused about $20,000 (nearly $1 million today) in damage, Bell said.
Not knowing if there were southern soldiers or cavalry in the area, the raiding party decided that having completed their main objective, they would return to Fort Pike.
They were unable to locate the prisoners.
The Priest who saved Bay St. Louis
Despite the destruction of the tannery, Silas Sawyer was still fuming over his defeat on Oct. 5 and he desperately wanted to rescue his comrades who had been taken prisoner a few weeks before.
Sawyer met with Capt. Williams of Company A; Capt. Curtis of Company
BPIWUPli
Dr. Andrew Adams	Dr. Becky Hollibaugh Dr. Joanna Bayles
Bay St. Louis
(.228J 395-1255
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Casey Favre, NP-C Jami Rutherford, NP-C Michelle Brashear, NP-C
Diamondhead
(228)255-8216
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il Like us and the artist on Facebook; The Sea Coast Echo FEATURED
Artist of the Week ARTIST
Promoting the Arts in Hancock Co.
n order to better promote the arts, the Sea Coast Echo and The Arts, Hancock County, have partnered to offer our readers the Artist of the Week. We invite you to vote for your favorite artist each week - LIKE THEM on the Sea Coast Echo’s Facebook page. The artist with the most “likes” from Saturday-to-Saturday will then be our Artist of the Month, with a full feature story and multiple photos of his/her work. The Artist of the Week is open to every artist who lives or works in Hancock County, regardless of affiliation with any arts organization. For more, call Geoff Belcher at 467-5474 or 332-0257.
For more information on the Artist of the Week program hosted by the Sea Coast Echo and The Arts, Hancock County, call Geoff Belcher at 228-467-5474 or 228-332-0257 or e-mail gbelcher@ seacoastecho.com.
Chef Julie Ragusa
A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City, Julie has been working as a professional Chef since 2010.
Her introduction to the culinary arts began at the young age of 12 when her family opened a restaurant in her hometown of New Orleans.Julie has spent many years abroad working in several kitchens in Europe, particularly in Belgium where he learned the art of chocolate making and the European style of baking. In Brussels, she had the honor of being Sous Chef to Chef Tracey Griffith, America's first female certified sushi chef.
In 2013, Julie returned to the States and accepted the position of Executive Chef at the Mockingbird Cafe in
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Chef Julie Ragusa at Mockingbird Cafe.
Bay Saint Louis.
With chef Julie aboard, the
Chef Julie's latest addition to the Mockingbird Caf»’s breakfast menufresh buttermilk bis-weserves,
Mockingbird’s kitchen is bursting with fresh ideas and the menu is leaning heavily toward farm-to-table dishes .In addition to the “world-famous Mockingburger,” fresh sandwiches and scrumptious breakfasts, look for creme brulet, Cafe Vienna muffins. Lemon Feta Shortbread cookies and chocolate mousse.
She now works as their consultant and does consulting work in New Orleans, London and Belgium. For more information, stop by the Mockingbird Cafe at 110 S. Second St. in Bay St,, Louis or call 467-8383J