Babb Family Vignettes

ISAAC NEWTON "NEWT" BABB
(Alias "John Dunlap")
October 20, 1838 – July 16, 1899

Isaac Newton Babb was born the eighth of twelve children to Joshua E. and Sara (fina) F. Smith Babb on October 20, 1838 in Washington County Tennessee. Little is known of his early years but he would grow to be six feet 1 3/4 inches tall, have a ruddy dark complexion and blue eyes (military records list hazel). He would choose to be a smith  and would, throughout his career, forge and shape hot metal with hammer and anvil into many useful things such as spikes, nails, hinges, latches, horseshoes, and wagon wheels.

Isaac enlisted at age 24 during the Civil War at Jonesborough, Washington County, TN on August 23, 1862 for a period of three years and records indicate that he and his brothers Caleb and Henry J. Babb, a tanner, served in the same company. Isaac was mustered along with the 60th Infantry Regiment (CSA) and his company, Co. A (see 60th Infantry Regiment link for Co A Roster), on November 7, 1862. While in the 60^th, he held the rank of Corporal. The rank stuck with him after the war for he would speak at political gatherings and was referred to as the “little Corporal”.

Isaac was captured by Grant's Army of the Tennessee on May 17, 1863 near Vicksburg, MS during the battle of Big Black River along with almost all of the 60^th Infantry Regiment.

The 60th (also known as the 79th and as Crawford’s) Regiment Tennessee Infantry was organized October 1, 1862 with eleven companies, A to L but was mustered into Confederate States Service with only ten companies (A to K); Company L was not accepted by the Confederate States authorities. The captured regiment was paroled at Vicksburg, MS in July 1863 and after exchange was assigned to Brig. General Vaughn’s Cavalry.

Prior to the parole and exchange, Isaac enrolled from the Confederate Prisoners at Camp Morton, Indiana on June 11, 1863 in the 23rd Battery of the Indiana 8th Artillery Volunteers in the rank of Private and was mustered on June 18, 1863. Fearing possible capture and execution as a traitor by the Confederacy, Isaac quit his post on September 17, 1863. He then enlisted under the alias "John Dunlap" in the U.S. Navy at Boston on February 17, 1864. He served as a Landsman on the USS Ohio from 02/17/1864 to 03/09/1864, on the USS Massasoit, a 1173-ton Sassacus class "double-ender" steam gunboat, from 03/10/1864 to 07/28/1864, again on the USS Ohio from 07/29/1864 to 08/12/1864 and finally on the Tristam Shandy, a schooner-rigged, iron-hulled sidewheel steamer,  from 08/13/1864 until discharged on 03/01/1865.

Until the last few months of the Civil War, Fort Fisher kept North Carolina's port of Wilmington open to blockade-runners supplying necessary goods to Confederate armies inland. By 1865, the supply line through Wilmington was the last remaining supply route open to General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The Union army and navy planned several attacks on Fort Fisher and the port of Wilmington, but made no attempt until December 24, 1864. After two days of fighting with little headway, Union commanders concluded that the fort was too strong to assault and withdrew their forces. However, they returned for a second attempt on January 12, 1865. For two and one-half days, Federal ships bombarded the fort on both land and sea face.

On January fifteenth, Union sailors and more than 3,300 infantry, including the 27th U.S. Colored Troops, assaulted the land face. After several hours of fierce hand-to-hand combat, Union troops captured the fort that night. The fall of Fort Fisher, after the massive assault, helped seal the fate of the Confederacy. Isaac was one of 18 (possibly 22) from the Tristram Shandy that took part in the amphibious phase of the assault.  The Tristram Shandy, although classified as a reserve, participated in two assaults on the fort; the first under the command of Acting Ensign Ben Wood and the second under the command of Acting V. Lieut. F. M. Green.

As was the practice at the time, a bounty was paid for the capture of ships belonging to the opposing forces. On January 25, 1865, after the fall of Fort Fisher, the Tristram Shandy and her crew captured the blockade runner Blenheim. Isaac’s share of the bounty was $18.26 (See Tristam Shandy for more about the capture of the Blenheim).

Isaac was honorably discharged from the navy as "John Dunlap" at Norfork, VA. and returned to live in Jonesborough where he was married to the former Ellen Smith on April 30, 1867 by Reverend M. V. Noffsinger. At the time of his marriage, Isaac enjoyed a rather rough reputation and Ellen’s family, being “well-to-do” felt that she had married beneath her station. She was all but disowned by some members of her family because of the union.

Isaac and Ellen together reared 12 children. He continued to practice his trade in Jonesborough as a blacksmith and dabbled in politics from time to time while Ellen concentrated on being a home maker and raising the large family.

On November 11, 1884, Isaac was elected Justice of the Peace for the taxing district of Jonesborough.

In 1886 Isaac’s eye site began to fail due to cataracts. By 1890, nearly blind and infirm from advancing age, Isaac took steps to apply for a war pension. He was granted the pension (Certificate #16,762) on May 11, 1892 but it was short lived. On September 13, 1895 in an opinion by the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, the pension was suspended. This was, of course, because there was no discharge record for him from the Indiana Battery and he had been listed as a deserter.

Below is a transcript of a letter from Isaac, alias, “John Dunlap” that was sent while trying to document his service in the navy prior to pension certification in 1892.

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