William Henry Harrison Seeley

For other uses, see William Henry Harrison (disambiguation).

William Henry Harrison Seeley
Born	(1840-05-01)May 1, 1840 Topsham, Maine, US
Died	October 1, 1914(1914-10-01) (aged 74) Dedham, Massachusetts, US
Buried	Evergreen Cemetery, Stoughton, Massachusetts
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Ordinary Seaman
Unit	HMS Euryalus
Battles/wars	Taiping Rebellion Bombardment of Kagoshima Shimonoseki Campaign
Awards	Victoria Cross China Medal

William Henry Harrison Seeley, VC (May 1, 1840 – October 1, 1914) was an American who fought with the British Royal Navy during the Taiping Rebellion, the Bombardment of Kagoshima and the Shimonoseki Campaign and was a recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Shimonoseki Campaign, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the first American-born recipient of the Victoria Cross, the 28th member of the Royal Navy to earn the award and was, at the time, the only foreigner to have received it.

Early life

Seeley was born on May 1, 1840, in Topsham, Maine, to Dayton A. Seeley and Lucy J. Seeley (maiden name Johnston). He became a dock labourer in the 1850s. A family squabble led to him running away at the age of 14, joining the compliment of a British merchant ship – the Salem – which was docked in Boston, Massachusetts, at the time. When Seeley was asked how he came to join the Royal Navy during an interview with The Brunswick Record in 1904, he said;

"You see I was a lad aboard the merchantman Salem – a British ship, although she was built down in Maine. And 'twas in Boston that I shipped. Well, we were in Hong Kong on the Fourth of July. The captain, knowing I was a Yankee and dead set to get ashore and celebrate – that's the very home of fire-crackers, you know – set his foot down and put me at holy-stoning. So I deserted – jumped overboard and swam ashore. After I'd worked off all my native enthusiasm and burnt up all my cash – which wasn't much – I found the only port open to me was to enlist in the British Navy."

During a voyage aboard the Salem he saved the ship's carpenter, Bill Sharp, from drowning by diving overboard after him. He spoke of the incident during the interview, saying; "You see, Bill was tinkering up the bow, and was washed overboard. He wasn't much on swimming so I jumped in and they pulled us both out. That's all."

Royal Navy service

An illustration of the Bombardment of Kagoshima

Seeley, then approximately 22, joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman on board the HMS Euryalus in 1862, which was then operating under the East Indies and China Station. The Euryalus was a fourth-rate wooden-hulled screw frigate. The Euryalus had landed in Hong Kong that year to contribute sailors to the 570-strong naval brigade assisting the Great Qing's Imperial Army during the Taiping Rebellion; this brigade often supported the Ever Victorious Army, commanded at the time by Charles George Gordon.

During the interview with The Brunswick Record, Seeley said of serving under Gordon "I served in China under Chinese Gordon, and was with him at Ming Poo, when he drove Li Huang Chang out of camp at the point of a pistol. He was bound to be boss, was the general, and he wouldn't stand for the pig-tailed heathen coming round to tell him how to run things."

The Euryalus left China for Japan later that year, where from August 15–17, 1863, he would see action during the Bombardment of Kagoshima.

Background

Main article: Shimonoseki campaign

An 1861 image expressing the Joi (攘夷, "Expel the Barbarians") sentiment

The Medusa forces its way through the Shimonoseki strait, by Jacob Eduard van Heemskerck van Beest

The USS Wyoming battling in the Shimonoseki Straits against the Choshu steam warships Daniel Webster, Lanrick and Lancefield

Earlier in 1863, tensions were quickly rising following the order to expel barbarians, an Imperial edict issued by Emperor Kōmei which aimed to end Westernization in Japan. This edict was made in direct defiance of the Tokugawa shogunate, which had no plans to enforce the edict. The resulting power struggle between the shogunate and the Emperor turned from belligerent opposition between the many disgruntled daimyo's and the shogunate to open conflict.

Daimyo Mōri Takachika of the Chōshū Clan supported the emperor, declaring that, after the 10th day of the 5th month (according to the traditional Japanese calendar), all foreign ships traversing the Straits of Shimonoseki were to be fired upon without warning. The straits separated the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū, providing a passage between the Seto Inland Sea and the Sea of Japan. Following the deadline, several European ships were attacked. On June 25, the US merchant steamer SS Pembroke was attacked, suffering minor damage. The French aviso Kien Chan was attacked the next day, being hit 18 times by shore batteries, suffering four casualties and a damaged engine. On July 11, despite being warned by the crew of the Kien Chan, the 16-gun Dutch warship Medusa sailed into the straits. The Medusa was fired upon by shore batteries and two vessels, and in the following battle to dash through the straits was hit 31 times, leaving four dead and five wounded.

The US and French navies would retaliate, with the US frigate USS Wyoming sailing into the straits on July 16 under the sanction of Minister Robert H. Pruyn. The Wyoming sunk two ships and inflicted some 40 casualties, suffering severe damage in the process. On July 20, the French Navy sent the aviso Tancrède and Admiral Maurice Berkeley's flagship, the HMS Semiramis. The compliment of 250 marines under Captain Benjamin Jaurès came ashore and occupied the shore batteries with little resistance, tossing most of the guns into the sea along with other supplies left by the rebels; they occupied the emplacements until July 24, destroying other nearby military camps and burning a local village. Despite the retaliatory attacks, later in July the US steamer Monitor was attacked while docked and awaiting refuelling from the nearby town.

Diplomatic channels between all involved countries opened in attempts to reopen the straits, with the British Minister to Japan, Sir Rutherford Alcock, Dutch Minister Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek and Pruyn discussing the feasibility of a joint strike against Takachika and his forces. Takachika requested additional time to respond to the treaty partners' demands. This was deemed to be unacceptable.

The Bombardment of Shimonoseki

Map of the allied attack on Shimonoseki, in September 1864

On August 17, 1864, a squadron consisting of nine British (including the Euryalus), four Dutch (including the Medusa) and three French warships, crewed by 3,000 sailors and a further 2,000 mainly British soldiers, all under the command of Admiral Sir Augustus Leopold Kuper of the Royal Navy, steamed out of Yokohama to open the straits. Kuper took command from the deck of the Euryalus.

The only US warship in the area at the time was the sail-powered sloop-of-war USS Jamestown, which couldn't overcome the strong currents of the straits and thus couldn't join the expedition. As such, Minister Pruyn and then Captain Cicero Price chartered the steamer Ta-Kiang from Walsh, Hall and Company. Under the terms of the agreement, she was "to carry a landing party, and in every way to assist in the common object, but not to be under fire of the forts." The Ta-Kiang would later assist the squadron by towing boats and receiving the wounded. The full squadron of 17 ships had 388 guns and 7,542 men between them.

The battle took place between September 5–6, 1864, with the bombardment taking place on September 5. Aimed at taking out the shore batteries, the fleet utilised their guns' range advantage, battering the shore batteries and fortifications from a relatively safe distance. On Euryalus, Seeley watched as a 110-pounder breech-loading Armstrong gun, positioned on a pivot in the bows, engaged the Japanese forts at 4,800 yards. Soon, the batteries were silenced and the fleet ceased their bombardment. The bombardment lasted for approximately one and a half hours.

During the night the rebels had repaired some of their batteries, recommencing the battle at approximately six o'clock the next morning. The allied fleet once again silenced the guns, preparing the ideal circumstances to begin landing soldiers on the coast in order to take the batteries and destroy their ammunition stores. In the afternoon, 1,900 soldiers (1,350 British, 350 French, and 200 Dutch) landed ashore and began their assault. Seeley and his shipmates were assigned to the 3rd Company.

The British naval brigade and marines storm the stockade at Shimonoseki, The Illustrated London News, December 1864

Capture of a Choshu battery at Shimonoseki. Albumen silver print by Felice Beato, 1864

Seeley volunteered to reconnoitre the enemy's positions, locating a stockade manned by the enemy. He was discovered by them, and, in the ensuing pursuit, he received an injury to his right arm by grape shot. Despite this injury, he would deliver a coherent report to his company commander, Second Lieutenant Frederick Edwards. Despite his injury, Seeley joined his fellow soldiers in the assault on the stockade.

Seeing the British advance the rebels fell back to the stockade, which was manned by 300 men, seven light guns and protected by an 8ft palisade. At the head of the assault was the colour party. One of the colour sergeants was mortally wounded, while the second, petty officer Thomas Pride was hit in the left side of his chest by a musket ball. Despite this injury, he refused to abandon midshipman Duncan Gordon Boyes who held the flag until both of them were ordered to the rear. When they returned to the rear, it was discovered that the colour that Boyes had carried was "six times pierced by musket balls."

Captain J. H. J Alexander was wounded in the ankle by a musket ball, falling to the ground. Upon seeing this, Seeley said he immediately rushed to get him out of range, walking about a quarter of a mile with Alexander on his back. Seeley later said of the incident;

"I just picked him up like I had many a bag of potatoes down in Sagadahoc county, and pretty soon we were out of harms way. The captain was a fine feller and never a thought I gave of the Cross in getting him away from the rebs bullets"

Seeley left Alexander in the care of a stretcher team, after which he re-joined the attack.

Aftermath and Victoria Crosses

The London Gazette would later report on dispatches received from Kuper, stating "Since the conclusion of these operations I have satisfied myself, by personal examination, of the entire Straits, that no batteries remain in existence on the territory of the Prince of Choshiu, and thus the passage of the Straits may be considered cleared of all obstructions."

Also in these dispatches, Captain J. H. J Alexander would report that "2nd. Lieutenant Frederick Edwards, commanding the third company, has called my attention to the intelligence and daring exhibited by William Seeley, ordinary seaman, in ascertaining the enemy's position, and afterwards, when wounded in the arm in the advance, continued to retain his position in the front."

Seeley would be taken to Portsmouth to recover from his injuries. Pride, Boyes and Seeley would all be awarded the Victoria Cross for their courageous actions during the battle. They were presented the awards under much fanfare on September 22, 1865, at Southsea by Admiral Michael Seymour. Seeley would leave the Royal Navy the next year, being wounded three times over the course of his career. He would also lose his medal twice between then and 1889.

On the first occasion he had it stolen from him "in the Lord Howe Tavern, London, soon after I quit the British service in '66, and was finding that the cross weren't any help for getting a feller another berth. I hunted for it, but there was never a trace of it for three months. Then it was sent to Whitehall anonymous."

On the second occasion he had it stolen when he returned to East Boston. It was discovered in a gutter by Mr. J. W. Grady, who at that time was just a young boy. At the time he had no idea what it was or what the significance of it was. He thought nothing of it for several years before learning what it was; as the owner couldn't be found, he kept hold of it despite several offers of $100 to buy it as he believed he had no right to sell it. Some 15 years after he found it, a friend of his showed him a copy of the Boston Evening News dated January 23 that had a page story about Seeley, titled "Only American Citizen to Win Victoria Cross".

As the story had Seeley's name in it, he sent a message to Seeley at once to tell him how he found his Victoria Cross. During the correspondence between them, Seeley described the cross in great detail. Satisfied he had found the rightful owner, Grady sent it back to Seeley. One of Seeley's messages was printed in the paper, which read;

"Dear Sir: I received your favor of the 6th and was surprised, for I supposed that I had lost the original cross in the docks in East Boston when I was going aboard a ship. I got a miniature cross in London which was the one I spoke of losing but it was returned to me once from the admiralty office and found at a curio shop. The one you have is no doubt the original one presented to me, which I won in 1864, which I would be pleased to have back once more, and will pay charges, if any, and come and see you next summer. I would be much pleased to meet you and show you returned friend you have had for so long."

During his interview with The Brunswick Record, Seeley said of the Victoria Cross;

"It is an honor, right enough, but it hasn't helped me to earn my bread and butter – though 50 pounds a year ain't to be sneezed at, of course. There are men who have had the V.C. and died in the poor house – though that may have been their own fault. But as for me, I'd rather have the birth of skipper in Uncle Sam's merchant service than all the crosses in John Bull's navy – and that's 30 all told. And I'd a-been [sic] there, if the Jap bullets hadn't knocked me out!"

Looking back on his life, he said: "Yes, sir, I’ve had my share o’ stirring times, I’ve done some things I aught – to say nothin’ o’ the things I hadn't ought to – but when all's said an’ done there's nothin’ I wouldn't do over again better’n saving old Bill Sharp carpenter o’ the Salem."

Later life and death

Seeley later returned to Massachusetts, marrying Mary E. Moore on October 1, 1900, with whom he ran a small farm on the line between Sharon and Stoughton until his wife's death at the farm. He then moved in with his son, George G. Seeley, in Dedham, Massachusetts. He would later die here aged 74 on Thursday October 1, 1914. He was buried on October 4 that same year in Evergreen Cemetery, Stoughton near the plot of his sister, Bessie. Seeley's name was never added to the foot marker of the grave, so the grave site went unrecognised until 2009 when funds were raised for the instalment of a memorial plaque.

The last sighting of his Victoria Cross was in 1934 when it was in the possession of his granddaughter.