Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/101

 GUSHING

GUSHING

founder of the American academy of arts and sciences, and an agent of the British society for promoting the Gospel in New England. He died in Boston, Mass., Feb. 28, 1788.

CUSHINQ, William, jurist, was born in Scit- uate, Mass., March 1, 1732; son of -John and Mary (Cotton), grandson of John and Deborah (Loring), great grandson of John and Sarah (Hawke), and great^ grandson of Matthew and Nazareth (Pitcher) Gushing, who emigrated from Hingham, England, to Hingham, Mass.. in 1638. His father was chief justice of the superior court of Massa.chusetts before whom the British soldiers were tried for the Boston massacre,. March 5, 1770. The son was graduated at Har- vard in 1751, studied and i)ractised law with Samuel Gridley, was elected attornej' general of Massachusetts, and in 1768 became judge of pro- bate of Lincoln county, Maine. In 1772 he was made judge of the superior court of Ma.ssachu- setts and its chief justice in 1777, becoming the first chief justice of the state under the constitu tion in 1780. President Washington appointed him an associate justice of the U.S. supreme court, Sept. 27, 1789, and nominated him as chief justice in 1798, which honor he declined. He was vice president of the state convention of 1788 that ratified the Federal constitution. He helped to found the American academy of arts and sciences, and was a fellow, 1780-1810. Yale gave him the honorary degree of A.M. in 1758, and Harvard that of LL.D. in 1785. He died in Seituate, Mass.. Sept. 18, 1870.

CUSHINQ, WiHiam Barker, naval officer, was born in Delafield. Wis.. Nov. 24, 1842; son of Dr. Milton B. and Mary Barker (Smith) Gushing. When he was quite j-oung his father died and his mother had the care of four sons. William Barker was a page in the house of representatives at Washington and re- ceived from President Buchanan an appoint- ment as a cadet at the U.S. naval acad- emy, Annapolis, in '^ 1857. He resigned

March 28, 1861, in "^ ' order to volunteer

)^^-^u.^X^. ^"^ t^- J'-^i" -^- Q/ vance not aiforded by

the regular service.

He was commissioned master's mate in May,

1861, and was attached to the North Atlantic

blockading squadron. On the very day of his

arrival in Virginia waters he captured a tobacco

schooner valued at §30,000, the first prize cap- tured by the U.S. navy. He was commissioned lieutenant, July 16, 1862, and in November of that year commanded the U.S. gunboat Ellis in the sounds of North Carolina. He was directed to capture Jacksonville, N.C., intercept the Wilmington mail and destroy the salt works at New Juliet. In this exploit he secured the mail, took two prizes, shelled and captured the town. Nov. 23, 1862, and destroyed a Confederate camp. On undertaking to cross the bar of the Onslow river on returning from the expedition, No- vember 25, the Ellis ran aground and he was obliged to transfer his crew and property to a schooner, one of his prizes. AVhile the vessels afioat stood off the inlet. Lieutenant Gushing with six volunteers and a single pivot gun defended the Ellis until a cross fire from the Confederates on shore made the position unten- able, and after setting fire to the steamer, he escaped with his men in an open boat undei* the enemy's guns. He conducted various expeditions in the sounds and up the Cape Fear and Little rivers, and on the night of Oct. 27, 18C4, he encountered the Confederate iron clad Albemarle returning to her r- anchorage after her successful en- counter with the Federal fleet. The Albemarle was ap- parently invulner- able and the con- sternation of the officers was un- speakable. A sec- ond visit would sureh^ destroy the entire Federal

fleet. In this emergency Lieutenant Gusliing proposed a plan for destroying the monster and with a steam launch, a volunteer crew and an armed cutter in tow, he silently ran the picket guards stationed along the river banks and reached the Albemarle, looming up in the dark- ness, with a solitary sentinel pacing her deck. Casting off the cutter. Gushing ordered her crew to engage the picket guard while he, with the launch under a full head of steam, made for the Albemarle, which was guarded by an extended raft of logs anchored so as to prevent boardirg. The noise of the steam awoke the Albemarle's crew who were called to quarters, but the launch was so close as not to be noticed. The cutter further down the stream was discernible in the darkness and was fired upon, responding with her single howitzer. The speed of the launch had carried her over the logs and just as a shot from the Albemarle had found the little