Shanley

Sailor Profile: Thomas Shanley

Landsman, USS Cambridge.

Thomas served as a "Landsman," the entry-level rank for a recruit with no prior sea experience. His war was defined by the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron—the "Anaconda Plan" designed to strangle the Confederacy by cutting off its trade with Europe.

From Kiltoghert to the Great Lakes

• Born: Circa 1841–1842. His records point toward Drumsna or the nearby townland of Curragha (often recorded as "Carragh") in County Leitrim.

• Parentage: He was likely the Thomas Shanley baptized in Kiltoghert on May 22, 1841, to Patrick Shanley and Barbara Tiernan.

• The Emigrant Laborer: Thomas made his way to Lockport, a town on the Erie Canal near Buffalo, New York. Though he worked as a laborer, when he enlisted on October 31, 1862, he listed no occupation, perhaps eager to trade the canal for the open sea.

• Physical Description: At age twenty-one, Thomas was a small man, standing 5 feet 3 ¾ inches tall with brown hair and steady grey eyes.

Service on the USS Cambridge

Thomas was assigned to the USS Cambridge, a converted merchant steamer that became a workhorse of the blockade.

• The Long Patrol: The Cambridge patrolled the treacherous waters of the Virginia and Carolina coasts. Their mission was to intercept "blockade runners"—fast, sleek ships attempting to smuggle cotton out and weapons in.

• Success at Sea: During Thomas’s window of service, the Cambridge was involved in the capture or destruction of eleven vessels. Life aboard was a cycle of extreme boredom punctuated by the sudden, frantic roar of the engines and the boom of deck guns during a chase.

• The Toll of the Sea: The damp, cramped conditions of the ship eventually broke Thomas’s health. On August 1, 1863, he was admitted to the Chelsea Naval Hospital near Boston suffering from chronic rheumatism. Crucially, the surgeon noted there was "no evidence" the condition was contracted in the line of duty—a bureaucratic stroke of the pen that would deny him a veteran’s pension in his later years.

The New York Almshouse: A Final Port

Like many veterans who suffered from chronic illness and had no pension to fall back on, Thomas struggled to find his footing in post-war America.

• Hard Times: By the end of the century, Thomas had moved from the Buffalo area to New York City. On January 8, 1900, at the age of fifty-eight, he was admitted to the New York Almshouse on Blackwell's Island.

• The Last Record: The admission logs provide a final, lonely glimpse into his life. He told Sister Dougherty that he had been in America for thirty-seven years. He reported that both his parents were gone, he had no living siblings, and he had never married or had children of his own.

Final Resting Place

Thomas Shanley remains a representative of the "silent" veterans—those who served faithfully during the great national crisis but returned to a life of quiet labor and, eventually, the charity of the state. He died a long way from the "marshy places" of Drumsna, a sailor who had once helped hold the line for the Union.

Service & Life Timeline

Date Event Detail

May 22, 1841 Baptism Kiltoghert/Drumsna, Co. Leitrim

Oct 31, 1862 Enlistment U.S. Navy, Lockport, NY

1862–1863 Blockade Duty USS Cambridge, Atlantic Coast

Aug 1, 1863 Hospitalized Chelsea Naval Hospital (Rheumatism)

Feb 1865 Discharged End of Navy Service

Jan 8, 1900 Admitted New York Almshouse