Augustus Kilty (1807–1879)

Augustus Henry Kilty served in the U.S. Navy for forty-three years and saw action across the world and in Arkansas, most notably while in command of a flotilla at the Engagement at St. Charles on June 17, 1862.

Born on November 25, 1807, in Annapolis, Maryland, Augustus Kilty was the son of John and Catharine Kilty. Kilty’s father served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, reaching the rank of captain, and he would eventually become a brigadier general in the Maryland militia.

Kilty obtained a position as a midshipman in the navy at the age of thirteen in 1821 but did not accept the offer until December 1824. Kilty departed his home in June 1825 for sea service. In his first decades in the navy, Kilty served on a number of ships, including the USS Franklin and the USS Constitution. After more than seven years of service, he received a promotion to passed midshipman in 1832, followed by three years of service in the West Indies. The promotion did not come easily, as he failed an examination in 1831, leading to a short dismissal from the navy. Serving in shore postings from 1835 to 1837, he received a promotion to lieutenant in that year. Kilty served off the coasts of South America and Africa over the next decade and received a promotion to commander in 1855, retiring a few days later by order of the Navy Retiring Board. Fighting this decision, he was reinstated in 1859 and served as the recruiting officer in Baltimore at the outbreak of war in 1861.

Transferred to the Western Theater, he took command of the USS Mound City upon the completion of its construction. The Mound City was a City Class ironclad, mounting fourteen guns at the time of its launching and sheathed in iron to protect it from enemy fire. The steamboat participated in the Battle of Island Number 10 in early 1862, with the crew capturing Confederate signal books and other communications items.

In May 1862, the Mound City fought a small Confederate fleet at the Engagement at Plum Point Bend, near present-day Osceola (Mississippi County). The Confederate ram CSS General Earl Van Dorn struck a blow to the Mound City during the engagement, sinking it in shallow water on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River.

The Federals raised the boat and completed repairs, although it missed the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862. The Mound City led an expedition up the White River in Arkansas later that same month in an effort to provide relief to the Union’s Army of the Southwest under the command of Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis. After his victory at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Curtis moved across northern Arkansas in an effort to capture Little Rock (Pulaski County) but began to run low on supplies. Requesting assistance, Federal commanders launched a resupply mission up the White to reach Curtis near Batesville (Independence County).

The flotilla, under the command of Kilty, consisted of the Mound City, the ironclad USS St. Louis, and the timberclads USS Lexington and USS Conestoga, along with some smaller boats. Moving up the river, the flotilla encountered Confederate defenses at St. Charles (Arkansas County) and engaged the enemy on the morning of June 17, 1862. During the engagement, a Confederate shell hit the steam drum of the Mound City, and the resulting steam explosion killed 105 sailors while wounding another forty-four. Kilty was among the men wounded during the engagement, leading to the amputation of his left arm. Federal infantry accompanying the expedition landed and successfully took the Confederate position.

Kilty’s active career paused with the loss of his arm. Remaining on sick leave until April 1863, he returned to service with a promotion to the rank of captain, dated to July 16, 1862. He served as an ordnance officer followed by command of the USS Roanoke at the conclusion of the war. He received a promotion to commodore on July 25, 1866, and commanded the Norfolk Navy Yard until his retirement in 1870. Upon his retirement, Kilty received a promotion to rear admiral.

Living in Washington DC and Baltimore, he died on November 10, 1879, and is buried in New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore. Kilty never married and did not have children. At his death, he resided with his sister.

For additional information:
Bearss, Edwin C. “The White River Expedition June 10-July 15, 1862.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 21 (Winter 1962): 305–362.

Christ, Mark K. “‘The Awful Scenes That Met My Eyes’: Union and Confederate Accounts of the Battle of St. Charles, June 17, 1862.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 71 (Winter 2012): 407–23.

Hammersly, Lewis Randolph. The Records of Living Officers of the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps: with a History of Naval Operations during the Rebellion of 1861-5, and a List of the Ships and Officers participating in the Great Battles. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1870.

Smith, Myron J., Jr. Civil War Biographies from the Western Waters: 956 Confederate and Union Naval and Military Personnel, Contractors, Politicians, Officials, Steamboat Pilots and Others. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2015.

“St. Charles Battle Monument.” National Register of Historic Places registration form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/arkansas-historic-preservation-program (accessed June 6, 2024).

Tomblin, Barbara Brooks. The Civil War on the Mississippi: Union Sailors, Gunboat Captains, and the Campaign to Control the River. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2016.

David Sesser
Southeastern Louisiana University