Frederick Otto Gustav Fincke, son of Gustav Fincke, was born on January 8, 1848 in Saxony, Germany. Fincke’s nickname was said to be “Misty” and arrived in New York City in June 1848 with his parents, who had fled politically troubled Germany and in 1854 the family moved to Brooklyn, New York. On February 7, 1862 Frederick, at the age of fourteen and only 4 feet 8 ½ inches tall, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Third Class Boy aboard the USS “North Carolina”, a receiving ship at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and some two weeks later was assigned to the USS “Cayuga”. On the morning of April 24, l862, in actions against Forts, St. Philip and Jackson, during the campaign against New Orleans, Louisiana, Fincke was seriously wounded in his left foot which required the amputation of his foot and a portion of his leg. The “Official Records”, however, report it was his left arm; which was incorrect.

In the Paymasters Journal of the USS “Cayuga”, noted by Samuel B. Massa, Paymaster’s Clerk, the events surrounding his injury were described;

“Thursday, 24 April 1862. At 1 a.m. a fire raft came down, at 2 a.m. signals from the Hartford to get up steam. At 3 a.m. we got underweigh, (sic) the right hand column following us, left under Farragut not moving. We headed upstream slowly until we passed the place where the chain was and then put on full steam, the left hand column not yet moving.   At half past 3 a.m. our column was discovered from the forts, the rebels opened on us and we returned their fire and now all is confusion with plenty of hell fire and brimstone, the balls flying over our deck like rain. The enemy’s guns being trained too high we didn’t suffer as much as we should have done had the men been fully awake and taken time to train them on us. We soon passed the forts, we being nearest to Fort St. Phillip and the  water batteries on that side and attacked the rebel fleet, the shells came fast and  thick and Freddy Fincke, a powder boy who stood next to me had his leg shot through, five other men wounded…  

At 8 a.m. our surgeon whose steward had given out asked me to assist him and I helped in my first surgical operation of cutting off the left foot of Fred Fincke whom I have mentioned before as being struck by shell.

Wednesday, 30^th…11 a.m. the Rhode Island came up bound for New Orleans. We received our mail from her..at noon we passed several steamers loaded with troops and took off three reporters to take to New York. 2 p.m. came to off Pilot Town when we commenced coaling, sent out wounded boy F. Fincke ashore to  hospital, finished coaling at 6 p.m., remained at anchor all night.”

He was then transported from the Naval Hospital at Pilot Town, Louisiana to the New York Naval Hospital on June 21, 1862, where he was fitted with an artificial leg. He was then discharged by order of the Secretary of the Navy, on June 8, 1864, in order that he might accept an appointment as Acting Master’s Mate at Naval Rendezvous, North Square, Boston, Massachusetts.  On June l, 1864, he was appointed as an Acting Master’s Mate, a Warrant Officer’s position, serving at the Boston Naval Rendezvous. His appointment was revoked on May 5, 1865 as his services were no longer required, but in less than two months he was re-appointed to the same grade and attached to the New York Navy Yard Post Office. He blew his career however, when he was dismissed on September 27, 1865 for stealing stamps off envelops at the Naval post office where he was employed. According to a letter from Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Wells, the reason given was “for conduct unbecoming in removing the stamps from sailor’s letters” entrusted to his care. 

Two years later Frederick sailed for Australia, arriving first in Melbourne, and then moving to Adelaide where he married Elizabeth Schroder Beyer on January 1, 1874. They had a child, Edith Louisa Beyer Fincke, born on July 6, 1879. Fincke worked as a jeweler for P. Falk & Co. and received a disability pension, back dated to the date of his discharge. His pension papers named Frederick Gustav Fincke of Bellasylva, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, his father, as his legal attorney. All of his fathers sons, ironically, were named Frederick; there was Frederick Otto, Frederick Charles and Frederick William; his daughter being named Frederica Ottonia Maximilliana.

Records reveal that Fincke filed for “insolvency” in March of 1899, being “unable to pay a debtor” and was confined in the “Adelaide gaol” (jail). He had apparently bought a house on land in Adelaide and transferred the property to a Mrs. S.C. Griffin as an act of friendship. The case was adjourned awaiting further information, and for Fincke to pay money into a receiver’s account.

Frederisk Otto Gustav Fincke died in poverty at the age of 45, on September 29, 1893, and was buried in what was termed Ordinary Ground, row 22-85 in the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia. His grave remains unmarked but a plaque was acquired from the American Veterans Administration in Washington DC and installed at the entrance to the cemetery; to commemorate his Civil War service. Elizabeth drew a widow’s pension from the U.S. Navy until her remarriage in 1897, but neither her pension papers or her affidavit mentions anything about children; indicating their child may had died. 

Digger - South Australian Births 1842-1906 (c) SAGHS

“Fire and Brimstone - Aboard the USS Cayuga", Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, Syracuse University Library

Samuel B. Massa Papers, Syracuse University Library

“Journal of Samuel B. Massa”, Spec. Coll’s., Syracuse University Library, Syracuse, New York

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

 National Archives, Washington, D.C.

 “Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion”,

          Series I - Volume 18, p. 179 

 Robyn Hukin, researcher, Western Australia

 Syracuse University Library, Syracuse, New York

“The Blue and the Grey”, Henry Steele Commager

 U.S. Pension Records, National Archives, Washington, D.C.; No. 2239

 West Terrace Cemetery Records