Confederate guerrilla
John Yates Beall

John Yates Beall was born on January 1, 1835 in Walnut Grove, Virginia to a wealthy Shenandoah Valley plantation family. Before 1840, he would meet his sweetheart, Margaret Bemis, one of three daughters of a prominent Maryland family. However, the Bemis' moved to St. Louis. Beall moved on and receaved a law degree from the University of Virginia, and was a farmer in Jefferson County, (West) Virginia untill the brink of the Civil War. (Please note that West Virginia was part of Virginia untill the Civil War)

Beall was 26 when he enlisted in the 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment. After receaving a severe wound on October 16, 1861, Beall receaved a medical discharge from the army. In 1863, Beall obtained approval of a daring plan to raid Union shipping vessels in Chesapeake Bay and was authorized a party of partism raiders. On September 17, 1863, Beall and 18 men started their raid, and by September 21 six Union shipping vessels had been plundered. In November Beall and the raiders were caught and held in Fort McHenry, MD. After being exchanged on May 5, 1864, Beall continued his raid.

Beall was ordered to raid Johnston's Island, Lake Erie and free the captive Confederate prisoners, however, they had to supply their own ship. With the aid of Charles H. Cole, Beall made plans to capture two Union ships, one of which was the USS MICHIGAN, the other was a passenger steamer called the "PHILO PARSONS. Beall and his men boarded the PHILO PARSON on September 19, 1864 in Malden, Ontario and hijacked it. Cole, hiding his true identity, went aboard the MICHIGAN and became a guest. Here he would send signals to Beall. While Cole was drinking with the officers of the MICHIGAN, Beall was found out by Union troops on Middle Bass Island. Beall quickly captured the 32 soldiers and a large number of civilians, but set them free on the island when they swore to him that they wouldn't leave it for 24 hours. Beall took their ship, the ISLAND QUEEN,out to deep water and scuttled it. On the MICHIGAN, Cole was found out and captured whithout sending a signal. Because of the lack of Cole's signal, seventeen of Beall's twenty men mutinied when Beall moved to attack the MICHIGAN. Beall sailed north to Sandwich, Ontario with plans to scuttle his ship, but was caught by the MICHIGAN. However, they failed to captured Beall.

Beall was detected crossing the Canadian border, attempting to rendezxous with his friends in Windsor, Canada, and was shot, but escaped once again. On June 1, 1864, he travelled to Cascade and was reunited with Margaret Bemis. She tendned Beall's wounds with her husband, Thomas Chew. However, just as soon as he was found out by Margaret's cousin, Beall rode out of Cascade. He was finally captured on December 16, 1864 at Niagra City.

After a military commision lasting from February 1-5, 1865, Beall was found guilty of piracy and condemmed to the noose. The exacution was to be held on February 24, 1865.

There are legends that four days before the exacution, John Wilkes Booth, one of Beall's best friends, appeared before President Lincoln asking for the cancelation of the exacution, going as far as begging on his knees. Beall was hanged on February 24, 1865 at Governor's Island, New York in spite of these pleads. April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by Booth in retaliation. Of course, this is only legend and speculation.

The date of Beall's exacution is highly debated. Some argued dates include, September 19 (rescheduled September 24), December 24, and February 24 (the one I decided to go with).

This site created by Jon Lamphere, October 5, 2006
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