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About Abram Francis Newkirk, M.D.
Captain / Dr. Abram Francis Newkirk, CSA (b. 1821 in Kerr, NC, d. 1891 in Wilmington, NC). Dr. Newkirk married Mary Isabella Willkings (b. 1828, d. 1885). Dr. Newkirk’s father was Bryan Newkirk and mother Mary Catherine Hawes.
Dr. Abram was not only a Medical Doctor but a Farmer, Justice of the Peace as well as a soldier.Owning and developing one of the nicest properties ( over 2000 acres) on the Wrightsville Beach sound know as, "The Newkirk Place" which later became a gated community called "Landfall".
His great grandfather was Tobias Newkirk (b. 1723, who married Penelope Brossard (a French Huguenot), they met at Manikintown on the James River above Richmond, VA, they eventually moved to North Carolina settling in New Hanover County (Wilmington). They had four children, one was Abraham Newkirk, the grandfather of Dr Abram Newkirk. Abraham’s second wife was Rachel Rhodes, the sister of General Joseph Thomas Rhodes (b. 1754, Duplin County, d. May 23, 1820, Duplin County) who fought in the Revolutionary War battles of Moore’s Creek and was wounded by British infantry musket fire at Stone Creek Ferry on Jun. 10, 1779. After the war, he was the Commander of all North Carolina Militias until he resigned in 1810. His wife was Mary Williams of Duplin.
Abraham Newkirk's son Bryan Newkirk was born June 5, 1794 in New Hanover, North Carolina and died 8 Jul 1863 in New Hanover, North Carolina. He was Captain / Dr. Abram Newkirk's father.
Niewkercke (translated from Dutch to English = New Church), modified last name to read “Newkirk.”
Dr. Newkirk graduated from University City of New York in 1852, earning a Doctorate of Medicine as a Surgeon. Prior to this, he graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Newkirk resided in New Hanover County, NC where he enlisted in the Confederate Army at age 35, on Oct. 1, 1861 for twelve months service. Appointed Captain on Oct 18, 1861. Capt. Newkirk joined the “Rebel Rangers” at Scotts Hill, New Hanover County, mustering in on Oct 1, 1861. The original recruits were principally from that county. This Company was organized under an act passed by Confederate Congress, dated Aug. 12, 1861. The Company’s special service was to guard and patrol the coastline fondly nicknamed, as “Newkirk’s Coast Guard, “ after their commander.
The “Rebel Ranger’s” were re-organized on Mar. 12, 1862, and their period of enlistment was automatically extended from their initial twelve months of volunteer service, to three years or until the war’s end, by act of Congress. During this time, the Company remained in the District of Cape Fear and encamped at Camp Heath at Scott’s Hill, continuing to perform their duties of scouting and patrolling.
The “Rebel Ranger’s” became Company A, and was re-assigned to the 41st Regiment, N.C. Troops on Sept. 3, 1862.
On November 24, 1862, in a brilliant exploit performed by the Company A “Rebel Ranger’s), 41st Regt. as reported by Gen. W.H.C. Whiting CSA, commanding the District of Wilmington, NC, states, as such: “that Capt. Newkirk’s Cavalry with Capt. Adam’s Cavalry with a section of field battery, captured an enemy gunboat (the ‘ELLIS’) on the New River (at present day, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC). The Union crew escaped, but her armament, ammunition and small guns were captured.” (Sprumt’s Chronicles, p.316).
This event marked the first Union gunboat captured by Confederate forces in the War Between the States.
This history of this event gets deeper. Initially, the steamer ELLIS was launched in 1860 in Wilmington, DE and placed into United States service in 1861, where it was home-ported in Norfolk, VA. The State of North Carolina purchased the ELLIS in 1861. The CSS ELLIS played an important role in the initial defense and battle of Ft. Clark / Ft. Hatteras, NC, in Aug. 28 – 29, 1862, the defense of Roanoke Island (Feb. & & 8, 1862), and Elizabeth City, NC on Feb 10, 1862., that day she was captured by the Union Navy after a desperate struggle in which her commander, LT. James W. Cooke, CSN, was badly wounded
Now in Federal control, the ELLIS was assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, where she spent all her time in the sounds and rivers of North Carolina.
The ELLIS took part in a combined Army / Navy expedition that captured Ft. Macon near Beaufort, NC, on Apr. 25, 1862; and, was in a brief engagement with Confederate cavalry off Winton, NC on Jun. 27, 1862. Later, the ELLIS was sent to Swansboro, NC to destroy a salt works and a Rebel battery. On Oct. 14, 1862, the ELLIS was detailed to blockade duties at Bouge Inlet, and a week later captured and burned the Confederate schooner ADELAIDE with it’s valuable cargo of turpentine, cotton and tobacco.
On November 1862, under a new commander, LT. William B. Cushing USN, the ELLIS sailed up New River Inlet to capture Jacksonville, NC. The ELLIS captured two schooners. On the way down the river, the ELLIS ran aground on Nov. 24th. After dark, LT. Cushing, with great coolness, moved all the crew and most of the equipment off the ELLIS onto one of the captured schooners, thereby, leaving aboard the ELLIS her pivot gun and some small arms. After all the transferring of equipment from the Ellis to the schooner was complete, LT. Cushing and five of his crew remained aboard the ELLIS to fight it out with the Confederates the next morning.
Early the next day, Capt. Newkirk with two cavalry companies and a battery of artillery commenced fire upon the ELLIS. The fire from the Confederates forced LT Cushing and his men to vacate the vessel and entering a small boat, maneuvered this craft to one of the captured schooners now heading out of the New River. Capt. Newkirk’s forces in great haste attempted to gallop his units into an advantageous position in order to re-engage the two captured schooners the mouth of the river, but two vessels managed to get off a sandbar just in time to make it out to sea before Capt. Newkirk’s batteries were in position to fire upon them.
As a footnote to his small yet curious affair, this is the same LT. Cushing is who in a valiant feat on that occurred on Oct. 27, 1864, while making a desperate night surprise raid to sink the much feared Confederate ironclad ALBERMARLE, moored at the dock in Plymouth, NC, Lt. Cushing took his very small steam powered boat down the Roanoke River right up to the ALBERMARLE while under fire and dropped a long pole with a spar torpedo at the end over a floating logs to protect the ironclad, as the spar torpedo made it’s way to the hull of the ship. Instantaneously, the torpedo exploded creating a huge hole in the hull below the water line, sinking the ALBERMARLE and Cushing boat simultaneously in one of the most heroic combat actions in U.S. Naval history. LT. Cushing and a few of his sailors managed to escape.
On Sept. 12, 1863, Capt Abram F. Newkirk, CSA resigned his commission.
Photo: Capt / Dr. Abram F. Newkirk, CSA; wife Mary Isabella Wilkins Newkirk; LT. William B. Cushing USN; the steam / gunboat ELLIS; the ironclad CSS ALBERMARLE after she was raised from the Roanoke River, NC, towed and placed in a drydock in Portsmouth, VA in late 1865.
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Abram Francis Newkirk, M.D.'s Timeline
| 1821 |
May 21, 1821
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Duplin, North Carolina, United States
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| 1852 |
February 8, 1852
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Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States
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| 1854 |
January 11, 1854
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| 1855 |
September 6, 1855
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| 1857 |
August 5, 1857
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| 1859 |
September 1, 1859
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Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States
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| 1862 |
March 16, 1862
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| 1865 |
January 8, 1865
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Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States
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| 1867 |
May 21, 1867
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