Evening star., 1934-12-01
GEORGE P. PUTT,
EX-MAR|NE, DIES
Retired Mail Clerk Saw
Monitor and Merrimac
Battle in 1862.

George p. Pitt, IS, retired railway
mail clerk and former Marine, died
Thursday afternoon at Providence
Hospital. Too young to fight in the
Civil War, he was present at the bat
tie Of the Monitor and Merrimac,
heard Lincoln's address at Gettysburg
and the IL schoolgirls, dressed in
white, sing Dropping From the Ranks
One BY One" a rarely remembered
part of the famous occasion. He also
trained on "Old Ironsides" when it
was anchored in Annapolis in 1868.
Mr.. Pitt came to America from
Germany when he was Is years old,
with relative, business man of
Baltimore. BY chance they arrived
at the mouth of the Chesapeake on
Sunday, March 9, 1862, as the Moni-
tor and Merrimac were demonstrating
to the world the practicability of IRON
clads. Their ship beat haSty re-
treat to the safety of the Capes, but
the young immigrant had seen one of
the most significant battles of the
world.
Apprenticed to a Baltimore confec-
toner, he was nevertheless to be per-
mitted to serve two days in the Civil
War. In 1864, when Gen. Jubal Early
made his raid into Maryland, it was
necessary to seize all the horses in
Baltimore and move them up to the
Union lines. Seeing the excitement,
young Pitt ran into the street, meet
ing policeman holding a string OF
eight horses. Here son, take these to
OWings Mills" said the officer. He
had never been on horse before,
but he leaped up and followed the
growing cavalcade He was gone two
days, and received a thrashing when
he got home.
Established Station.
In 1868 he joined the Marines, and
was sent as orderly to Capt. Bartlett
on the frigate Contoocock to Santo
Domingo. President Grant and his
Secretary of the Navy had decided to
establish coaling station in southern
waters and a treaty was successfully
arranged with the president of the
Dominican Republic, giving the Unit
cd States the Bay of Samana for so
years. AS the Senate refused to ratify
the treaty, the flag which Pvt. Pitt
had run up at Samana was taken
down again.
Describing his life after his service,
Mr.. Pitt wrote in an article for the
Leatherneck Magazine, a Marine
monthly published here: II returned
to civil life, choosing as a livelihood
the work of a railroad engineer. For
three years fired a locomotive on
the Chesapeake g. Ohio. AS no pro-
motion seemed possible, I became a
letter carried in the post office at
Richmond, Va. On one of my deliv-
cries to a private home, I was badly
bitten by huge police dog. That was
enough of that"
Worked for U. S.
So he got a position with the rail-
way mail service of the Post Office
Department, first travelling and later
as clerk in charge. He retired in 1920
after IS years.
His warlike adventures were brought
to a close as a musician with the
band of the Richmond Blues during
the World War, for he was a member
of the 1st Virginia Regiment, Drum
and Bugle Corps.
Mr.. Pitt lived in Washington at
104 c street northeast, with his wife,
who survives him. He also leaves
two daughters, Mrs. Lily Berry of Bal
timore and Mrs. William Hassellbush
of Washington.
Funeral services were to be held this
afternoon at the Lee Co. chapel at
$50 pm. He will be buried in Pros
pect Hill Cemetery, of which he was
a member of the Board of Directors.