Jun 30 2009
Lorenzo Denning (Deming) MoH, VA Refuses Headstone
On the night of Oct. 27, 1864, the men of the Union Picket Boat No. 1 volunteered to take on the Confederate ship CSS Albemarle. The Albemarle was responsible for sinking many Union ship off the coast of North Carolina. It was a suicide mission and each sailor onboard knew that his chances of surviving the night were slim to none at all.
They beat the odds and sunk the CSS Albemarle, but the price was high. Two sailors died in the assault on the CSS Albemare. Seven of the survivors received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their bravery and heroism during the attack. Landsman Lorenzo Denning was one of those sailors.
A result of the dangerous and heroic attack was that ten of the crew members were captured by the Confederacy. They were sent to a prisoner of war camp near Salisbury, North Carolina. Lorenzo Deming was among them. He was 20 years old. The horrendous conditions at the POW camp resulted in Landsman Demming coming down with pneumonia. He died in captivity at the age of 21 and was buried in an unmarked grave along with many other unfortunate prisoners.
Lorenzo Deming, a 20-year-old from New Britain, Conn., was one of the soldiers captured in the attack and was later transferred to Salisbury to one of the 11 prison camps established by the Confederates. Deming died in captivity at the age of 21 from pneumonia, his remains thrown in one of the 18 trenches alongside the bodies with 11,700 other Union prisoners that died from disease and starvation at the camp. For 143 years, his grave has been unmarked. (source: Salisbury Post)
The VA has refused to place a marker on his grave because in 1992 his family had a stone in their local cemetery. Who can blame them. They took great pride in their ancestor. A warrior who for 143 years had no headstone, despite his distinction of being a Medal of Honor receipent. But Landsman Deming does not rest there. His remains still reside in an unmarked trench in Salisbury.
Lorenzo’s Medal of Honor citation reads:
Denning served on board the U.S. Picket Boat No. 1 in action, 27 October 1864, against the Confederate ram Albemarle which had resisted repeated attacks by our steamers and had kept a large force of vessels employed in watching her. The picket boat, equipped with a spar torpedo, succeeded in passing the enemy pickets within 20 yards without being discovered and then made for the Albemarle under a full head of steam. Immediately taken under fire by the ram, the small boat plunged on, jumped the log boom which encircled the target and exploded its torpedo under the port bow of the ram. The picket boat was destroyed by enemy fire and almost the entire crew taken prisoner or lost. (Source: Congressional Medal of Honor Society).
It is time to recognize this young man’s sacrifice and mark the ground where he rest with an appropriate marker. It is understandable his family in Conneticut wished to have a place to visit and remember their fallen hero. But the true resting place of this man’s grave must be noted. His final resting place should be marked. Something to remind those visiting Salisbury that beneath their feet lay the mortal remains of an American Hero. It is time to render the respect this brave warrior earned. Stupid damned regulations be damned.
DaFrog we have many unsung heroes resting in unmarked graves. His family and God knows his resting place. Wilma
Wilma, I understand that. And I know that there are still many missing across the globe. But we know where Lorenzo rests.
He was a recipient of this nation’s highest award for valor and heroism. I believe this country owes it to not only the family, but everyone who Landsman Denning has inspired to at least mark the spot where his remains lay.
I applaud your dedication to honoring our veterans, and especially fallen heroes like Lorenzo Denning (Deming). I have been intrigued by him for years, sharing in his surname and wondering if we are related. My gr-gr-gr-grandfather, William Denning, was most often said to be from CT, but we have not found where. He settled in NY state. One of his grandsons was a Medal of Honor recipient. He was a Denning, but his name was changed to John Denny. I do not know the Lorenzo Denning (Deming) family in CT who had a stone honoring Lorenzo in CT in 1992 and would love to be able to contact them to see if our genealogy might connect.
By the way, I am a Vietnam vet. My grandfather, Paul J. Denning, was a Sgt. of Scouts in WWI who received the DSC, but the records were lost in the archive fire, and we have not been able to get the record to reflect his recognition of valor.
On the 100th anniversary of my gr-gr-grandfather, George Denning’s passing, on Dec. 11, 2006, I stood at his grave, placed a flag in the GAR holder I obtained, lit a luminary and read the GAR Creed written by a local woman of his hometown, Odessa, NY. George was a Cpl. in the Civil War, wounded by a minie-ball in the leg in action at St. John’s Island, SC, that left him lame the rest of his days, along with the rheumatism most suffered from exposure, and an eye injury sustained in action.
I thank you for your efforts. A most worthy cause in honoring those too easily forgotten, who gave so much, and who deserve so much.
Daryl, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor website, Lorenzo Denning is the only person with that surname to be awarded the Medal. This being the case, and from the information you provided I am led to believe that Lorenzo was probably a distant relative of yours.