US Navy 3rd Class Fireman Moses Leonard "Dick" Morgan was born on February 7, 1897 in Pensacola, the son of DeLaney M. Morgan (1855–1924) and Georgianna E. Athey (1860–1940). His father supported his wife and six children in "Old Roberts" also known as Gull Point, working various labor type jobs. Life along what is now called Creighton Road, was hard enough of make ends meet but the family managed. Fortunately, they were close enough to the Escambia bay for fishing, if they ran out of chickens and hogs.
But by 1917, Europe had become embroiled in World War I and it was only a matter of time before America became involved. After war was declared with Germany on April 6th, Moses went down three weeks later and enlisted in the US Navy. After his initial processing and training, he was assigned to the dreadnought battleship USS Louisiana (BB-19) as a fireman.
During the war, the Louisiana was used as a training ship for gunners and engine room personnel. It was during one of these training exercises on June 1, 1918 that a serious accident occurred. As it were, the nearby USS New Hampshire fired three of their 7-inch guns at a submarine chaser within the flotilla. Several salvos were fired before they were ordered to stop but the damage had already been done. One of those shells inadvertently struck the USS Louisiana killing one sailor and wounding several others.
But that one sailor was none other than Pensacolian Moses Leonard Morgan! But sadly, in a worldwide war that was killing men by the tens of thousands, the death of one sailor was not very newsworthy. Only one news item containing only one sentence even appeared in the News Journal and few histories of the ship even mention the name of the luckless sailor. But that luckless sailor meant everything to Delaney and his wife Georgiann! But there was one man that was compassionate to the grieving family. And that man was Admiral Leigh C. Palmer, Chief of the Bureau of Navigation in Washington, DC. He wrote a handwritten three-page letter to the family outlining his sympathy and letting them know everything the Navy would be handling for them. I have attached that letter for your perusal.
And as Admiral Palmer promised, the Navy shipped the remains of their loving son home and he was buried in the Roberts Cemetery on Creighton Road where he rests among his family today.
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