The son of Irish immigrants, William Henry Racey, was born October 13, 1832 in Manhattan. What is his story and what is his connection to New Bern?
William Racey first worked as a clerk, but later, at the age of twenty three, joined the New York City Fire Department. He became the foreman of the Lady Washington Engine No. 40. Besides actively leading the fire company, he also led his men in stage productions at P.T. Barnum’s theater.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Racey enlisted in Company G of the 71st Regiment of State Militia and fought at the first Battle of Bull Run. After his three month enlistment was up, he was commissioned First Lieutenant of the 53rd NY Regiment. This was a Zouave unit that wore brightly colored uniforms in imitation of the French units that fought in northern Africa. In January, 1862, Racey was acting Captain, and he and his regiment joined Ambrose Burnsides’ expedition to North Carolina. A heavy gale blew his ship off course, and forty days later, by the time the unit finally landed, it was too late to join the expedition.
Racey then joined the quartermaster department in June 1862 as an assistant provost marshal in New Bern. He was charged with organizing and leading the Fire Regiment of the Union Army. This regiment was responsible for fighting fires as well as fighting Confederates. Racey organized several companies in New Bern based upon the successful plans adopted by the city of New York. There were six companies in total as far as we know: the Foster Hose Company, John Decker Engine Company No. 1, the Lady Washington Hook and Ladder Company, the Denny Bucket and Axe Company, the Holden Hook & Ladder Company, and the Atlantic Steam Engine Co. No. 2. William Racey, within a year, formed these companies, added seven pieces of apparatus to the newly-formed fire department, and was named chief engineer. He was also alleged to have been a Union spy and scout during this timeframe. In 1864, due to illness, Racey returned home to New York City where he married, had a family and was employed by a fire insurance company.
Racey later moved his family from Brooklyn, New York to Cranford, New Jersey where he became a founding father of the town. He participated in many civic organizations and he was one of two Union soldiers to stand in an honor guard for the funeral of Ulysses S. Grant in New York City during July 1885.
William Racey, a widower and alone, was on a train returning to North Carolina on February 23, 1892 when he died. He was buried several days later in a family plot at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Racey was only fifty nine years old at his death. Many do not know of his history, but he played an important role in New Bern during the Union Occupation by his organization of the Fire Regiment.
Blog article provided by, New Bern Historical Society – www.newbernhistorical.org