Capt. W. T. Scovell Death In Jeffersonville of The Red River Veteran.
Sketch of an Old-Time Steamboatman Whom Stonewall Jackson Honored and Relied Upon as a Soldier.
SOURCE: The Times-Democrat, New Orleans, Louisiana, Tuesday, July 2, 1895
Jeffersonville, Ind., July 1. – Capt. William T. Scovell, of New Orleans, aged sixty-nine years, died today at 1:15 o’clock. One week ago, Capt. Scovell arrived here to superintend the erection of a steamer for the Red River Packet Company. He is a large stockholder and was constantly kept busy until taken ill Friday evening.
That day he complained of feeling bad and was advised to retire to his room did so. A physician was summoned, who immediately pronounced his condition as very serious. Every possible effort by the ablest physicians in the city to help him was fruitless, and he gradually grew worse. Realizing that the end was near, the physicians recommended that his wife be sent for.
This was done, and his son, Capt. Frank Scovell arrived yesterday. Realizing that the end was near, he gave instructions regarding his property, etc. At 11 o’clock today, a sudden change for the worse was noticed, and a physician was hastily sent for, but on his arrival, he saw that nothing could be done. Death came at 1:15 o’clock this afternoon. Capt. Scovell’s wife will arrive at 12 o’clock tonight, and the remains will be taken to New Orleans for interment.
The Red River Line yesterday received a telegram from Capt. Ed. Howard, of Jeffersonville, Ind., that Capt. W. T. Scovell, of this city, had died in Jeffersonville at 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon as an attack of heart trouble by which he was prostrated last Saturday.
Capt. Scovell was apparently in perfect health when he left here a week ago last Sunday evening with his son, Frank Scovell, to arrange with Capt. Howard for building two boats for the Red River trade, one of which was about 1200 bales capacity and the other about 2000 bales. He contracted with Capt. Howard for the smaller of the two boats last Tuesday.
The first intimation of his illness was received here as a telegram from Capt. Howard to Capt. Drown, which said that while figuring out the work for the larger boat Capt. His old-time enemy, heart trouble, attacked Scovell. That was Sunday morning. A second telegram, received at 8 o’clock Sunday night, said that Capt. Scovell was improving, but at 1 o’clock today, a third message announced that Capt. Scovell had taken a turn for the worse, and his condition was critical. Three hours later came word that the veteran steamboatman had died at 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon.
Capt. Scovell married Miss Mary Dillon in 1851 or 52, whose sister married Capt. John Kouns, Capt. Scovell’s life-long partner. A brother of Mmes. Scovell and Kouns married Capt. Kouns’ sister lives on the Lawrence County, Ohio farm, on which Capt. Scovell was reared, and Capt. Scovell’s father bought from Capt. Kouns’ uncle.
Capt. Scovell leaves his widow and one son, Capt. Frank Scovell, a steamboatman, and two brothers, Capts. Noah Scovell and Matt. L. Scovell, both of whom are old Red River boatmen. Capt. Noah Scovell is spending the summer at Hot Springs, and Capt. Matt Scovell is currently in command of the new steamer Imperial, which Ed Howard built under the deceased’s supervision. While plying in Red River, it has broken all records as a Red River carrier.
On one trip, she brought out 3610 bales of cotton. On another trip, she brought cotton, cotton-seed meal, and oil cake to this city, equal to 4440 bales of 500 pounds each. This trip was the last that Capt. Scovell, then in command of the Imperial, made on a steamboat as its captain. Mrs. Scovell left for Jeffersonville as soon as she heard of Capt. Scovell’s illness. She left here by the night train Sunday over the Louisville and Nashville road and was expected to reach Jeffersonville at 2 o’clock this morning.
The lives of Capt. Scovell and Capt. John Kouns, who mourns his loss here, has been strangely close throughout nearly seventy years. Capt. Scovell was born in Burlington, Ohio, in November 1825, but when he was eight, his father bought from Capt. Kouns’ uncle the farm one mile from the farm of Capt. In Lawrence County, Ohio, Kouns’ father, Willie Scovell, and John Kouns grew up in a friendship destined to last. They went to school together and even had the same objects of youthful adoration without a breach of their friendship, finally growing into useful manhood as business partners to marry sisters.
It was in 1846, when the deceased was twenty-one years old, that Capt. Kouns’ father decided to bring a boatload of farm products to this city. Farmer Kouns made the trip on a small steamer, bringing his sons, George L. Kouns and John Kouns, and young Scovell. Almost as soon as the three young men got here, they decided to go into the steamboat business for themselves.
They bought the little steamboat Laura and put her into the Bayou Bartholomew trade, the next spring doing business under the firm name of G. L. Kouns & Bro. and running all the Eras in the Red River trade before the war.
Captain Scovell’s war record was splendid. He was a favorite with Stonewall Jackson, and Lee knew his value to the Stonewall Brigade. Capt. Scovell and Capt. George Kouns went from here to Virginia together in 1861 as members of one of Louisiana’s most noted commands, Zulowski’s battalion. He was shortly transferred to the immortal Jackson’s brigade and placed by Jackson in command of the pontoon department.
Subsequently, Gen. Taylor asked for his transfer to service in Louisiana, claiming that as he was a citizen of this State, the exigencies of war here entitled this section of the South to his services. Jackson flatly refused to consent to Capt. Scovell’s removal of his troops, and Gen. Taylor appealed the matter to President Davis. The President referred the matter to Gen. Lee, who agreed with Jackson, that Capt. Scovell was too valuable a man in Virginia to permit his transfer to Louisiana.
After Jackson’s death, Capt. Scovell was transferred to Fifteenth Louisiana, in Early’s command, and during the raid into Maryland, was one of the officers in charge of the burning of Chancellorsville in retaliation for Sherman’s action in the South. After the war, the firm of George L. Kouns & Bro. was dissolved, and Capt. Scovell and Capt. John Kouns leased the Canal Street ferry in 1866 for ten years.
Then they bought the Tidal Wave, which they subsequently sold. Then the Red River Line was formed with Capt. Kouns and Scovell bought the Belle Roland among the stockholders and the deceased. Since forming the Red River Line, he has been one of its leading members. He was also a large owner and vice-president of the Good Intent Dry Dock and a member of the Continental Guards.
It is unknown whether the body will be brought here for interment or buried in the old Scovell place in Lawrence County, Ohio, which is now owned by Mr. Dillon, the brother-in-law of Messrs. Kouns and Scovell and the husband of Capt. Kouns’ sister.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 2, 1895, Page 6. via Newspapers.
Captain Willaim T. Scovell – Jeffersonville, Indiana, July 1 – Capt. William T. Scovell, 69 years old and one of the pioneer lower Mississippi steamboat men, died at the Clauss Hotel at 3:00 p.m. of heart disease and kidney trouble.
Capt. Scovell arrived in the city last week and closed a contract with Capt. Howard for the construction of a boat to ply in the New Orleans and Red River trade. He was born at Burlington, Ohio. The remains will be shipped to New Orleans for interment.
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