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Home Town Oxford, NY
Last Address He died in Buffalo, N.Y. October 22, 1908
Rear Admiral Arthur J. Burtis, III
Pay Director
U.S. Navy Pay Corps
Retired as Pay Director with 40 years service and thereby assumed the rank of Rear Admiral.
Commissioned Assistant Paymaster (ensign) July 14, 1862
Paymaster (lieutenant) May 4, 1866
Pay Inspector (commander) September 21, 1891
Pay Director (captain) May 5, 1898
Retired, Rear Admiral, November 21, 1902
Rear Admiral ARTHUR J. BURTIS, III
United States Navy
Was born in New York, and appointed assistant paymaster fro that State by Mr. Lincoln in 1862; his grandfather, Arthur Burtis, was an Alderman of the City of New York from 1813 to 1819; his great-grandfather and great great-grandfather both served in the Revolutionary War. His father was the Rev. Arthur Burtis, D.D., an eminent clergyman of Buffalo, N.Y. Young Burtis’ first orders were to duty under Admiral Farragut in the Sagamore, but on the way there in the supply steamer Rhode Island he contracted yellow fever and was sent north; upon recovering was ordered to the Connecticut, employed in convoying the California steamers through the Caribbean Sea; the Connecticut was next on the blockade, capturing four noted blockade-runners; also caused the destruction of four more, in the course of which duty she engaged with Fort Fisher. From 1864 to 1866 Paymaster Burtis was attached to the Muscoota, of the Gulf Squadron; while in the Muscoota he was promoted to paymaster, May 4, 1866; from 1867 to 1869 he was stationed at League Island; from 1870 to 1873 was attached to the Brooklyn, which ship brought the body of Admiral Farragut from Portsmouth, N.H., to New York, and then went for a cruise in European waters - part of the three years’ cruise on the Brooklyn he was the fleet paymaster of the European fleet. Upon his return home, after service at the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, Navy Department, 1873, he became inspector of provisions and clothing at the navy yard, Philadelphia, from 1874 to 1877; most of the time he had the additional duty of paymaster of the receiving-sip St. Louis. In 1887 he was a member of the Board of Examiners; again ordered to League Island, and after about a year’s service there went to the practice-ship Constellation for her summer cruise with the cadets of the Naval Academy. After this he was for some time on special duty at navy pay office, New York; from 1883 to 1886 he was attached to the Galena, of the North Atlantic Squadron; the Galena was at Aspinwall in the spring of 1885; during the rebellion on the Isthmus, and when that city was burned, the officers and crew of the ship prevented much destruction of property and loss of life; the Galena also seized at St. Andrew’s Island the filibustering steamer City of Mexico, in February, 1886. From June, 1886, to May, 1889, was the paymaster of the navy yard, New York; he next went to the Vermont, receiving-ship at New York, and in January, 1890, was ordered as fleet paymaster of the Pacific Squadron in the flagship Charleston. The Charleston brought Kin Kalakau from the Sandwich Islands to California, and took his remains back to Honolulu in January, 1891; from the Charleston he was transferred to the flagship San Francisco, March 31, 1891; the San Francisco was in Chili during the revolution in 1891, and in Valparaiso when Balmaceda’s army was defeated and the Congressional forces captured that city, August 28, 1891; he was promoted to pay inspector, September 21, 1891; was detached from the flagship San Francisco, January 30, 1892; Pay Inspector Navy Yard, New York, December, 1892 to 1900; and he was member Board of Inspection and Survey, January, 1896-1897; USS New York, /fleet paymaster, 1897, North Atlantic Station. The New York was at Tortugas when the Maine was destroyed in Havana, February 15, 1898; captured the Spanish steamer Pedro, April 22, 1898, and later several other prizes; action with the Matanzas batteries, April 27, 1898; engagements, San Juan, Porto Rico, May 12, 1898; action with Cervera’s fleet, July 3, 1898; promoted to pay director, May 5, 1898; detached from the New York, July 3, 1899; in charge of Navy Pay Office, Boston, Mass., December 30, 1899 to 1902; Navy Pay Office, New York, 1902; retired, November 21, 1902, with rank of rear admiral; received the honorary degree of A.M. from Hobart College; member of the St. Nicholas Society of New York, the Holland Society of New York, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Kappa Alpha Society, the St. Nicholas Club of New York, the Union Club of New York, and the Council of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, MOLLUS, New York Commandery. His made his home in Buffalo, N.Y.
Other Comments:
During the Civil War he served on USS Connecticut, 1862-1864
USS Muscotta, 1865-1866, in the North Atlantic Squadron
US Receiving Ship, St. Louis, League Island, 1867-1870
and was afterword on USS Brooklyn in European Squadron 1870-1873
Stationed at League Island and Philadelphia 1874-1880
USS Constellation, 1880
Paymaster Navy Yard N.Y. City 1881
USS Galena, North Atlantic Squadron 1883-1886
Paymaster, Navy Yard NY City 1886-1889
US Flagships USS Charleston and USS San Francisco on Pacific Squadron Fleet., paymaster 1889-1892
Navy Yard Philadelphia and New York 1892-1897
US Flagship New York, fleet paymaster North Atlantic Station, 1897, under Rear Admiral Sampson off Santiago Cuba, at destruction of Spanish fleet July 3, 1898
Afterword in Navy Pay Offices at Boston and NY City until retired. Elected May 3, 1893: New York Commandery, MOLLUS.
