At the time of the U.S. Civil War, most Fretwells in the United States lived in the South, and consequently most fought for the Confederacy. We know of only two Fretwells who fought for the North, but they were of a different Fretwell line than ours. All our ancestor Fretwells for whom we have found Civil War records fought for the Confederacy.
One Fretwell, a physician, Dr. John Richard Fretwell, of Texas, was a munitions expert who teamed up with engineer Edgar Collins Singer -- nephew of Isaac Singer of Singer Sewing Machine fame -- to invent and manufacture the first sea mine ever used in the United States. (See the picture to the right.) Later, they worked with Horace L. Hunley to finance and build the C.S.S. Horace L. Hunley, the first submarine ever used in warfare.
Underwater Magazine, (now out of business) in their December/January 2000 issue provides an excellent article on the discovery of and raising of the submarine, which sank on its maiden mission, after sinking the 205 ft. Union warship, The Housatonic . The article also provides some details about the invention of and manufacture of the Hunley. You can link to the article HERE.
Another brief article expands the information provided in the first article. You can link to the second article HERE.
As more and more books are scanned into Google Books, we are finding more information on Dr. John Richard Fretwell's inventions and expoloits. We have learned that two Federal warships were sunk by two of the Fretwell-Singer torpedoes: the ironclad Baron de Kalb in the Yazoo River, Mississippi, and the monitor Tecumseh in Mobile Bay, Alabama. We also learned that Dr. Fretwell patented a quick-release hook for lowering small boats into the water from large boats. This patent was granted in 1878, some 13 years after the Civil War.
Years ago my wife and I visited Keyport, Washington, and discovered the U.S. Navy's Museum of Underwater Research and Warfare. We visited it, and found a replica of the Singer-Fretwell sea mine there. (Mines were first called "torpedoes" when invented). Since then, we had heard no more about the mine or its inventors until we found the article in Underwater Magazine and realized that Dr. John R. Fretwell and Edwin Collins Singer had been more instrumental in the Confederacy's naval warfare than we first imagined.
Thanks to the research of Shela S. Fretwell, we have found the linkage between Dr. John R. Fretwell and our family lineage. He too is a descendant of William Fretwell and Mary Evatt of Virginia. Our family line is thus: William and Mary (Evatt) Fretwell -- Our common ancestors > Thomas and Nancy Ann Fretwell >Leonard and Nancy (Timberlake) Fretwell >Samuel and Louisa Ann (Wells) Fretwell >William and Fannie (Ramsey) Fretwell -- our line; my Grandfather
Dr. John Richard Fretwell's family line is: William and Mary (Evatt) Fretwell -- Our common ancestors >John and Mary (Bullock) Fretwell >Richard and Mary (Gibson) Fretwell >Dr. John Richard Fretwell
From the above genealogies, we know that Dr. John Richard Fretwell and William Lafayette Fretwell (our line; my Grandfather) were second cousins, one time removed.
You can find Dr. Fretwell in the "Genealogy" portion of this website by searching on his name, or by tracking down his descendancy line.
Shela S. Fretwell has written a 66-page manuscript on what we know about Dr. Fretwell. When she puts it on her website I'll provide a link here for the article.
He was a most colorful character, one of the leading munitions experts for the Confederacy, and also a military Surgeon. He married four times. His third wife, Juliet Constance Ewing, was equally interesting, in that she lost her first husband in a Comanche Indain Raid in Linnville, Texas, and was herself seriously wounded. Her most interesting story is the next on this website.