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Joshua Crosby, who led an illustrious life on the sea by the time he became a keeper of the three lighthouse towers at Nauset Light on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was honored late last year with the placement of a U.S. Lighthouse Service Memorial Marker at his gravesite at the Orleans Cemetery in Orleans, Massachusetts.
Joshua Crosby was only 13 years old when he went to sea on a fishing schooner, a position he used to eventually secure a job on the USS Constitution where he fought in some of the most notable battles of the War of 1812.
As a gun captain, he was involved in a number of famous battles, including one with the HMS Guerriere off the coast of Massachusetts on August 19, 1812. Later, while serving under Commodore Oliver H. Perry on Lake Erie, he was in the naval battle on September 10, 1813 that played a crucial role in turning the tide of the war with Great Britain in favor of the United States.
When he retired from the sea, he was appointed keeper of the Nauset Lighthouse, a position he held from 1849 to 1851. Born on January 6, 1779, he died at the age of 82 on December 10, 1861.
This story appeared in the
Jul/Aug 2021 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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