Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/67

 FARRAGUT

I'AiCiiAUUT

Tampico and thence to Vera Cruz. In Januaiy. isa'j, be returned to Norfolk, where lie remained unemployed, except on courts-martial, until De- cember, 1840, when bis wife died. On Feb. 22, 1841, he was ordered to the Ddaware, and on Sept. 27, 1841, was promoted to the rank of commander. He commanded the sloop of war Decatur in South American waters, 1842, was relieved early in 1843, and on Dec. 36, 1843, was married to Virginia, daughter of William Loyall of Norfolk, Va. In April, 1844, be was made executive officer of the receiving ship Penunyl- vania, at Norfolk, and was later transferred to the Norfolk navj' yard, where he was stationed at the outbreak of the Mexican war. At the beginning of the difficulties he made application for service in the gulf, but it was not luitil after repeatea attempts that he was sent in February, 1847, in command of the Santiayo to operate with the squadron of Commodore Conner against Vera Cruz. He did not reach the station, however, until after Commodore Perry had assumed com- mand and the land forces under Scott bad cap- tured the place. He here contracted yellow fever ; complained to the department at Wash- ington of unfair treatment from Commodore Perry, and was ordered home with the Saratoga, arriving in February, 1848, and at once resuming his position at the Norfolk navy yard. In 1851- .52 he was employed in Washington in helping to draw up a book of ordnance regulations for the navy, and he meanwhile attended regularly the lectures at the Smithsonian institution. In August, 18.54, he was ordered to California as first comiuandant of the navy yard at Mare Island, and planned and built up the yard, re- maining there four years. On Sept. 14, 1856, he was promoted captain, then the highest grade in the U.S. navy. He commanded the Brooklyn, 1858-60, and was on waiting orders at Norfolk, 1861, when the civil war broke out and he re- ported at Washington for assignment to active duty, but was ordered to Brooklj-n, N.Y., as a member of the retiring board. In 1862 lie was placed in command of an expedition planned to co-operate with the army in opening the Missis- sippi river and capturing New Orleans. He sailed on the Hartford, flag-ship, from Hampton Roads, Feb. 2, 1863, and gathering together six sloops-of-war, sixteen gunboats and twentj'-one mortar boats with five inferior coalers and barges, carrying in all 300 guns, without a single iron-clad or armored vessel, he reached the forts below New Orleans, April 24. 1862, and at once proceeded to engage Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip simultaneously by dividing his fleet in two divisions. He encountered besides the fire from the forts, a formidable iron-clad ram, the Manas- sas, a fire-raft, and a chain stretched across the

channel. His progress was also disputed by shore batteries and armed river crafts consisting of gunboats, cotton-boats and rams. He met the combined force, one after another giving way before the guns of the Federal fleet, and he reached New Orleans, April 25, 1863, and cap- tured the city. He had lost 37 men killed, 147 wounded and the gmiboat Varuna sunk. On June 28, 1863, be ran the batteries of Vicksburg and with eight of his wooden vessels joined Com- modore Davis's fleet of iron-clads above the city, He ran the batteries of Vicksburg again on his return, July 15, and on July 16, 1862, he was com- missioned rear-admiral, receiving at the same time a vote of thanks from congi-ess for his gal- lantry in passing Forts Jackson and St. Philip. He ran the batteries at Port Hudson, opened communication with Flag-Officer David D. Porter, son of his foster-father, and assisted in the reduction of the place, July 9, 1863, when he turned over the command of the western squad- ron to Rear-Admiral Porter. He was on leave of absence till January, 1864, when he was ordered to make a reconnoLssance of tlie Confederate de- fences of Mobile bay with the design of captui'ing the city. His report to the government was to the effect tliat with a single iron-clad gunboat and a land force of 5000 men, he could take the city. He then prepared a fleet of fourteen wooden vessels with the Hart ford hh flag-ship, and four iron-clads, the Tecmnseh and Manhattan, sea- going monitors, and the Winneha<jo and Chickasaw, two river monitors, built in St. Louis. The bay was defended by Fort Morgan with 38 heavy guns; Fort Gaines; Fort Powell; the Confederate Tennessee, a broadside iron-clad, 309 feet long and 48 feet wide, with sloping sides, fitted with a ram and armed with four six-inch rifles and two seven-inch rifles; three wooden gunboats; a line of piles to the edge of the channel and a tiiple line of contact torjiedoes across the channel to within 100 yards of Fort Slorgan. In the attack, begun at early dawn, Aug. 5, 1864, the Brooklyn led the way, the Hartford taking the second place in the column with the Metacomet on her port. Of the monitors forming the second column, the Tecnmseh led, and as it passed the fort Captain Craven fired two shots at the fort; and the two columns moved forward five minutes before seven, the Brooklyn receiving the first fire from Fort Morgan and replying with her bow guns ; this was followed by a general engagement between the monitors and the fort. Farragut took liis position in the port main rigging of the Hartford, while Captain Jouett was near at hand, standing on the wheelhouse of the Metacomet The pilot was in the maintop of the Hartford so as to see over the smoke, and Farragut moimted step by step for a like purpose, till he stood near