Rash's Surname Index
Notes for David Glasglow FARRAGUT
FARRAGUT, David Glasgow, naval officer, Was born at Campbell's Station near Knoxville, Tenn., July 5, 1801; son of Maj. George and Elizabeth (Shine) Farragut; and grandson of Antonio and Juana (Mesquida) Ferragut, and of John and Ellenor (McIven) Shine. His father, of unmixed Spanish blood and a descendant of the renowned Don Pedro Ferragut, who served under James I., King of Aragon, was born in Ciudadella, on the Island of Minorca, in the Mediterranean, Sept. 29, 1755, and came to America in 1776, where he served in the Revolution and the war of 1812. He first settled in Eastern Tennessee, removing thence to Louisiana. He was muster-master for the Tennessee militia, defending the frontier settlers from the Indians; major of cavalry, and subsequently a navigator on Lake Ponchartrain, La. He was married to Elizabeth Shine, who was born near Kinston, N.C., and was of Scotch descent. In 1808 David, then a lad of seven years, was adopted by Capt. David Porter, a friend of his father, who took him from New Orleans on board the bomb-ketch Vesuvius to Washington. There the lad attended school and was promised a midshipman's warrant by Paul Hamilton, secretary of the navy, when he attained the age of ten years. He received the warrant, Dec. 17, 1810, and went on his first cruise on beard the Essex, Captain Porter, July, 1811. Returning in a few months he was ordered to the naval school at Newport, R.I., for the winter. The declaration of war with Great Britain put an end to his school duties and he was ordered to the Essex bound on a cruise to the South Pacific. He detected insubordination and prevented a threatened mutiny of prisoners confined on the Essex, and in October, 1812, although only twelve years old, was prize master of the recaptured American whaler Barclay, bringing the vessel with her crew safely into the harbor of Valparaiso. [p.49] When the Essex capitulated to the Phæbe and Cherub, March 28, 1814, he was made prisoner with Captain Porter and upon being exchanged accompanied his foster-father to New York., He attended a classical and military school at Chester, Pa., 1814-15, and joined the Mediterranean squadron in 1815 as aid to Capt. W. M. Crane, and in 1816 was on board the Macedonian. He received nine months' tuition in English literature and mathematics from the Rev. Charles Folsom, U.S. consul at Tunis. In 1819 he was made acting lieutenant on board the Shark, sailed for Malta, spent the latter part of the winter at Messina, and was ordered home for his examination. He took passage in the American, a merchantman, and on being chased by a supposed pirate he took command of the ship, mustered the crew and prepared the defence. He landed in America, Nov. 20, 1820, and passed his examination for a commission, though not to his own satisfaction. In May, 1822, he was ordered to sea in the sloop-of-war John Adams and made a short cruise in the Gulf of Mexico and to Vera Cruz, returning in December, 1822. He was then ordered to the Greyhound of Commodore Porter's fleet, operating against pirates in the Caribbean sea, and was actively engaged for six months, holding command for a short time of one of the fleet schooners. On Sept. 24, 1823, he was married to Susan C., daughter of Jordan and Fanny Marchant of Norfolk, Va., and did not join a ship until two years later, owing probably to the fact that his health was very delicate. In August, 1825, he was promoted lieutenant and ordered to the frigate Brandywine, Capt. Charles Morris, which conveyed Lafayette to France, then sailed to England and thence to the Mediterranean, returning to New York in May, 1826. He attended lectures at Yale college in 1826 and established and conducted a naval school on the Alert, Norfolk navy yard, 1826-27, with gratifying results. He was on the Vandalia in Brazilian waters, 1828-29; and in December, 1829, was ordered home on account of the weakness of his eyes. He remained in Norfolk nearly three years and in December, 1832, was ordered to sea in the Natchez, as first lieutenant. He was stationed in Charleston harbor during the nullification troubles in 1833; commanded the Boxer, on the Brazilian station, 1834; and was on court-martial duty at Norfolk and in Washington, 1834-38. In 1838 he cruised in the Constellation-for two months and in August was given command of the sloop Erie, which sailed at once to Tampice and thence to Vera Cruz. In January, 1839, he returned to Norfolk, where he remained unemployed, except on courts-martial, until December, 1840, when his wife died. On Feb. 22, 1841, he was ordered to the Dclaware, 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. 26, 1843, was married to Virginia, daughter of William Loyall of Norfolk, Va. In April, 1844, he was made executive officer of the receiving ship Pennsylvania, at Norfolk, and was later transferred to the Norfolk navy 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 until after repeated attempts that he was sent in February, 1847, in command of the Santiago to operate with the squadron of Commodore Conner against Vera Cruz. He did not reach the station, however, until after Commodore Perry had assumed command and the land forces under Scott had captured the place. He here contracted yellow fever; complained to the department at Washington 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, 1854, he was ordered to California as first commandant of the navy yard at Mare Island, and planned and built up the yard, remaining there four years. On Sept. 14, 1855, 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 reported at Washington for assignment to active duty, but was ordered to Brooklyn, N.Y., as a member of the retiring board. In 1862 he was placed in command of an expedition planned to co-operate with the army in opening the Mississippi river and capturing New Orleans. He sailed on the Hartford, flag-ship, from Hampton Roads, Feb. 2, 1862, and gathering together six sloops-of-war, sixteen gunboats and twenty-one mortar boats with five inferior coalers and barges, carrying in all 200 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.[p.50] He encountered besides the fire from the forts, a formidable iron-clad ram, the Manassas, 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, 1862, and captured the city. He had lost 37 men killed, 147 wounded and the gunboat Varuna sunk. On June 28, 1862, he ran the batteries of Vicksburg and with eight of his wooden vessels joined Commodore 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 commissioned rear-admiral, receiving at the same time a vote of thanks from congress for his gallantry 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 squadron to Rear-Admiral Porter. He was on leave of absence till January, 1864, when he was ordered to make a reconnoissance of the Confederate de-fences of Mobile bay with the design of capturing the city. His report to the government was to the effect that 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 Hartford as flag-ship, and four iron-clads, the Tecumseh and Manhattan, seagoing monitors, and the Winnebago and Chickasaw, two river monitors, built in St. Louis. The bay was defended by Fort Morgan with 38 heavy guns; Fort Gaines; Fort Pewell; the Confederate Tennessee, a broadside iron-clad, 209 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 triple line of contact torpedoes across the channel to within 100 yards of Fort Morgan. 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 Tecumseh 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 his 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 mounted step by step for a like purpose, till he stood near [p.51] the maintop. Captain Drayton, seeing the danger of the admiral being thrown to the deck by a sudden lurch, ordered a sailor aloft with lashing with which he secured the admiral to the shrouds. The Tecumseh was within two hundred yards of the Tennessee and five hundred yards ahead of the Hartford when Farragut from his outlook saw the monitor reel, lurch and go down headforemost. A torpedo had exploded by contact with her hull. The gallant Craven went down with his ship, as did most of the crew. The Brooklyn backed down to the starboard bow of the flag-ship; the Manhattan had passed ahead; the Winnebago and Chickasaw were abreast of the Hartford, Brooklyn and Metacomet. The Brooklyn was ordered to go ahead but failed to move, and the Hartford and Metacomet by a dexterous movement passed close under the stern of the Brooklyn. With an exclamation, "Damn the torpedoes!" given in response to the warning of danger such as had already lost to the navy the Tecumseh and her crew, Admiral Farragut gave the order, "Four bells? Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!" and the Hartford and Metacomet crossed the torpedo line five hundred yards from Mobile Point, and Mobile bay was unlocked to the Union fleet. Meanwhile the Hartford was being terribly punished by the guns from the fort and Admiral Buchanan ordered the Tennessee to ram the flag-ship, which order failed of execution through the dexterous movement of the helm of the Hartford, and the Tennessee turned back to meet the oncoming wooden vessels of the invading fleet, which she passed, exchanging shots with each in turn. The Monongahela gave the Confederate ram a glancing blow with her prow. The order was then given by Farragut to pursue the enemy and destroy the fleet, but a thick rain-squall enabled them to escape under the guns of the fort. At half-past eight, three hours after the first signal and an hour and a half after the action began, the Hartford was at anchor four miles above Fort Morgan and the crew was sent to breakfast. While so engaged the Tennessee left the protecting fort and made for the fleet. Farragut directed the remaining monitors to attack the Tennessee and the wooden vessels to charge the ram bows on at full speed and to use their guns only as the ships swung into position. The Hartford's anchor hanging to the water edge struck the Tennessee and the two vessels passed, scraping their respective sides, the Hartford discharging seven nine-inch guns at close range against the sloping sides of the Tennessee without effect. The admiral mounted the port mizzen-rigging to watch the encounter and both the Lackawanna and the Hartford made a circuit to get a position, when a collision between the two vessels cut the Hortford to within two feet of the water line. At this moment the monitor came up and gave fight to the Confederate ram. Admiral Buchanan was struck by an iron splinter which broke his leg and he turned over the command of the ram to Captain Johnston, who soon afterward hauled down the Confederate flag. The same night Fort Powell was abandoned and blown up; on August 7 Fort Gaines surrendered, and on the 23d Fort Morgan capitulated. The loss on the flag ship was twenty-five killed and twenty-eight wounded out of a company of three hundred. The Brooklyn had eleven killed and forty-three wounded and the total loss to the Federal fleet in the battle was three hundred thirty-five killed, one hundred thirteen of whom went down with the Tecumseh. The Tennessee was a factor in the fight for three hours. Farragut remained in the bay till November, but advised against taking the city and recommended maintaining a strict blookade. On Nov. 30, 1864, he sailed from Pensacola, and reached New York Dec. 12, 1864, with the Hartford. The citizens of New York presented the admiral with the sum of $50,000 with which to purchase a home in that city, and on Dec. 22, 1864, congress created the grade of vice-admiral of the navy and the President nominated Rear-Admiral Farragut to the position. On July 25, 1865, congress further honored the hero of Mobile Bay by creating the grade of admiral and the senate unanimously confirmed his nomination to the position and rank, which was held subsequently by David Dixon Porter and George Dewey. He commanded the European squadron, 1867-69, visited California in 1869, and in January, 1870, he performed his last public service in command of the naval force participating in the obsequies of George Peabody at Portland, Maine. In the summer of 1870 he became the guest of Rear-Admiral Pennock, then commandant of the navy yard at Portsmouth, N.H., and he died there, surrounded by his family and friends. His body was sent to New York, where the final and public funeral ceremonies were held on September 30, President Grant, the members of the [p.52] cabinet, many military and naval officers, ten thousand soldiers and a large number of military and civic organizations forming the procession. The government erected to his memory a colossal bronze statue in Farragut square, Washington, executed by Miss Vinnie Ream (afterward Mrs. Vinnie Ream Hoxie), and a statue of the admiral by St. Gaudens was placed in Madison square, New York city. See The Life of David Glasgow Farragut by his son Loyall (1879); by Alfred T. Mahan (1892). Farragut received a place in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, Oct. 1900. He died in Portsmouth, N. H., Aug. 14, 1870
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