David Farragut | |
|---|---|
 Farragut as arear admiral,c. 1862–1864 | |
| Birth name | James Glasgow Farragut |
| Born | (1801-07-05)July 5, 1801 nearFarragut, Tennessee (at Lowe's Ferry) |
| Died | August 14, 1870(1870-08-14) (aged 69) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States (Union) |
| Branch |  United States Navy (Union Navy) |
| Years of service | 1810–1870 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles / wars | |
| Signature |  |
David Glasgow Farragut (/ˈfærəɡət/; also spelledGlascoe;[1][2][3][4] July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of theUnited States Navy during theAmerican Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy.[5][6] He is remembered in U.S. Navy tradition for his bold order at theBattle of Mobile Bay, usually abbreviated to "Damn the torpedoes ... full speed ahead."[7][8]
Farragut was born inKnoxville, Tennessee and raised by naval officerDavid Porter after the death of his mother. When he was 11 years old, Farragut served in theWar of 1812 under the command of his adoptive father. He received his first command in 1823 at age 22, and went on to participate inanti-piracy operations in theCaribbean Sea. He then served in theMexican–American War under the command ofMatthew C. Perry, participating in the blockade ofTuxpan. After the war, he oversaw the construction of the Mare Island Navy Yard (nowMare Island Naval Shipyard), which was the first U.S. Navy base established on thePacific Ocean.
Farragut resided inNorfolk, Virginia prior to theCivil War, but he was aSouthern Unionist who strongly opposedSouthern secession and remained loyal to the Union after the outbreak of the Civil War. He was assigned command of an attack on the important Confederate port city ofNew Orleans, defeating the Confederates at theBattle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. Hecaptured New Orleans in April 1862. He was promoted to rear admiral after the battle and helped extend Union control up along theMississippi River, participating in thesiege of Port Hudson. He then led a successful attack onMobile Bay, home to the last major Confederate port on theGulf of Mexico. Farragut was promoted to admiral following the end of the Civil War and remained on active duty until his death in 1870.
James Glasgow Farragut was born in 1801 toGeorge Farragut (born Jorge Farragut Mesquida, 1755–1817), a SpanishBalearic merchantcaptain from theMediterranean island ofMenorca, and his wife Elizabeth (née Shine, 1765–1808), of North CarolinaScotch-Irish American descent, at Lowe's Ferry on theHolston River in Tennessee.[9] It was a few miles southeast of Campbell's Station, nearKnoxville.[10]
After serving in the Spanishmerchant marine, George Farragut immigrated toNorth America in 1776 and served as a naval officer during theAmerican Revolutionary War. He was first with theSouth Carolina Navy, then with theContinental Navy. George and Elizabeth moved west to Tennessee after his service in the Revolution, where he operated Lowe's Ferry and served as acavalry officer in the Tennesseemilitia.[6]
In 1805, George accepted a position at the U.S. port ofNew Orleans. He traveled there first and his family followed in a 1,700-mile (2,700 km)flatboat journey guided by hired rivermen. It was four-year-old James's first voyage. The family was still living in New Orleans when Elizabeth died ofyellow fever. George Farragut made plans to place the young children with friends and family who could better care for them.
In 1808, after his mother's death, James agreed to live with United States Navy officerDavid Porter, whose father had served with George Farragut during the Revolution.[11] In 1812, he adopted the name "David" in honor of his foster father, with whom he went to sea late in 1810. David Farragut grew up in a naval family, withfoster brothersDavid Dixon Porter, a futureCivil War admiral, andWilliam D. Porter, who became aCommodore.
Farragut's naval career began as amidshipman when he was nine years old, and continued for 60 years until his death at the age of 69. This included service in several wars, most notably during theAmerican Civil War, where he gained fame for winning several decisive naval battles.
Farragut's naval career began when he was added to the U.S. Navy's rolls with the rank of"boy" in the spring of 1810.[12] Through the influence of his foster father, Farragut was warranted amidshipman in the U.S. Navy on December 17, 1810, at the age of nine.[13][note 1] Aprize master by the age of 11, Farragut fought in theWar of 1812, serving underCaptain Porter, his foster father. While serving aboard thefrigateUSS Essex, Farragut participated in thecapture of HMSAlert on August 13, 1812,[14][15] He helped to establish America's first naval base and colony in the Pacific, namedFort Madison, during the ill-fatedNuku Hiva Campaign in theMarquesas Islands. At the same time, the Americans battled the hostile tribes on the islands with the help of theirTe I'i allies.
Farragut was 11 years old when, during the War of 1812, he was given the assignment to bring a ship captured by theEssex safely to port.[16] He was wounded and captured while serving on theEssex during theengagement atValparaíso Bay, Chile, against the British on March 28, 1814.[17]
In 1823, Farragut was placed in command ofUSS Ferret, which was his first command of a U.S. naval vessel.[18][19] He served in theMosquito Fleet, a fleet of ships fitted out tofight pirates in theCaribbean Sea. After learning his old captain, Commodore Porter, would be commander of the fleet, he asked for, and received, orders to serve aboardGreyhound, one of the smaller vessels, commanded by John Porter, brother of David Porter. On February 14, 1823, the fleet set sail for theWest Indies where, for the next six months, they would drive the pirates off the sea, and rout them from their hiding places in among the islands.[20] He was executive officer aboard theExperiment during its campaign in the West Indies fighting pirates.[21] Farragut was promoted to lieutenant in 1825.[19]
In 1847, Farragut, now acommander, took command of thesloop-of-warUSS Saratoga when she was recommissioned atNorfolk Navy Yard inNorfolk,Virginia. Assigned to theHome Squadron for service in theMexican–American War,Saratoga departed Norfolk on March 29, 1847, bound for theGulf of Mexico under Farragut's command and upon arriving offVeracruz,Mexico, on April 26, 1847, reported to the squadron's commander,CommodoreMatthew C. Perry, for duty. On April 29, Perry ordered Farragut to sailSaratoga 150nautical miles (170 mi; 280 km) to the north toblockadeTuxpan, where she operated from April 30 to July 12 before Farragut returned to Veracruz. About two weeks later, Farragut began a round-trip voyage to carry dispatches toTabasco, returning to Veracruz on August 11, 1847. On September 1, 1847, Farragut andSaratoga returned to blockade duty off Tuxpan, remaining there for two months despite ayellow fever outbreak on board. Farragut then brought the ship back to Veracruz and, after a month there, got underway for thePensacola Navy Yard inPensacola,Florida, whereSaratoga arrived on January 6, 1848, disembarked all of her seriously sick patients at the base hospital, and replenished her stores. On January 31, 1848, Farragut took the ship out of Pensacola bound forNew York City, arriving there on February 19.Saratoga was decommissioned there on February 26, 1848.[22]
In 1853,Secretary of the NavyJames C. Dobbin selected Commander David G. Farragut to createMare Island Navy Yard near San Francisco inSan Pablo Bay. In August 1854, Farragut was called to Washington from his post as assistant inspector of ordnance atNorfolk, Virginia. PresidentFranklin Pierce congratulated Farragut on his naval career and the task he was to undertake. On September 16, 1854, Commander Farragut arrived to oversee the building of the Mare Island Navy Yard atVallejo, California, which became the port for ship repairs on the West Coast. Captain Farragut commissioned Mare Island on July 16, 1858. Farragut returned to a hero's welcome at Mare Island on August 11, 1859.[23][24]
Although he was a Southerner by birth and lived in the South prior to the American Civil War, Farragut made it clear to all who knew him that he regarded secession astreason. Just before the war's outbreak, Farragut moved with his Virginia-born wife toHastings-on-Hudson, a small town just outside New York City.[9][25]
He offered his services to the Union, and was initially given a seat on the Naval Retirement Board. Offered a command by his foster brother, David Dixon Porter, for a special assignment, he hesitated upon learning the target might be Norfolk. As he had friends and relatives living there, he was relieved to learn the target was changed to his former childhood home of New Orleans.[25]
Farragut was appointed under secret instructions on February 3, 1862, to command theGulf Blockading Squadron, sailing fromHampton Roads on the screwsteamerUSS Hartford, bearing 25 guns, which he made hisflagship, accompanied by a fleet of 17 ships. He reached the mouth of theMississippi River, near Confederate fortsSt. Philip andJackson, situated opposite one another along the banks of the river, with a combined armament of more than 100 heavy guns and a complement of 700 men. Now aware of Farragut's approach, the Confederates had amassed a fleet of 16 gunboats just outside New Orleans.[26]
On April 18, Farragut ordered the mortar boats, under the command of Porter, to commence bombardment on the two forts, inflicting considerable damage, but not enough to compel the Confederates to surrender. After two days ofheavy bombardment, Farragut ran past forts Jackson and St. Philip and theChalmette batteries to take the city and port ofNew Orleans on April 29, a decisive event in the war.[27]
Congress honored him by creating the rank ofrear admiral on July 16, 1862, a rank never before used in the U.S. Navy. Before this time, the American Navy had resisted the rank of admiral, preferring the term "flag officer", to distinguish the rank from the traditions of the European navies. Farragut was promoted to rear admiral along with 13 other officers – three others on the active list and ten on the retired list. Later that year, Farragut passed the batteries defendingVicksburg, Mississippi, but had no success there. A makeshiftConfederateironclad forced his flotilla of 38 ships to withdraw in July 1862.
While an aggressive commander, Farragut was not always cooperative. At thesiege of Port Hudson, the plan was that Farragut's flotilla would pass by the guns of theConfederate stronghold with the help of a diversionary land attack by theArmy of the Gulf, commanded by GeneralNathaniel Banks, to commence at 8:00 a.m. on March 15, 1863. Farragut unilaterally decided to move the timetable up to 9:00 p.m. on March 14, and initiated his run past the guns before Union ground forces were in position. The consequently uncoordinated attack allowed the Confederates to concentrate on Farragut's flotilla and inflict heavy damage to his warships.
Farragut's flotilla was forced to retreat with only two ships able to pass the heavy cannon of the Confederate bastion. After surviving the gauntlet, Farragut played no further part in the battle forPort Hudson, and General Banks was left to continue the siege without the advantage of naval support. TheUnion Army made two major attacks on the fort; both were repulsed with heavy losses. Farragut's flotilla was splintered, yet was able to blockade the mouth of theRed River with the two remaining warships; he could not efficiently patrol the section of the Mississippi between Port Hudson and Vicksburg. Farragut's decision proved costly to the Union Navy and the Union Army, which suffered its highest casualty rate of the war at Port Hudson.
Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, leaving Port Hudson as the last remaining Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. General Banks accepted the surrender of the Confederate garrison at Port Hudson on July 9, ending the longest siege in U.S. military history.Control of the Mississippi River was the centerpiece of the Union strategy to win the war, and, with the surrender of Port Hudson, the Confederacy was now cut in two.
On August 5, 1864, Farragut won a great victory in theBattle of Mobile Bay.Mobile, Alabama was then the Confederacy's last major open port on theGulf of Mexico. The bay was heavily mined (tetherednaval mines were then known as "torpedoes").[28] Farragut ordered his fleet to charge the bay. As the battle progressed, smoke blocked Farragut's view from his position on the USSHartford. In a detailed account of the episode,Robert M. Browning reveals that, in order to see better, Farragut climbed the ship's rigging until he reached thefuttock shrouds under the main top. Fearing for his safety, the crew lashed him to the mast and rigging.[29]
When the monitorUSS Tecumseh struck a mine and sank, the others began to pull back. "What's the trouble?" he shouted through a trumpet toUSS Brooklyn. "Torpedoes", was the shouted reply. "Damn the torpedoes.", said Farragut, "Four bells,Captain Drayton, go ahead.Jouett, full speed."[30][31] The bulk of the fleet succeeded in entering the bay. Farragut triumphed over the opposition of heavy batteries inFort Morgan andFort Gaines to defeat the squadron of AdmiralFranklin Buchanan. On December 21, 1864, Lincoln promoted Farragut to vice admiral, which made him the senior ranking officer in the United States Navy.
After the Civil War, Farragut was elected a companion of the first class of the New York Commandery of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States on March 18, 1866, and assigned insignia number 231. He served as the commander of the Commandery of New York from May 1866 until his death. Farragut was promoted to fulladmiral on July 25, 1866, becoming the first U.S. Navy officer to hold that rank.[6] His last active service was in command of theEuropean Squadron, from 1867 to 1868, with thescrew frigateUSS Franklin as hisflagship. Farragut remained on active duty for life, an honor accorded to only seven other U.S. Navy officers after the Civil War.[32]
Farragut died from a heart attack at the age of 69 inPortsmouth, New Hampshire, while on vacation in the late summer of 1870. He had served almost sixty years in the navy. He is interred atWoodlawn Cemetery, inThe Bronx,New York City.[33] Hisgravesite is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, as is Woodlawn Cemetery itself.
Farragut married Susan Caroline Marchant on September 2, 1824 following an initial cruise as acting lieutenant commandingUSS Ferret.[34] She died on December 27, 1840 after 11 years of ill health. Farragut was noted for his kindly treatment of his wife during her illness.[35] He married Virginia Dorcas Loyall on December 26, 1843, with whom he had one surviving son named Loyall Farragut, born October 12, 1844.[36]
Farragut was aFreemason and aScottish Rite freemason.[37][38][39]
Campbell's Station, Tennessee was only a few miles from Admiral Farragut's birthplace, and it was renamedFarragut, Tennessee in his honor.Farragut Square in Washington, D.C. is named in his honor. A statue of him namedAdmiral David G. Farragut is in the center of Farragut Square.Washington Metro stationsFarragut West andFarragut North also share his name. There is astatue of Admiral Farragut at theSouth Boston Marine Park adjacent toCastle Island. There is also anoutdoor sculpture of him inMadison Square Park in Manhattan, where theFarragut section of the Borough of Brooklyn[41] is named for him.[42] A street inThe Bronx, New York is also named for him.[43]
The Superintendent's residence at the United States Naval Academy was named Farragut House in May 2023, replacing the former name of Buchanan House which had been in honor of Confederate Admiral Buchanan who was defeated by Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War.[44]Farragut Naval Training Station in Northern Idaho onLake Pend Oreille was aWorld War II naval training center with over 293,000 sailors receiving basic training there. In 1966, the state of Idaho turned the land intoFarragut State Park. Two separate classes of U.S. Navy destroyers have been named for Farragut: theFarragut class of 1934 and theFarragut class of 1958. Other U.S. Navy ships namedFarragut include TB-11 of 1898, DD-300 of 1920, and DDG-99 of 2006.
Admiral Farragut Academy was founded in 1933 as an all-boys military boarding high school located inSt. Petersburg, Florida. Today, the academy is a college preparatory school which serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade.Farragut Career Academy in Chicago,Farragut High School in Farragut TN are other high schools named in his honor.
Farragut has been honored more than once on US postage stamps. The first postage stamp (at left) was the one-dollar blackissue of 1903. The Navy Issue of 1937 includes a three-cent purple stamp which depicts Admirals David Farragut (left) andDavid Porter, with a warship under sail displayed at center. The most recent postage issue honoring Farragut was released from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on June 29, 1995.[45][46]
The Tennessee State Capitol Commission and Historical Commission voted on July 22, 2021 to move busts of Admiral Farragut,Nathan Bedford Forrest, and AdmiralAlbert Gleaves from theTennessee Capitol to theTennessee State Museum. The process of moving them officially began on July 23, 2021.[47] Farragut's likeness is featured on the southern side of theSoldiers' and Sailors' Monument inPortland, Maine.[48]
 First U.S. Postage stamp to honor Admiral Farragut |  Farragut honored along with Porter, his foster brother |  |  |
Numerous places and things are named in remembrance of Admiral Farragut:
Monuments
Damn the torpedoes
Informational notes
Citations
... Admiral David Farragut, for example, was one of the great Freemasons who won recognition from all sides for his bravery.
Avenue E was named, apparently, for a local landholder and became Foster, while Avenue F became Farragut in honor of David Farragut, the great Civil War admiral.
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This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.Further reading
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