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Franklin Buchanan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Franklin Buchanan, c. 1855–1861 | |
| Born | (1800-09-17)17 September 1800 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | 11 May 1874(1874-05-11) (aged 73) Talbot County, Maryland, U.S. |
| Burial | Wye House family plot outside Easton, Maryland |
| Allegiance |  United States Confederate States |
| Branch |  United States Navy Confederate States Navy |
| Years of service | USN 1815–1861 CSN 1861–1865 |
| Rank | .png){kind=icon} Captain (USN) Admiral (CSN) |
| Commands | USS Vincennes USS Germantown USS Susquehanna James River Squadron CSSVirginia CSSTennessee |
| Battles / wars | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 9 |
| Relations | Thomas McKean (grandfather) |
| Other work | College president and businessman |
| Signature |  |
Franklin Buchanan (September 17, 1800 – May 11, 1874) was an officer in theUnited States Navy who became the only fulladmiral in theConfederate Navy during theAmerican Civil War. He also commanded the ironcladCSSVirginia.
Franklin Buchanan was born inBaltimore, Maryland, on September 13, 1800. He was the fifth child and third son of Laetitia (née McKean) and George Buchanan, a physician.[1] The Buchanan side of his family arrived in the United States from Scotland. Hispaternal grandfather was a general with the Maryland Militia during theRevolutionary War while hismaternal grandfatherThomas McKean was one of the signers of theDeclaration of Independence.
He joined the U.S. Navy on January 28, 1815, and became amidshipman; he was promoted to lieutenant on January 13, 1825,commander on September 8, 1841, and thencaptain on September 14, 1855.[1]
On February 19, 1835, atAnnapolis, Maryland, he married Ann Catherine Lloyd. They had nine children: eight daughters and a son.
During the 45 years he served in the U.S. Navy, Buchanan had extensive and worldwide sea duty. He commanded thesloops of warVincennes andGermantown during the 1840s and the steam frigateSusquehanna in thePerry Expedition to Japan from 1852 to 1854.[1] In 1845, at the request of theU.S. Secretary of the Navy, he submitted plans to his superiors proposing a naval school which would lead to the creation of theUnited States Naval Academy that very year; for his efforts, he was appointed the first superintendent of the Naval School—its first name—where he served in 1845–1847. This assignment was followed by notableMexican–American War service in 1847–1848. From 1859 to 1861, Buchanan was the commandant of theWashington Navy Yard.
With the Civil War upon him, he resigned his commission on April 22, 1861, expecting his home state ofMaryland to eventually secede. When that did not happen, he tried to recall his resignation, but U.S. Secretary of the Navy,Gideon Welles said he did not want traitors or half-hearted patriots in his navy and refused to reinstate him.[1] Thus in May 1861 he was out of the U.S. Navy.
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On September 5, 1861, Buchanan joined the Confederate Navy and was given a captain's commission. On February 24, 1862, theConfederate States Secretary of the Navy,Stephen Mallory, appointed Buchanan to the office of Confederate Navy James River SquadronFlag Officer and he then selected the newly builtironcladCSS Virginia to be his flagship.
Buchanan was the captain of CSSVirginia (formerlyUSS Merrimack) during theBattle of Hampton Roads inVirginia.[2] He climbed to the top deck ofVirginia and began furiously firing toward shore with acarbine asUSS Congress was shelled.[3] He soon was brought down by asharpshooter'sminie ball to thethigh. He would eventually recover from his leg wound. He did not get to commandVirginia againstUSS Monitor. That honor went toCatesby ap Roger Jones.[4]
In August 1862, Buchanan was promoted to the rank of full admiral – the only officer so honored in the Confederate Navy – and was sent to take command of Confederate naval forces stationed atMobile Bay,Alabama.[5] He oversaw the construction of the ironcladCSS Tennessee, of which thekeel was laid in October 1862. He was on boardTennessee during theBattle of Mobile Bay with Rear AdmiralDavid Glasgow Farragut's Union fleet on August 5, 1864.[6] Wounded and taken prisoner, Buchanan was not exchanged until February 1865.[6]
Following the conflict, Buchanan lived in Maryland and inMobile, Alabama, until 1870, when he again took up residence in Maryland. He died there on May 11, 1874. He is buried at theWye House family plot outsideEaston, Maryland.
Three U.S. Navy destroyers have been namedBuchanan in honor of Buchanan:DD-131 (Wickes class),DD-484 (Gleaves class), andDDG-14 (Charles F. Adams class). The superintendent's quarters at the United States Naval Academy is named the Buchanan House and a street on the Academy grounds is named Buchanan Road. However, in 2023, a naming commission created by federal law to reexamine Confederate-related names and symbols on military installations recommended that Buchanan House and Buchanan Road be renamed.[7] On May 1, 2023, it was announced the Superintendent's quarters will be renamed Farragut House to honor Admiral David Glasgow Farragut.[8]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None | Superintendent of United States Naval Academy 1845–1847 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of theJames River Squadron February 27, 1862 – March 29, 1862 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of the Maryland Agricultural College 1868–1869 | Succeeded by Samuel Register |
