William David Porter | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | (1808-03-10)March 10, 1808 New Orleans, Louisiana, US |
| Died | May 1, 1864(1864-05-01) (aged 56) New York City, US |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1823–1855 1859–1864 |
| Rank | Commodore |
| Commands | |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
| Relations |
|
William David Porter (10 March 1808 – 1 May 1864) was aflag officer of theUnited States Navy. He was the son of CommodoreDavid Porter (1780–1843) and brother of AdmiralDavid Dixon Porter (1813–1891) as well as foster brother of AdmiralDavid Farragut (1801–1870). His son, William David Porter, Jr. (1840-1902), served in the Confederate Navy.
Porter was born on 10 March 1808 inNew Orleans, Louisiana. He spent much of his childhood inChester, Pennsylvania. After an early and unsuccessful attempt to stow away on his uncleJohn Porter's,ship-of-the-lineFranklin, he signed onFranklin at the age of 12. Porter was appointed amidshipman on 1 January 1823, and 11 years later was commissioned a lieutenant. From 1838 to 1840, he served aslighthouse inspector for the portion of the east coast betweenNorfolk, Virginia, and New York. That duty was followed in 1840 with an assignment at theWashington Navy Yard as ordnance officer. During this assignment, he became interested in the development of an explosive shell suitable for naval use. After leaving Washington, Porter spent the next decade superintending the outfitting of new steam ships for the Navy, commanding supply vessels, and delivering mail and supplies to Navy units abroad.
Following retirement between 1855 and 1859, he returned to active duty and took command of thesloop-of-warSt. Mary's. He patrolled the Pacific coasts ofMexico and Central America for two years protecting American interests in that area.
Thesecession of Southern states in 1860 and 1861 causedSt. Mary's to be recalled to her base atMare Island, California. In the summer of 1861, Porter was relieved of command of the ship and ordered to Washington, D.C. In the autumn, he was assigned to special duty inSt. Louis, Missouri, to assist in establishing theWestern Flotilla to seize and control the Mississippi and its tributaries for the Union. On 3 October, he was given the command of aferryboat-turned-gunboatNew Era. Serving under Flag OfficerAndrew Foote, he patrolled theCumberland River, keeping a wary eye upon the growing Confederate defenses along the river. In November, he took his ship to St. Louis for repairs; and, upon his return to the flotilla atCairo, Illinois,New Era sported a new name,Essex, in honor of thefrigateEssex, whichPorter's father had commanded during theWar of 1812.
Between January and August 1862, Porter served gallantly up and down theMississippi River. On 10 January,Essex andSt. Louis engaged three Confederate gunboats and forced them to retreat to the protection of Southern shore batteries. The two Union gunboats repeated the feat three days later and succeeded in damaging their opponents. Only Confederate shore batteries prevented the capture of the three steamers.
On 6 February,Essex joined the rest of Foote's gunboat squadron in theattack on Fort Henry. Porter's ship, second in line, sustained heavy fire from shore batteries and received at least 15 direct hits. About half an hour into the fray,Essex took a 32-pound shot through her bow shield. It pierced her boilers, releasing steam which severely scalded 28 men. Commander Porter—himself blinded and scalded—continued to conn his ship until she was clear of the action.
Though still severely hampered by his injuries, Porter directed the extensive repair and renovation ofEssex from his sick bed. At the same time, he also superintended the construction of two other warships, theironcladsLafayette andChoctaw.
Porter completed the renovation ofEssex at St. Louis in July and rejoined the Western Flotilla atVicksburg, Mississippi, later that month. At dawn on the 22nd, Porter tookEssex out to attack the Confederate ironcladramCSS Arkansas which had recently left theYazoo River and taken cover under Vicksburg's shore batteries. In company with the smaller converted riverboatQueen of the West,Essex attacked the Southern warship. FirstEssex attempted to ram, but as she approached, theArkansas crew was able to spring her. As a result,Essex missed her target and ran aground instead, where for ten minutes she remained under fire from bothArkansas and the shore batteries. WhenEssex worked off the bank, she continued downstream, where she joined Farragut's squadron.
Thereafter, sinceEssex had sustained only minor damage, Porter patrolled the lower Mississippi River between Vicksburg andBaton Rouge disrupting Confederate commerce in the last section of the river the Confederates still controlled. On 5 August, his ship andSumter assisted Union Army troops in repelling a Confederate land attack on Baton Rouge. The following morning, he headed north to confrontArkansas once more. He found his quarry on a bend in the river, close to the shore. In the ensuing bombardment, Porter used an incendiary shell which he himself had invented. After about 20 minutes of shelling,Arkansas erupted into flames and soon blew up. Evidence suggests that the Confederate crew had set their own ship afire to prevent her capture. Be that as it may, the arrival of theEssex forced the ram's destruction. Congress recognized the role played by Porter and his ship in June 1864 when they awarded theEssex crew $25,000 in prize money.
Porter's last real action in the war occurred in September 1862 whenEssex conducted a bombardment ofNatchez, Mississippi,[1][2] and duelled the shore batteries atPort Hudson, Louisiana.[3] Later that month, he returned to New Orleans where new orders awaited him. Promoted to the rank ofcommodore, Porter was assigned to duty at New York. There, he served in various capacities until hospitalized in April 1864. On 1 May 1864, Commodore Porter died of heart disease atSt. Luke's Hospital in New York City, New York.
In 1942, thedestroyerWilliam D. Porter (DD-579) was named in his honor. It earned the dubious distinction of being called "the unluckiest ship in the U.S. Navy."[4]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.[1]
Media related toWilliam D. Porter at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
