George Henry Preble | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Preble in 1879 | |
| Born | (1816-02-25)February 25, 1816 Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | March 1, 1885(1885-03-01) (aged 69) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1835–78 |
| Rank |  Rear Admiral |
| Commands | Katahdin Oneida St. Louis State of Georgia Pensacola South Pacific Station |
| Battles / wars | Second Seminole War Mexican–American War American Civil War |
| Relations | Edward Preble (uncle) |
| Other work | Writer of historical and genealogical studies |
| Signature | .jpg) |
George Henry Preble (February 25, 1816 – March 1, 1885) was an Americannaval officer and writer, notable for his history of theflag of the United States and for taking the first photograph of theFort McHenry flag that inspired the U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".
He was born inPortland, Maine,[1] into a seafaring family; his father was sea captain Enoch Preble,[2] whose brother was the noted CommodoreEdward Preble. George entered theNavy as amidshipman on December 10, 1835, serving on thefrigateUnited States until 1838.
He was in theFlorida war in 1841, and was on thesloopSt. Louis for its circumnavigation of the world in 1843–1845, taking ashore the first American force to land in China. In theMexican–American War, he participated in the capture ofAlvarado,Veracruz, andTuxpan. He becamemaster on July 15, 1847, and lieutenant on February 5, 1848. While serving on thefrigateSt. Lawrence, he went withMatthew C. Perry to Japan in 1853, during which Preble surveyed various harbors in the Far East.
After a period aslighthouse inspector and atCharlestown Navy Yard, he served onNarragansett, 1859–1861, then took command of the steam-gunboatKatahdin, serving withDavid Farragut on theMississippi River, was promoted tocommander on July 16, 1862, and given command of the steam-sloopOneida blockadingMobile Bay.
When the Confederate cruiserCSS Florida eluded him, Preble was dismissed from the Navy, but was reinstated[3] after the captain ofFlorida testified that superior speed alone had saved him.
Additionally, each of the officers onOneida testified that Preble had done no wrong.[4] According to their accounts,Florida appeared at around 5:00 pm on September 4, 1862, bearing the ensign of a ship of theEnglish Navy. Preble was in command ofOneida andWinona. Because the other ships were in for repairs, the usual complement of six ships had been reduced to two.Winona had been dispatched to chase another blockade runner and was returning from that chase whenFlorida began her run. One ofOneida's iron boilers had been shut down for repairs, leaving only one in operation. (One of the officers stated that the Navy's choice to use cheaper iron rather than steel was the actual cause of the problem.) WhenFlorida began her run, Preble moved to placeOneida in front ofFlorida. At 6:00 pm, he ordered shots fired across her bow. Believing that the ship was English, two warning shots were fired over her bow and a third shot into her forefoot (The part of a ship at which the prow joins the keel) instead of the customary single warning shot. All three shots were fired within three minutes of her being in range ofOneida's guns. WhenFlorida did not stop, Preble ordered the fourth shot be sent into the enemy ship. This shot missed, at which timeFlorida lowered her false ensign, and made directly forFort Morgan. It was not until this point that Preble could be sure that the ship was a Confederate vessel. With one boiler out of commission,Oneida was unable to keep pace withFlorida, which escaped into the bay. However,Oneida kept up fire on the ship for 29 minutes until it was safely under the protection of Fort Morgan. In addition to the speed issue, the reports state that there were some visibility issues that contributed to poor marksmanship ofOneida's gun crew.
After being reinstated, Preble commanded the sailing sloopSt. Louis, only to haveFlorida escape him once again, offMadeira.
Preble was also known as a writer on naval and historical topics and as a collector of naval documents. His extensive personal library of books and documents related to the sea is located in The George Henry Preble Collection[5] at the Navy Department Library. He was also active in various learned and genealogical societies of the time. In 1868, he published a genealogical history of the Preble family in North America, which included his biography and portrait, as well as that of his famous uncle, Edward[6] The book also set forth a defense of his actions that led to his dismissal from the Navy, as well as the efforts of himself and others that led to his exoneration and reinstatement. In 1872, he published hisHistory of the American Flag, which is still cited as a source. He also took care of the original "Star-Spangled Banner" which had flown over Fort McHenry and had the flag sewn to a piece of sailcloth in order to preserve it.
After the war, Preble commanded the steamerState of Georgia, and rescued 600 passengers from the wrecked steamerGolden Rule. He was at theBoston Navy Yard from 1865 to 1868, where he was promoted tocaptain on March 16, 1867, then commanded thescrew steamerPensacola until 1870. He becamecommodore on November 2, 1871, commanding thePhiladelphia Navy Yard from 1873 to 1875. Preble becamerear admiral on September 30, 1876, commanding the South Pacific Station from 1877 to 1878. He retired from active duty on February 25, 1878.[1]
He was a member of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
In 1873 Preble was elected a member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society[7]
Preble died while living at the home of his son inBrookline, Massachusetts near Boston, on March 1, 1885.[8] He is buried near his famous uncle in the Eastern Cemetery in Portland, Maine.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe George Henry Preble Collection.Naval History and Heritage Command.Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Wilson, J. G.;Fiske, J., eds. (1891).Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.{{cite encyclopedia}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)
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