in Washington, D.C. Farragut's naval career began as a
midshipman 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 the
American Civil War, where he gained fame for winning several decisive naval battles.
War of 1812 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. Through the influence of his foster father, Farragut was warranted a
midshipman in the U.S. Navy on December 17, 1810, at the age of nine. A
prize master by the age of 11, Farragut fought in the
War of 1812, serving under
Captain Porter, his foster father. While serving aboard the
frigate , Farragut participated in the
capture of HMS Alert on August 13, 1812, He helped to establish America's first naval base and colony in the Pacific, named
Fort Madison, during the ill-fated
Nuku Hiva Campaign in the
Marquesas Islands. At the same time, the Americans battled the hostile tribes on the islands with the help of their
Te 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 the
Essex safely to port. He was wounded and captured while serving on the
Essex during the
engagement at
Valparaíso Bay, Chile, against the British on March 28, 1814.
West Indies In 1823, Farragut was placed in command of , which was his first command of a U.S. naval vessel. He served in the
Mosquito Fleet, a fleet of ships fitted out to
fight pirates in the
Caribbean Sea. After learning his old captain, Commodore Porter, would be commander of the fleet, he asked for, and received, orders to serve aboard
Greyhound, one of the smaller vessels, commanded by John Porter, brother of David Porter. On February 14, 1823, the fleet set sail for the
West 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. He was executive officer aboard the
Experiment during its campaign in the West Indies fighting pirates. Farragut was promoted to lieutenant in 1825.
Mare Island Navy Yard In 1853,
Secretary of the Navy James C. Dobbin selected Commander David G. Farragut to create
Mare Island Navy Yard near San Francisco in
San Pablo Bay. In August 1854, Farragut was called to Washington from his post as assistant inspector of ordnance at
Norfolk, Virginia. President
Franklin 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 at
Vallejo, 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.
Civil War service 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 as
treason. Just before the war's outbreak, Farragut moved with his Virginia-born wife to
Hastings-on-Hudson, a small town just outside New York City. Farragut was appointed under secret instructions on February 3, 1862, to command the
Gulf Blockading Squadron, sailing from
Hampton Roads on the screw
steamer , bearing 25 guns, which he made his
flagship, accompanied by a fleet of 17 ships. He reached the mouth of the
Mississippi River, near Confederate forts
St. Philip and
Jackson, 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. 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 of
heavy bombardment, Farragut ran past forts Jackson and St. Philip and the
Chalmette batteries to take the city and port of
New Orleans on April 29, a decisive event in the war. Congress honored him by creating the rank of
rear 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 defending
Vicksburg, Mississippi, but had no success there. A makeshift
Confederate ironclad forced his flotilla of 38 ships to withdraw in July 1862. While an aggressive commander, Farragut was not always cooperative. At the
siege of Port Hudson, the plan was that Farragut's flotilla would pass by the guns of the
Confederate stronghold with the help of a diversionary land attack by the
Army of the Gulf, commanded by General
Nathaniel 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 for
Port Hudson, and General Banks was left to continue the siege without the advantage of naval support. The
Union 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 the
Red 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 the
Battle of Mobile Bay.
Mobile, Alabama was then the Confederacy's last major open port on the
Gulf of Mexico. The bay was heavily mined (tethered
naval mines were then known as "torpedoes"). Farragut ordered his fleet to charge the bay. As the battle progressed, smoke blocked Farragut's view from his position on the USS
Hartford. 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 the
futtock shrouds under the main top. Fearing for his safety, the crew lashed him to the mast and rigging. When the monitor struck a mine and sank, the others began to pull back. "What's the trouble?" he shouted through a trumpet to . "Torpedoes", was the shouted reply. "Damn the torpedoes.", said Farragut, "Four bells,
Captain Drayton, go ahead.
Jouett, full speed." The bulk of the fleet succeeded in entering the bay. Farragut triumphed over the opposition of heavy batteries in
Fort Morgan and
Fort Gaines to defeat the squadron of Admiral
Franklin Buchanan. On December 21, 1864, Lincoln promoted Farragut to vice admiral, which made him the senior ranking officer in the United States Navy.
Post-Civil War service After the Civil War, Farragut was elected a companion of the first class of the New York Commandery of the
Military 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 full
admiral on July 25, 1866, becoming the first U.S. Navy officer to hold that rank. ==Death==