FARRAGUT
I'AiCiiAUUT
Tampico and thence to Vera Cruz. In Januaiy.
isa'j, be returned to Norfolk, where lie remained
unemployed, except on courts-martial, until De-
cember, 1840, when bis wife died. On Feb. 22,
1841, he was ordered to the Ddaware, and on
Sept. 27, 1841, was promoted to the rank of
commander. He commanded the sloop of war
Decatur in South American waters, 1842, was
relieved early in 1843, and on Dec. 36, 1843, was
married to Virginia, daughter of William Loyall
of Norfolk, Va. In April, 1844, be was made
executive officer of the receiving ship Penunyl-
vania, at Norfolk, and was later transferred to
the Norfolk navj' yard, where he was stationed
at the outbreak of the Mexican war. At the
beginning of the difficulties he made application
for service in the gulf, but it was not luitil after
repeatea attempts that he was sent in February,
1847, in command of the Santiayo to operate with
the squadron of Commodore Conner against Vera
Cruz. He did not reach the station, however,
until after Commodore Perry had assumed com-
mand and the land forces under Scott bad cap-
tured the place. He here contracted yellow
fever ; complained to the department at Wash-
ington of unfair treatment from Commodore
Perry, and was ordered home with the Saratoga,
arriving in February, 1848, and at once resuming
his position at the Norfolk navy yard. In 1851-
.52 he was employed in Washington in helping to
draw up a book of ordnance regulations for the
navy, and he meanwhile attended regularly the
lectures at the Smithsonian institution. In
August, 18.54, he was ordered to California as
first comiuandant of the navy yard at Mare
Island, and planned and built up the yard, re-
maining there four years. On Sept. 14, 1856, he
was promoted captain, then the highest grade in
the U.S. navy. He commanded the Brooklyn,
1858-60, and was on waiting orders at Norfolk,
1861, when the civil war broke out and he re-
ported at Washington for assignment to active
duty, but was ordered to Brooklj-n, N.Y., as a
member of the retiring board. In 1862 lie was
placed in command of an expedition planned to
co-operate with the army in opening the Missis-
sippi river and capturing New Orleans. He
sailed on the Hartford, flag-ship, from Hampton
Roads, Feb. 2, 1863, and gathering together six
sloops-of-war, sixteen gunboats and twentj'-one
mortar boats with five inferior coalers and
barges, carrying in all 300 guns, without a single
iron-clad or armored vessel, he reached the forts
below New Orleans, April 24. 1862, and at once
proceeded to engage Fort Jackson and Fort St.
Philip simultaneously by dividing his fleet in two
divisions. He encountered besides the fire from
the forts, a formidable iron-clad ram, the Manas-
sas, a fire-raft, and a chain stretched across the
channel. His progress was also disputed by
shore batteries and armed river crafts consisting
of gunboats, cotton-boats and rams. He met
the combined force, one after another giving way
before the guns of the Federal fleet, and he
reached New Orleans, April 25, 1863, and cap-
tured the city. He had lost 37 men killed, 147
wounded and the gmiboat Varuna sunk. On
June 28, 1863, be ran the batteries of Vicksburg
and with eight of his wooden vessels joined Com-
modore Davis's fleet of iron-clads above the city,
He ran the batteries of Vicksburg again on his
return, July 15, and on July 16, 1862, he was com-
missioned rear-admiral, receiving at the same
time a vote of thanks from congi-ess for his gal-
lantry in passing Forts Jackson and St. Philip.
He ran the batteries at Port Hudson, opened
communication with Flag-Officer David D. Porter,
son of his foster-father, and assisted in the
reduction of the place, July 9, 1863, when he
turned over the command of the western squad-
ron to Rear-Admiral Porter. He was on leave of
absence till January, 1864, when he was ordered
to make a reconnoLssance of tlie Confederate de-
fences of Mobile bay with the design of captui'ing
the city. His report to the government was to
the effect tliat with a single iron-clad gunboat
and a land force of 5000 men, he could take the
city. He then prepared a fleet of fourteen
wooden vessels with the Hart ford hh flag-ship, and
four iron-clads, the Tecmnseh and Manhattan, sea-
going monitors, and the Winneha<jo and Chickasaw,
two river monitors, built in St. Louis. The bay
was defended by Fort Morgan with 38 heavy
guns; Fort Gaines; Fort Powell; the Confederate
Tennessee, a broadside iron-clad, 309 feet long and
48 feet wide, with sloping sides, fitted with a ram
and armed with four six-inch rifles and two
seven-inch rifles; three wooden gunboats; a
line of piles to the edge of the channel and a
tiiple line of contact torjiedoes across the channel
to within 100 yards of Fort Slorgan. In the
attack, begun at early dawn, Aug. 5, 1864, the
Brooklyn led the way, the Hartford taking the
second place in the column with the Metacomet on
her port. Of the monitors forming the second
column, the Tecnmseh led, and as it passed the
fort Captain Craven fired two shots at the fort;
and the two columns moved forward five minutes
before seven, the Brooklyn receiving the first fire
from Fort Morgan and replying with her bow
guns ; this was followed by a general engagement
between the monitors and the fort. Farragut
took liis position in the port main rigging of the
Hartford, while Captain Jouett was near at hand,
standing on the wheelhouse of the Metacomet
The pilot was in the maintop of the Hartford so
as to see over the smoke, and Farragut moimted
step by step for a like purpose, till he stood near
