RODGERS
RODGERS
castle, Oct. 14, 1747. He engaged in missionary
work in Somerset county, Md., in 1748; was or-
dained, March, 16, 1749, and was installed pastor
at St. George's, March 16, 1749, preaching there
and at Middletown, until 1865, when he succeeded
to the pastorate of the Rev. David Bostwick's
church in New York city. He built a new churcli
edifice in 1767, and served until September, 1776,
when he removed his family for safety to Green-
field, Conn. He was chaplain to Gen. William
Heath's brigade in April, 1776, and went to
Savannah, Ga., to spend the winter of 1776-77.
He was chaplain of the New York provincial
congress, the council of safety and the first state
legislature in 1777, all three of which convened
at Esopus, N. Y.; preached in Esopus and Amenia,
N.Y.; in Sharon and Danbury, Conn.; and in
Lamington, N.J., during the war. and in 1783
returned to his congregation in New York city,
where he found his house in ruins, and his
churches demolished, having been used as bar-
racks for soldiers. Daring the process of rebuild-
ing he was invited to hold his services in St.
Paul's and St. George's (Protestant Episcopal)
churches. His health forced him to retire from
active work in September, 1809. He was a trustee
of the College of New Jersey, 1765-1807; received
the degree D.D. from the University of Edinburgh
in 1768; was vice-chancellor of the University of
the State of New York, 1787-1811; moderator of
the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian
church at Philadelphia in 1789, and president of
the Missionary society organized in 1 796. He was
married, first, in September, 1752, to Elizabeth,
daughter of Col. Peter Bayard of Cecil county,
Md. , and secondly, in 1764, to Mary, widow of Wil-
liam Grant of Philadelphia. He published several
sermons. He died in New York city, May 7, 1811.
RODGERS, John, naval officer, was born in
Harford county, Md., July 11, 1771; a brother of
Com. George Washington Rodgers (q.v.). He
entered the merchant marine service in 1784, and
was made captain of a trading ship in 1789. He
entered the U.S. navy as lieutenant, March 9,
1798; was assigned to the Constellation, Captain
Truxton, and was present at the capture of
Vlnsurgente off Nevis, W.I., Feb. 9, 1799. He
was put in command of the prize with eleven
men, and carried her successfully into port, sup-
pressing an attempt made by the captured crew to
regain the vessel. He obtained a leave of absence;
purchased a vessel and went to Santo Dom-
ingo, where he helped to suppress a slave insur-
rection, saving many lives. He was promoted
captain, U.S.N,, March 5, 1799; was sent on
special dispatch duty to France in 1801; com-
manded the John Adams off the coast of Tripoli,
1802-03, and in an attempt to run the blockade,
he captured the Moorish ship Meshoncla. He co-
operated with the Enterprise in a battle with,
nine Tripolitan gun-boats, and destroyed a Tri-
politan corsair, July 21, 1803. On his return to
the United States in December, 1803, he was given
command of the Congress, and joined the squad-
ron under Commodore Barron, off the Tripolitan
coast. He succeeded Barron in command of the
squadron. May 22, 1805, and on June 3, 1805, he
obtained a treaty with Tripoli, and in December,
1805, procured a more favorable treaty with
Tunis. He was married in 1806, to Minerva
Denison (1784-1877). He was in command of
the gun-boats at New York, 1806-09; was assign-
ed to the frigate President, and commanded the
home squadron on jjatrol duty, to prevent the
impressment of seamen by Britisli vessels. While
on the outlook for the British frigate Guerriere,
in the evening of May 16, 1811, he overtook a
vessel, which he supposed to be the Guerriere,
but which proved to be the Little Belt, a sloop of
war. In the encounter the British loss was 9
killed and 20 wounded, and the Little Belt was
badly crippled. This action further strained the
relations between the two countries, and Rodgers
was tried by a regular court, but was acquitted.
On June 18, 1812, war was declared against Great
Britain, and on June 21, Rodgers sailed in the
President in command of a squadron to intercept
the fleet of 100 British merchantmen bound to
England from Jamaica under convoy of Britisli
men-of-war. On June 22, the fleet was discovered
and chase given. Rodgers hailed the British
frigate Belvidere, and after exchanging a broad-
side, gave chase, but after a running figlit of
eight hours the Belvidere escaped. Rodgers
returned to Boston after a ten weeks' cruise, with
six prizes. He made three other cruises, captur-
ing in all twenty-three prizes. In June, 1814, he
commanded tiie sailors and marines in the de-
fence of Baltimore, and had charge of the water
battery and the naval flotilla barges. He was
offered the secretaryship of the navy by President
Monroe in 1818, which oflSce he declined, but
served as acting secretary of the navy in 1823.
He was president of the board of naval commis-
sioners, 1815-24 and 1827-37, and commanded
the Mediterranean squadron, 1824-27. He was
the senior officer of the U.S. navy at the time of
his death at Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 1, 1838.
RODGERS, John, naval officer, was born in Harford county, Md., Aug. 8, 1812; son of Com. John and Minerva (Denison) Rodgers. He was warranted midshipman in the U.S. navy, April, 1828; served on the Constellation, 1829-32; at- tended the naval school at Norfolk, Va., 1832-34; was promoted passed midshipman in June. 1834. and was a student at the University of Virginia, 1835-36. He was attached to the brig Dolphin, on the Brazilian coast, 1836-39; commanded the
