Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/324

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298
RODGERS
RODMAN

vice. Ilis able counsels were in constant, demaml on advisory boards. especially for reconstructing the navy. and for the "Jeannette " relief expedition. for which his personal knowledge of the Polar sea “as valuable. See a memoir by Prof. J. Russell Soley. I'. S. navy (printed privately. Annapolis. IHH2).—The first John's brother. George “ash- inalon. naval olficer. b. in Hat-ford county. Md..22 Fcl).. 1137: (I. in Buenos Ayres. South America.21 May. 1832. entered the navy as midshipman. 2 April. 11-104. was commissioned lieutenant. ‘24 April. IMO. and served in the sloop '- Wasp " in the cap— ture of the “Frolic.” 18 Hct.. 1312. for which he was included in a vote of thanks by congress. and received a silver medal. He commanded the brig “ Firefly " in the Algerine war in 1H15. was com- niissioned master—commanrlant. ‘37 April. 1316. and had charge of the ship " Peacock " in 1516415 in the Mediterranean. He was commissioned cap- tain. 3 March. “95. was on the board of examiners in IRIS—'30. and at his death was commodore coin- inanding the Brazil squadron. His wife. Anna Maria. sister to Com. Perry. d. in New London. ('onn.. 7 Dec. 1858. aged sixty.—Their son. ('Ill'is- topller Raymond l’erry. naval officer. h. in irooklyn. N. Y.. 14 Nov“ 1H1“; d. in Wasllington. It. (‘.. H .Ian.. 139?. He was appointed a. midship- man on 5 Oct. 18.113. and served on the schooner " Flirt" in 1539 and in command of the " Phtenix " in IHIO—"l. in the Seminole war. He was promoted lieu- tenant on 4 Sept.. 1:544. was engaged in ldoekadiug the coast of Mexico in 1-HT. and “as in the trenches at the siege. of Vera Cruz and the capture of Ta- basco and Tuspan. In INNS—'7 he com- manded the steamer “ Ribb“ and the schooner"Gallatin" in the coast sur- Z’fl flea-do vey. Ile was com- missioncd as com-

mander on 15 Oct.,

INT-1. and served with distinction on the “ Wabash." and as fleet-captain of Rear-Admiral Samuel F. ltu Pont‘s fleet at the battle of Port Royal and in command of the naval force in the trenches at the capture of Fort Pulaski. Ile directed the move- ments of a fleet of gun—boats that was engaged in occupying strategic points on the coast south of I'ort Royal. commanding an expedition to St. Augllstine and up St. Mary‘s river in March. 1862. and \vas fleet-captain in the “New Ironsides" in the attack of 7 April. 1.863. on the defences of Charleston and in the subsequent operations of the South Atlantic blockading squadron. till in the autumn of 1863 he was assigned to the command of the steam sloop " Iroquois." in which he was etu- ployed on special ser\ice till the enrl of the war. He was commissioned as captain on 25 July. 1mm. commanded the “ Franklin ' in the Mediterranean in 18'1-‘1-70. became a commodore on 2H Aug.. 1870, was on special service in Europe in 1.2171. then chief of the bureau of yards and docks till 187-1. was commissioned as rear-admiral on 14 .Iune. 1374. and was superintendent of the naval academy. except in INTHJHO. when he commanded the naval forces in the Pacific. until on 14 Xu\., lh‘Nl. he was placed on the retired list. Rear- Admiral Rodgers presided Over the international conference at Washington in 1.535 for the purpose of fixing a prime meridian and universal day.— Another son. George Washington. naval otficer, b. in Brooklyn. N. Y.. 3l)Uct.. IHZL’: d. off Charles- ton harbor. S. (‘.. 17 Aug.. 1H6?“ entered the navy as midshipman. 30 April. 1H3“. became passed mid- shiptnan. 1 July. 18-12. and was in the steamer " ('ol. Harney" and the frigate “John Adams " during the Mexicali war. at Vera Cruz. Tuspan. Alvarado. and other points on the Gulf coast. where he served as acting master from 4 Nova lH-lti. He was on the U. S. coast survey in 1849—50. was commis- sioned lieutenant. 4 June. 1850. cruised in the “Germantown" on the home station in 1H51—‘3, and was at the naval academy in lSUl—"l. In April. 13461. he saved the "Constitution" from a. threatened attack by secessionists at Annapolis. and took the naval academy to Newport, R. 1. He was commissioned commander. 16 Jan.. 1N13'2. and in October commanded the monitor " Catskill." in which he participated in the attacks on Charles- ton. On 7 April. 1363. he impetuonsly took her almost under the walls of Fort Sumter. Admiral Dahlgren appOinted him chief of staff. 4 July, 1863. and. still comnmnding the “(‘atskill." he was distinguished by the cool and deliberate man- ner in which he fought his ship. In the attack on Fort Wagner. 1? Aug.. 1-903. he took command of his vessel as usual. and while in the pilot—house he was instantly killed by a shot that struck the top of the house and broke it in. It was of Coin- mander Rodgers that Miles O‘Reilly wrote one of his most admired stanzas:

“Ah me! George Rodgers lies
With dim and drcamlcss eyes.
He has airly won the prize
“1' the sthripn-d and starry shroud."


RUDMAN. Isaac Peace. soldier. b. in South I(III__’.‘I.UI1. R. I.. lb‘ Aug.. 1&2‘3: d. in Sharpsl-urg. Md.. 3" Sept.. 1-\‘ 3. Ile reCcived a common-school education. entered into partnership with his father. and became a prominent \\(lUlIEIl-Illitnllfflc‘tlll'el'. He sat in both houses of the legislature for several terms. At the first call for troops in 1561 he raised a company. which was incorporated in the 2d Rhode Island regiment. and was engaged at Bull Run. For gallantry in that action he was made lieutenant-colom-l of the 4th Rhode Island volunteers. 25 ()ct.. 18131. aml soon afterward was promoted colonel. He served with great credit at Roanoke island and N cw Berne. and in the capture of Fort Macon. and in July. lflti'l. was commis- sioned as brigadier-general of volunteers. to date from ‘38 April. At the Antietam he commanded the 3d division of the 9th corps. and was mortally Wounded while leading a charge.


RODMAN. Thomas Jefferson. soldier. b. in Salem. Ind., 30 July. 1-817): d. in Rock Island. Ill.. 7 June. 1H7]. Ile was graduated at the C. S. mili- tary academy in 1341. assigned to the ordnance de- partment. and scrved at Alleghan) arsenal till 1348. . going to Richmond. “1.. in 15-13 to prepare machin- ery for testing gun-metal and supervise the maim- fat-ture of cannon. and to Boston in September. 1&6. for the purpose of experimenting with Col. George Bomford's columbiads of 12—inch calibre. Ile invented a method of casting guns on a hollow 1 core. through which a stream of cold water is kept . running. greatly improving their tenacity. In 1847 he supervised the manufacture of columbiads on this system at Pittsburg. I’a. During the Mexican war he served as ordnance officer at. (‘amargo and Point Isabel depots. Returning to Alleghany ar- scnal. he continued his experiments. He was in