The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Parker, Foxhall Alexander

PARKER, Foxhall Alexander, American naval officer: b. New York, 5 Aug. 1821; d. Annapolis, Md., 11 June 1879. He entered the navy as midshipman in 1839, was attached to the West Indian squadron, and later transferred to the Philadelphia naval school, where he was graduated in 1843. He served on the Great Lakes, the Mediterranean, the Pacific, and on various coast surveys until 1861, when he was appointed executive officer of the navy yard at Washington, D. C. His capable manipulation of the forces at his command after the battle of Ball Run in 1861 went far toward restoring order and confidence at Washington. He performed excellent service throughout the War, receiving the rank of captain in 1866. He subsequently served on various commands, was raised to the rank of commodore in 1872, and was one of the founders of the Naval Institute at Annapolis in 1873. In 1877-78 he was in charge of the Boston navy yard, and in 1878, until his death, was superintendent of the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He published ‘Fleet Tactics under Steam’ (1863); ‘Squadron Tactics under Steam’ (1863); ‘The Naval Howitzer Afloat’ (1865); ‘The Fleets of the World: the Galley Period’ (1876); ‘The Battle of Mobile Bay’ (1878).