David Glasgow Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut (born July 5, 1801 in Knoxville , Tennessee , USA , † August 14, 1870 in Portsmouth , New Hampshire , USA) was one of the most famous US naval officers of the 19th century.
biography
family
Farragut's father, Jorge Farragut Mesquida, came from the island of Menorca and served in the Continental Army after he came to America . Towards the end of the war he settled in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was given a piece of land by the government. David Glasgow Farragut was born there.
He got his first name in honor of Captain David Porter , who adopted Farragut, who was orphaned at an early age, and took him to sea. The relationship with his stepbrothers William Porter and David Dixon Porter , who would later also play an important role on the Union side in the civil war, remained clouded throughout his life. The middle name was probably the family name of his Scottish mother.
Farragut married Susan C. Marchant on September 24, 1823, who died on December 27, 1840. His second marriage was on December 26, 1843, with Virginia Loyall. They had a son named Loyall Farragut.
Naval training and service
At the age of nine he joined the US Navy . In the war of 1812 , although he was still a boy, he was tasked with important missions.
Although a native of the South and married to a Virginia woman, he sided entirely with the Union and was given important command towards the end of the first year of the American Civil War . He commanded a flotilla that was to capture New Orleans in April 1862. The basis of his fame was the breakthrough of his flotilla on the river past the forts on April 24, 1862. This caused the fall of the city on April 28 and its surrender to the Northern States under Benjamin Franklin Butler . On June 28, he overran the artillery batteries of Vicksburg and the following year he took part in the capture of Fort Hudson and the final opening of the Mississippi. In 1863, as Rear Admiral, he was in command of the blockade squadron that was to control the coast of Texas and Louisiana. The most important event in Farragut's life was the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. His survey of the battle from the mast of his flagship Hartford became one of the most famous episodes of the American Civil War. After the USS Tecumseh (1863) ran into a mine , he published the slogan that is still famous in the USA today: “ Damn the torpedos! Full speed ahead! ”(German:“ To the devil with the torpedoes! Full speed ahead! ”).
Due to his deteriorating health, the Department of the Navy ordered Farragut home in December for a rest break. When he arrived in New York, he was welcomed as a national hero. A businessman gave him $ 50,000 to buy a house in New York. On December 21, 1864, Lincoln promoted Farragut to Vice Admiral . In April of the following year Farragut returned to his duties and served along the James River. After the fall of Richmond , Farragut entered the city with Maj. General George H. Gordon just before President Abraham Lincoln arrived . After the war, in 1866, Congress created the rank of admiral and promoted Farragut to that rank. He was the first admiral in the United States Navy .
In 1867 he visited Europe with his ship Franklin . The appointment as "envoy" was an honorable distinction, but without political or maritime significance: The Franklin was, in every respect, initially a yacht that was available to Farragut. Their arrival in the various ports was the signal for an exchange of international courtesies, entertainment and social happiness. She returned to America in 1868 and Farragut retired.
He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery , New York. More than 10,000 sailors and soldiers marched in his funeral procession, including President Ulysses S. Grant .
Honors, miscellaneous
- Five Navy warships were named after Farragut. One was the type ship of a Farragut class from 1934, another that of the Farragut class from 1960.
- He was also the namesake of Farragut Square in Washington, DC, where a statue of him is located.
- A US Navy training camp with Farragut Naval Training Station and later Farragut State Park were named after him in Idaho on Lake Pend Oreille .
- The schools at the Rota naval base got his name.
- He is ranked high sixth in the historical ranking of the highest officers in the United States .
- Farragut was a member of the Association of Freemasons ( Lodge No. 1 ) in Portsmouth .
literature
- Robert John Schneller: Farragut. America's First Admiral. Potomac Books, Dulles TX 2002, ISBN 1-61234-056-3 .
Web links
- Kurzbiografie (English)
- Admiral David Glasgow Farragut's Gravesite is a National Historic Landmark
- National Military Park Vicksburg, Mississippi
Individual evidence
- ↑ David Glasgow Farragut in the Notable Names Database (English)
- ^ Admiral David Glasgow Farragut: Hero of the Union Navy . Military history
- ^ David Glasgow Farragut Bio in the Latin Library
- ^ Eugen Lennhoff, Oskar Posner, Dieter A. Binder: International Freemason Lexicon. Revised and expanded new edition of the 1932 edition, special production. Herbig, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-7766-2161-3 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Farragut, David Glasgow |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American naval officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 5, 1801 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 14, 1870 |
| Place of death | Portsmouth , New Hampshire |