Everything about David Dixon Porter totally explained
David Dixon Porter (
June 8,
1813 –
February 13,
1891) was a
United States admiral who became one of the most noted naval heroes of the
Civil War.
Porter was one of the first U.S. Navy officers to bear the rank of
admiral; prior to the Civil War, no officer had held a rank higher than
commodore, as
admiral was considered to have
royalist connotations.
Pre-Civil War career
Born in
Chester, Pennsylvania, Porter was the son of Commodore
David Porter, USN (1780–1843), a hero of the
War of 1812. His wife, Georgie Ann Patterson, was the daughter of Commodore
Daniel Patterson (also a hero of the
War of 1812), making him the brother-in-law of
Carlile Pollock Patterson and of Admiral
Thomas H. Patterson. He was brother of
William D. Porter, foster brother of
David G. Farragut; cousin of
Fitz John Porter; and brother-in-law of
Confederate general
Thomas A. Harris. He started his sea career as a cadet in the
Mexican Navy in 1826, then attended
Columbia College in New York. He entered the U.S. Navy as Midshipman on
February 2,
1829. He was attached to coastal survey from 1836–1840, then cruised in
Brazilian waters. He married Georgie Ann Patterson, March 10, 1839 and they'd ten children, including Lieutenant Colonel Carlile Patterson Porter. He later served at the
U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. He also served in the
Mexican-American War.
Civil War service
In 1861, Porter joined the Navy's Gulf Squadron in command of the
USS Powhatan. He was promoted to commander on
April 22 1861, and to captain on
February 7 1863. He took part in the 1862 expedition up the Mississippi River against
New Orleans, in command of 21 mortar boats and several steamers. Aboard his flagship,
USS Black Hawk, he commanded the
Mississippi River Squadron during the
Vicksburg Campaigns in 1862–63 and during the
Red River Campaign in
1864 and
1865, when he forced the surrender of the gunboat the
Missouri refurbished and commanded by the Confederate
Jonathan H. Carter. Porter was conspicuous in the
siege of Vicksburg, was wounded in his head during the amphibious operations at Grand Gulf, Mississippi, on
April 20,
1863, and received promotion to
rear admiral on
July 4,
1863, the day of the
Confederate surrender of Vicksburg. He received the Thanks of Congress in April 1864, "for all the eminent skill, endurance, and gallantry exhibited by him and his squadron, in cooperation with the Army, in the opening of the Mississippi River."
During 1864 Porter commanded the
North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and took part in the
capture of Fort Fisher in January 1865. He once again received the thanks of Congress:
... to rear Admiral David D. Porter, and to the officers, petty officers, seamen, and Marines under his command, for the unsurpassed gallantry and skill exhibited by them in the attacks on Fort Fisher, and the brilliant and decisive victory by which that important work was captured from the rebel forces and placed in the possession of the United States; and for their long and faithful services and unwavering devotion to the cause of the country in the midst of great difficulties and dangers.
Post-war career
Porter was promoted to
Vice Admiral in July 1866, and to Admiral on
October 17,
1870. This made him the Navy's senior officer of the post-war era. His first assignment was Chief of the Bureau of Navigation of the U.S. Navy. From 1866 to 1870 he was Superintendent of the
U.S. Naval Academy. Before his death, he wrote several naval books and novels. He died in
Washington, D.C., (some sources say
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) and is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery.
Publications
Admiral Porter wrote several books:
- Memoir of Commodore David Porter, of the United States Navy (published in 1875, about his father)
- The Adventures of Harry Marline (1885)
- Allan Dare and Robert le Diable (1885)
- Arthur Merton, a Romance (1885)
- Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885)
- The Naval History of the Civil War (1886)
- High Old Salts: Stories Intended for the Marines (co-author, 1876)
- The Pictorial Battles of the Civil War (1885)
Legacy
Five ships have been named
USS Porter for him and his father. Porter Road, also known as Officer's Row, at the Naval Academy was named in his honor.
Further Information
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