Portrait of David Dixon Porter during the Civil War

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. Download high resolution version (671x1024, 121 KB)Portrait of Rear Adm. ... Download high resolution version (671x1024, 121 KB)Portrait of Rear Adm. ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Lincoln, President Ulysses S. Grant, General Jefferson Davis, President Robert E. Lee, General Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action...

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. Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a Captain, but is less than that of a Flag Officer. ... Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy. ...

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; brother-in-law of Carlile Pollock Patterson; 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 later served at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. He also served in the Mexican-American War. Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, population 36,854 at the 2000 census. ... David Porter (February 1, 1780 – March 3, 1843) was an officer in the United States Navy and later the commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy. ... Combatants United States Native Americans United Kingdom, Canadian provincial forces Native Americans First Nations Peoples Commanders James Madison Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson Sir Isaac Brock† George Prevost Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates... Carlile Pollock Patterson (1816-81) was an American civil engineer, superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, born at Shieldsboro, Miss. ... Admiral David Glasgow Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (July 5, 1801 - August 14, 1870) was an admiral of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. ... Fitz John Porter Fitz John Porter (August 31, 1822 – May 21, 1901) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. ... Some Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was formed in February 1861 to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been formed that same year when seven Southern states seceded from the United States (four more states soon followed). ... Mexicos armed forces number about 300,000. ... Columbia College is the main undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the universitys main campus of Morningside Heights in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Aerial view of USNO. The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the United States. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia Strength 7,000 - 43,000 18,000 - 40,000 Casualties KIA: 1,733 Total dead: 13,283 Wounded: 4,152 25,000 killed or wounded (Mexican government...

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. 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." USS Powhatan was a United States Navy sidewheel steam frigate. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City That Care Forgot, NOLA (acronym for New Orleans, LA) Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area    - City 350. ... USS Black Hawk. ... The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War and was therefore commonly known as the Western Flotilla and sometimes as the Mississippi Flotilla. ... Lithograph of the Mississippi River Squadron running the Confederate blockade at Vicksburg on April 16, 1863. ... The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. ... Battle of Vicksburg Conflict American Civil War Date May 18 - July 4, 1863 Place Warren County, Mississippi Result Union victory The Battle of Vicksburg was an American Civil War siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, on a well-fortified west-facing cliff on the Mississippi River. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Some Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was formed in February 1861 to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been formed that same year when seven Southern states seceded from the United States (four more states soon followed). ...

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: The North Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a squadron of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. ... Second Battle of Fort Fisher Conflict American Civil War Date January 13-15, 1865 Place New Hanover County, North Carolina Result Union victory Sometimes referred to as the Gibraltar of the South and the last major stronghold of the Confederacy, Fort Fisher had tremendous strategic value during the American Civil...

... 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. Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... October 17 is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and is located in Annapolis, Maryland and Washington D.C. The Academy is often referred to simply as Annapolis although naval officers normally refer to it in... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia. ... Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Dauphin Incorporated 1791 Charter 1860 Mayor Stephen R. Reed (D) Area    - City 26. ... [[ Historical Information Arlington National Cemetery Section 27 Facts Pvt. ...

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. Categories: Stub ...

References

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Admiral David D. Porter

• Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.

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External links

• Images and biography, from the Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C.