Two Worthy Sons--William D. Porter--The Career of Admiral David Dixon
Porter.
The reader will not forget the exploits of Captain David Porter, in
command of the _Essex_ in the War of 1812. Contrary to the rule that
great men never have great sons, Captain Porter left two boys who
possessed the same remarkable qualities as himself and one of whom
became more famous than his gallant father.
The eldest of his sons was William D., who was born in New Orleans in
1809, but was educated in the North and was appointed to the navy when
fourteen years old. He was placed in command of a cumbrous ironclad
constructed from a ferryboat at the beginning of the war and named the
_Essex_, in honor of the famous cruiser with which his father played
havoc with the shipping of Great Britain in the Pacific. In the attack
on Fort Henry, in February, 1862, the _Essex_, while doing effective
service, had her boiler pierced by a shot from the enemy, with appalling
consequences. Porter was scalded and knocked senseless and twenty-nine
officers and men were disabled or killed by the escaping steam.
Later, when he had fully recovered, he was placed in command of the
_Essex_, which was repaired and greatly improved. The Confederates had
completed a more terrible ironclad than the _Merrimac_, which they named
the _Arkansas_. Manned by brave officers and crew, it came down the
Yazoo into the Mississippi, and, secure in her fancied invulnerability,
challenged the whole Union fleet which was assisting in the siege of
Vicksburg. In the furious engagement that followed Captain Porter, with
the _Essex_, succeeded in destroying the ironclad. He rendered his
country other valuable service, but his health gave way, and, while in
the East for medical attendance, he died in the City of New York at the
age of fifty-three.
The more famous son of Captain Porter was David Dixon, who was born in
Chester, Pa., in 1813. He entered Columbia College, Washington, when
only eleven years old, but left it in 1824 to accompany his father on
his cruise in the West Indies to break up piracy in those waters. When,
two years later, Captain Porter entered the Mexican navy he appointed
his son a midshipman. He acquitted himself gallantly in more than one
fight with the Spanish cruisers. While still a mere boy he was made a
midshipman in the United States navy. As a lieutenant he saw plenty of
active service in the war with Mexico, and, at the beginning of the
Civil War, was one of our most trusted officers. In command of the
_Powhatan_ he covered the landing of the reinforcements for Fort Pickens
just in time to save its capture by Confederates.
[Illustration: DAVID DIXON PORTER.]
One of the most important captures of the war was that of New Orleans,
in the spring of 1862. The naval forces were under the command of
Admiral Farragut, while Commander Porter had charge of the mortar fleet.
The principal defences below the city were Forts Jackson and St. Philip.
In approaching them Porter had his ships dressed out with leaves and
branches of trees, the clever disguise proving an effectual protection
from a very destructive fire.
The furious bombardment lasted for several days and nights. The river
was spanned by a boom of logs, which it was necessary to break through
that the vessels might reach the city above. This was done, Porter
protecting the expedition which effected it. When the situation of the
forts became hopeless his demand for their surrender was accepted and an
officer came on board under a flag of truce to complete the
negotiations.
While Porter and his visitor were conversing an officer came forward
with the information that the immense floating battery _Louisiana_, of
four thousand tons burden and carrying sixteen heavy guns, had been set
on fire, as Admiral Cervera did with his ships a generation later, when
his escape was cut off from Santiago.
"Such an act is anything but creditable to you," remarked Porter,
addressing the Confederate commander.
"I am not responsible for the acts of the naval officers," replied the
visitor.
The explanation was reasonable, and without any excitement, Commander
Porter renewed the conversation respecting the surrender, but a few
minutes later the officer again approached.
"The ropes which held the floating battery to the bank have been burned
and she is drifting down stream toward us."
"Are her guns loaded and is there much ammunition aboard?" asked Porter
of the Confederate commander.
"I suppose the guns are loaded, but I know nothing about naval matters
here," was the reply.
Just then the heated cannon began firing their huge charges, which,
though without aim, were likely to do injury to the Union vessels toward
which the battery was floating. Besides, the magazine was stored with
powder and the impending explosion could not fail to be disastrous.
"If you do not mind it," said Porter, addressing the visitor, "we will
continue our negotiations."
In referring to this incident, the Admiral said:
"A good Providence, which directs the most important events, sent the
battery off toward Fort St. Philip, and, as it came abreast of that
formidable fort, it blew up with a force which scattered the fragments
in all directions, killing one of their own men in the fort, and when
the smoke cleared off it was nowhere to be seen, having sunk immediately
in the deep water of the Mississippi. The explosion was terrific and was
seen and heard for many miles up and down the river. Had it occurred
near the vessels, it would have destroyed every one of them."
[Illustration: GUN AND MORTAR BOATS ON THE MISSISSIPPI.]
After the fall of New Orleans Porter was sent to Ship Island to await
the attack that was in contemplation upon New Orleans. He was recalled
by Admiral Farragut to aid him in the siege of Vicksburg. In passing the
batteries Porter had three of his vessels disabled and twenty-nine men
killed and wounded. The capture of that last Confederate stronghold on
the Mississippi was a severe and tedious task, but General Grant, with
that bulldog tenacity for which he was famous, held on until the 4th
of July, 1863, when General Pemberton, the Confederate commander,
surrendered his whole garrison of more than 20,000 men. In thus opening
the Mississippi all the way to the Gulf the navy rendered invaluable
assistance. Porter's aid was so important and his conduct so gallant
that he received the thanks of Congress and was created a full rear
admiral, his commission dating from July 4, 1863. In a public dispatch
the Secretary of the Navy said, addressing Admiral Porter: "To yourself,
your officers and the brave and gallant sailors who have been so fertile
in resources, so persistent and so daring under all circumstances, I
tender, in the name of the President, the thanks and congratulations of
the whole country on the fall of Vicksburg."
One of the most disastrous expeditions of the Civil War was that which
was undertaken by General N.P. Banks, in the spring of 1864. His
ostensible purpose was to complete the conquest of Texas and Louisiana,
but there is good reason to believe that the famous Red River expedition
was little more than a huge cotton speculation. Immense quantities were
stored along the river and could it have been secured would have been
worth many hundred thousand dollars to the captors. The charge has been
made, with apparent reason, that several Confederate leaders were
concerned in the "deal," seeing as they did, that the end of the
Confederacy was at hand. The trouble, however, was that other
Confederates like General Dick Taylor did all they could to defeat the
purpose of General Banks and they succeeded to perfection.
The Union commander had an army of 30,000 men with which he began the
ascent of the Red River. He captured Fort de Russy March 14 and then
marched against Shreveport. His forces were strewn along for miles, with
no thought of danger, when at Sabine Cross Roads they were furiously
attacked by General Dick Taylor and routed as utterly as was the first
advance upon Manassas in July, 1861. The demoralized men were rallied at
Pleasant Hill, where they were again attacked and routed by Taylor.
Banks succeeded at last in reaching New Orleans, where he was relieved
of his command.
When Porter had waited a short time at the appointed place of meeting
for Banks's army a messenger reached him with news of that General's
defeat and his hurried retreat. Porter saw that it would not do for him
to delay an hour. He had had great difficulty in getting his fifty
vessels up the narrow stream, whose current was falling so rapidly that
it already appeared impossible to get the fleet past the snags and
shoals to the point of safety two hundred miles below.
Improving every moment and under a continual fire from the shore, Porter
managed to descend something more than half way down the river to Grand
Ecore, where he found Banks and his demoralized army. Porter advised the
commander to remain where he was until the spring rains would enable the
fleet to ascend the river again, but Banks was too frightened to do
anything but retreat, and he kept it up until he arrived at New Orleans.
The river fell so rapidly that all the fleet would have been stranded
above the falls but for the genius of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bailey,
of Wisconsin, a military engineer who accompanied Banks's expedition.
Under his direction several thousand men were set to work, and, at the
end of twelve days, they had constructed a series of wing dams, through
which the vessels were safely floated into the deeper water below the
falls. This accomplished their deliverance from what otherwise would
have been certain destruction. Porter pronounced the exploit of Bailey
the greatest engineering feat of the whole war. One of the Admiral's
most pleasing traits was his appreciation of the services of his
assistants. He complimented Bailey in glowing terms in his official
report, secured his promotion to brigadier-general and presented him
with a sword which cost nearly a thousand dollars.
[Illustration: BREAKING THROUGH THE DAMS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.]
Porter was now transferred to the North Atlantic Squadron and commanded
the powerful naval contingents in the two attacks on Fort Fisher,
December, 1864, and January, 1865. In the latter Porter and General
Terry succeeded in capturing the last important sea fortress belonging
to the Confederates. Porter was promoted to be vice-admiral in 1866 and
admiral in 1870. He was superintendent of the naval academy until 1869,
and died in Washington, February 13, 1891, one day before the death of
General Sherman.