The Greatest of Naval Heroes--David Glasgow Farragut.
David Glasgow Farragut was the greatest naval hero of modern times.
There are many honored names connected with the American navy, but his
towers above them all. The highest honors that his country could give
were freely bestowed upon him and no one will deny that he earned them
all.
His father, although a native of Minorca, came to this country in 1776
and lost no time in joining the ragged, starving patriots in their
struggle for independence. His skill and gallantry won him the rank of
major. When the war ended he settled on the western frontier, near
Knoxville, Tenn., where at a place called Campbell's Station his son
David was born in 1801. When only nine years old he was appointed
midshipman under Captain David Porter, the heroic commander of the
_Essex_. Captain Porter and Major Farragut were old friends, to which
fact was due the privilege extended to a lad of such tender years.
In the sketch of Captain Porter the reader will recall the incident in
which young Farragut learned of the conspiracy among the 500 prisoners
on board the _Essex_, and, by giving his commander warning, prevented
the capture of the ship by the savage plotters.
The boy was on the _Essex_ when, disabled and helpless, she was pounded
into a surrender by two British ships while in the harbor of Valparaiso,
in January, 1814. It was one of the most sanguinary battles of the war,
when the decks ran with blood and the dead and dying were stretched on
every hand. Amid the terrible carnage the boy Farragut conducted himself
with such coolness and bravery that he was specially complimented by
Captain Porter in his report. Although wounded, he stood unflinchingly
to his guns, winning the admiration of the grim heroes around him and
demonstrating the wonderful qualities which later were to raise him to
the position of the foremost naval hero of the age.
Peace came, and, although Farragut was in continual service, promotion
was slow. He became lieutenant in 1825, commander in 1841 and captain in
1851. His first wife, whom he married in Norfolk, became an invalid and
did not live long. His second wife was also a native of Norfolk. Thus he
was not only a Southerner himself, but his wife was a native of that
section. When, therefore, civil war came and it became fashionable for
people to express secession sentiments, it was taken for granted that
Farragut would cast his fortunes with the South; but upon being
approached he indignantly replied: "I would see every man of you damned
before I would raise my hand against that flag!" Being told that it
would be unsafe for him to remain in the South, he added that he wanted
only two hours to find another place of residence. He moved away at once
and with his wife and only son took up his home on the Hudson near
Tarrytown.
[Illustration: COMMODORE DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT.]
Being a stranger in that neighborhood, he was regarded with suspicion.
He was fond of taking long walks, and it is said that some of the people
suspected that he belonged to a gang of plotters who intended to cut the
Croton Aqueduct, but the quiet man was simply awaiting the summons of
his country to serve her in any capacity possible.
The call came in the spring of 1861, when he was about threescore years
old. His duty was that of serving on the board appointed by Congress to
retire superannuated officers from the active service. This duty
completed, he was appointed to the command of the expedition organized
for the capture of New Orleans. He sailed from Hampton Roads on the 3d
of February, 1862, in the flagship _Hartford_ and arrived seventeen
days later at Ship Island, the place of rendezvous. There he set to work
to make his arrangements for the great task which was wholly different
from any that had ever engaged his attention. But how well he completed
this grand work, he being the real supervisor and superintendent, has
been referred to in a previous chapter and is told in every history of
our country.
[Illustration: CAPTURE OF NEW ORLEANS--ATTACK ON FORT PHILIP.]
The skill and courage displayed by Farragut in the capture of New
Orleans attracted national attention and added greatly to his
reputation. In the latter part of June he ran the batteries of
Vicksburg, but notified the Government that though he could go up and
down the river as he chose and silence the batteries when he pleased, no
substantial good would result unless a land force of ten or twelve
thousand men attacked the town from the rear. It was this plan which
brought about the capture of Vicksburg by General Grant and the opening
of the Mississippi River. Farragut, who had been made rear admiral,
afforded great aid in taking Port Hudson and cleaning out all rebel
fortifications along the Father of Waters.
This immense work having been accomplished, the Government now gave its
attention to Mobile, another of the Confederate strongholds in the
South. The campaign arranged was to attack it with a land force under
the command of Generals Canby and Granger and a naval force under
Farragut. In January, 1864, he made a reconnaissance of Mobile Bay and
informed the Government that if it would supply him with a slight
additional force he would attack and capture it at once. He knew that
the defences were being strengthened every day and repeatedly urged that
he be furnished with the means of making an immediate assault. But the
ill-advised and disastrous expedition of Banks up the Red River took
away the available troops and the appeal of Farragut remained unheeded
until the summer was well advanced.
By that time the defences of Mobile were well nigh impregnable. Fort
Gaines, on Dauphin Island, had a garrison of 864 men and mounted three
10-inch columbiads, four 32-pounder rifled guns and twenty smoothbore
guns of 32, 24 and 18-pound calibres. The principal pass to Mississippi
Sound was commanded by Fort Powell, with one mounted 10-inch gun, one
8-inch columbiad and four rifled guns. The main fortification was Fort
Morgan, whose heavy guns were placed in three tiers. It mounted seven
10-inch, three 8-inch and twenty-two 32-pounder smoothbore guns and two
8-inch, two 6.5-inch and four 5.82-inch rifled guns. The exterior
batteries were also heavily armed and the garrison numbered 640 men.
The bay was filled with skilfully placed torpedoes, some of them of
stupendous size and power and sufficient, it would seem, if properly
handled, to destroy all the navies of the world.
All arrangements being completed, the signal for the advance was hoisted
at daylight, August 5, 1864. The Union fleet consisted of 21 wooden
vessels and 6 ironclads. The wooden vessels sailed in pairs, the larger
on the starboard, so that if either was disabled the other could carry
it along. Farragut's intention was to lead with the flagship _Hartford_,
but he reluctantly allowed the _Brooklyn_ to take that post, since she
carried four chase guns to the _Hartford's_ one and was provided with an
ingenious apparatus for picking up torpedoes. It was contended further
that the flagship would be the special target of the enemy, a fact that
was likely to cripple her and prevent the employment of the
all-important signals. The last argument bore no weight with Farragut,
who replied that she would be the chief target anyway, no matter what
the position, and exposure to fire was one of the penalties of rank in
the navy. The monitors were to advance in single file, slightly in
advance of the wooden ships, the _Tecumseh_, Commander Tunis A.M.
Craven, in the lead.
[Illustration: IN MOBILE BAY.]
In this order the slow advance was begun and at a few minutes past
seven the _Tecumseh_ fired the first gun. The forts waited twenty
minutes when they replied, and the _Brooklyn_ responded with two
100-pounder Parrot rifles. Under the protection of Fort Morgan nestled
the Confederate rams and ironclads, which directed their fire
principally at the wooden vessels. The great battle was opened.
The enemy's gunboats and the ram _Tennessee_ moved out from behind the
fort and continued firing at the wooden boats, giving principal
attention, as was expected, to the flagship, which was struck several
times. She soon began returning the fire, still advancing, and
repeatedly drove the gunners from the water batteries, but they
immediately returned and kept bravely at work.
Smokeless powder was unknown in those days, and, as the vapor enfolded
the ships, Farragut kept stepping up the rigging almost unconsciously
until he was so high that he was clinging to the futtock shrouds. He had
his spyglass in one hand and kept raising it to his eyes. Captain
Percival Drayton had been closely watching the Admiral and now became
alarmed, lest some damage to the ropes should cause him to fall
overboard. He told Signal Quartermaster Knowles to climb the rigging and
secure Farragut to the shrouds. He obeyed and passed a lead line to one
of the forward shrouds and then drew it around the Admiral to the after
shroud and made it fast. Feeling the faithful officer at work, the
Admiral looked down kindly at him and said: "Never mind me, I am all
right." But Knowles persisted and did not descend until he had completed
his work.
By and by the increasing smoke made it necessary for the commander to
ascend still higher, in order to maintain a clear view of the battle. He
untied the fastenings, and, climbing to the futtock shrouds, passed the
rope once more around his body several times and tied the end to the
rigging. The picture of Admiral Farragut thus lashed to the rigging has
been seen thousands of times in the histories of the Civil War.
While in this perilous position he signalled for closer order. The
bombardment of the fort was terrific and produced great effect.
Commander Craven, with the _Tecumseh_, singled out the ram _Tennessee_,
under the command of Admiral Franklin Buchanan, who had charge of the
_Merrimac_ on the first day of her fight with the _Monitor_. Both were
ironclads and Buchanan was as anxious to fight Craven as the latter was
to fight him. Craven, fearing his adversary would retreat, pressed
forward so eagerly that he paid no attention to the torpedoes over
which his hull was continually scraping. One or more of these suddenly
exploded, the front dipped and the _Tecumseh_ plunged bow foremost to
the bottom of the bay, carrying with her 93 men out of a crew of 114.
This appalling disaster was accompanied by a touching incident. When the
_Tecumseh_ was diving downward Commander Craven and the pilot
instinctively started for the opening through which only one man could
pass at a time. They reached the foot of the ladder at the same moment.
"You first," said Craven, halting. The pilot just succeeded in
scrambling out, when the _Tecumseh_ went down, taking her heroic captain
with her.
The terrible occurrence was witnessed by friends and foes. A boat was
quickly lowered from the _Metacomet_ and sent to the relief of the
survivors. It passed within a hundred yards of Fort Morgan, which could
have easily blown it out of the water. But General Page, the Confederate
commandant, knowing her errand, gave the order not to harm the boat,
which was on its way to save drowning men. His soldiers broke into
cheers, but he sternly stopped them, with the advice to wait till the
_Hartford_ was sunk. The boat picked up ten men and officers, while four
swam to the beach and were made prisoners.
When the lull was over Farragut headed his ship for the fort,
signalling to the remainder of the fleet, which followed close after
him. When warned of the torpedoes the wrathful Admiral came near adding
a little profanity to his contemptuous opinion of them as he passed on.
Wheeling, he launched his whole broadside at the fort, then delivered a
second at the _Tennessee_ and headed for the gunboats _Selma_, _Gaines_
and _Morgan_, all of which were raking him. Casting off his consort, the
_Metacomet_, he sent her after the _Selma_, and, after a hot chase, she
captured her. The other two took to shallow water under the guns of the
fort.
The ships, having passed the latter, were about to anchor when the
_Tennessee_ was perceived coming straight for the fleet, with the
intention of attacking it. Farragut signalled to the vessels to run her
down and ordered the pilot of the _Hartford_ to drive her with full
speed at the ironclad. The _Monongahela_ was the first to reach the
monster, struck her fairly, and, swinging around, let fly with a
broadside of 11-inch shot, which dropped harmlessly from her mailed
side. Undaunted, the _Monongahela_ rammed her again, though she received
ten times as much damage as she inflicted. The _Lackawanna_ passed
through a somewhat similar experience but a gunner drove a 9-inch shell
into one of the shutters, which was shattered and forced within the
casemate. The crews were so close that they taunted each other through
the portholes and even hurled missiles across the brief intervening
space.
At this juncture the _Hartford_ arrived, charging full speed upon the
ram, which so shifted its position that the blow was a glancing one.
Recoiling, the flagship delivered its most tremendous broadside, doing
no harm, while the _Hartford_ itself was pierced again and again by the
exploding shells which strewed her deck with dead and dying. Nothing
daunted, Farragut prepared to ram once more, when his ship was badly
injured by an accidental blow from the _Lackawanna_. But Farragut,
seeing that she still floated, called for a full head of steam that he
might deliver a blow that was likely to send his own ship to the bottom.
By this time the slower going monitors had arrived and were getting in
their fine work. The _Tennessee's_ smokestack was shot away, her stern
port shutter was disabled, making the gun useless, while her steering
chains were smashed. Like a stag beset by a pack of hounds, she was
brought to her knees. The white flag was raised, and the sorely battered
_Tennessee_ became the captive of the Union fleet. The forts were
passed and the victory of Mobile Bay was secure.
[Illustration: BURNSIDE'S EXPEDITION CROSSING HATTERAS BAR (1862).]
But it had cost dearly. In addition to the men lost on the _Tecumseh_,
there had been 25 killed and 28 wounded on the _Hartford_, 11 killed and
43 wounded on the _Brooklyn_, the total of all, including those lost on
the _Tecumseh_, being 145 killed and 170 wounded. The Confederate loss
was 12 killed, 20 wounded and 280 prisoners.
Fort Powell was subjected to a severe bombardment that afternoon and on
the following night was abandoned and blown up. Fire being opened on
Fort Gaines, it also surrendered. Fort Morgan, the only fort in the
possession of the enemy, surrendered August 23, before an attack of the
navy and the land forces under General Granger from New Orleans.
Soon after this splendid victory Admiral Farragut went North, where he
was received with all possible honors. The war ending soon after, his
inestimable services came to a close. That no reward might be lacking,
the office of vice-admiral was specially created for him in December,
1864, and that of admiral in 1866. He died in 1870.
THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.