In August, 1825, David Farragut at last received his commission as
lieutenant. He was ordered on board the ship _Brandywine_, the vessel
which was to have the honor of taking the Marquis de Lafayette to
France.
This great Frenchman had always been a warm friend of the United States.
Fifty years before, he had taken a leading part in the Revolutionary
War, and had been one of General Washington's most trusted officers.
After the Revolution, he had returned to his home in sunny France. He
had always loved America, and in his old age he felt that he would like
to visit again the great nation which he had helped to establish. So in
1824, though old and gray, he had come back to America as the honored
guest of the nation.
From one end of the land to the other, his tour had been one grand
ovation. And now that he was to return home, the good ship _Brandywine_
was detailed to carry him safely across the Atlantic.
[Illustration: LAFAYETTE.]
The voyage was an uneventful one for Lieutenant Farragut. After landing
Lafayette in France, the _Brandywine_ cruised about the shores of
England and in the waters of the Mediterranean for about a year.
On his return to America, Lieutenant Farragut found that his wife was in
very poor health, and he obtained leave of absence from the navy, in
order that he might take her to a famous doctor in New Haven,
Connecticut.
During his stay in that city, he regularly attended the lectures at Yale
College, for David Farragut never wasted an opportunity for
self-improvement. When his wife was better, they returned to Norfolk,
where he was placed in charge of the receiving ship in the navy yard.
Most of the boys on the ship were uneducated and did not know one letter
from another. Lieutenant Farragut therefore established a school on
board. This proved to be of great value to these poor boys.
One boy had run away from home to avoid going to school, and he was
determined that he would not study. It was only after many severe
punishments that he was conquered. When once started in the right
direction, he learned rapidly.
One day, seven years afterward, a fine-looking, well-dressed man stopped
David Farragut on the street. On being asked his name, the stranger
replied, "I have grown probably a foot since we parted, but do you not
remember the boy who once gave you so much trouble?"
"Oh yes," said Farragut, "but I should never have recognized him in
you."
"Nevertheless," said the stranger, "I am the same, and am ready to
acknowledge you the greatest benefactor and friend I ever had in this
world of trouble."
After leaving the receiving ship, Lieutenant Farragut spent the next ten
years in short cruises along the South American coast and about the Gulf
of Mexico. During all this time his wife was an invalid, and her health
continued to fail until her death in 1840.
For two years before her death, Lieutenant Farragut was at home on leave
of absence. He could then be constantly with her and wait upon her.
In speaking of his devotion to his wife, a lady in Norfolk said: "When
Lieutenant Farragut dies, every woman in the city should bring a stone,
and build for him a monument reaching to the skies."
In 1841 promotion came to Farragut, and he received a commission as
commander in the navy.
In 1845, the state of Texas was annexed to the United States. This
brought about a dispute with Mexico concerning the southwestern
boundary of the state, and the result was a short war, in which the
Americans were victorious.
Commander Farragut was very anxious to serve his country in this Mexican
War, and wrote many letters to the Navy Department, asking for the
command of a ship. For a long time he waited in vain. When, at last, a
vessel was assigned to him, it was too late for him to do his country
any service. The war was about over, and there was no more work for the
navy to do.
From 1850 until 1852, he was employed in Washington, drawing up a book
of regulations for the navy. As when in New Haven he had attended the
lectures of Yale College, so now he attended those of the Smithsonian
Institution.
[Illustration: SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.]
"I have made it a rule of my life to do all things with a view to the
possible future. You cannot come away from such lectures without being
wiser than when you went in," he said. When the book of regulations was
finished, he went back to the navy yard at Norfolk, where he gave a
series of lectures on gunnery to the officers.
About this time, England and France were at war with Russia. Farragut
applied to Congress for permission to visit the English and French
fleets engaged in this war. He wished to see whether he could learn of
any improvements that could be made in the American navy.
But Congress had other work for him to do. There was to be a new navy
yard built on the Pacific coast, at San Francisco. This would be a
difficult task, and one requiring the services of a man having great
knowledge and experience. No one was better fitted to undertake it than
the lieutenant who had been so eager to make use of every opportunity
for improvement.
In August, 1854, he was accordingly sent to California. Some time before
this, he had married a second wife, Virginia Loyall, of Norfolk, and she
accompanied him to the Pacific coast. There were then no railroads
across the great western plains, and they went by ship to the isthmus
of Panama. After crossing the isthmus, they embarked upon a coasting
vessel, and sailed to San Francisco.
Commander Farragut spent four years in laying the foundations of what is
to-day the great navy yard on Mare Island, about thirty miles from San
Francisco.
Before this work was completed he was promoted to the rank of captain.
This was, at that time, the highest rank in the United States navy.
In July, 1858, Captain Farragut returned home. He was given, at once,
the command of the _Brooklyn_. It had been ten years since he had been
on a war vessel, and he found many changes. His ship had steam power as
well as sails. It was one of the first steam war vessels built for the
navy.
The arrangement of the guns was the same as in the old sailing sloops.
But they were much larger, and of different shape. Explosive shells were
used instead of solid cannon balls.
The _Brooklyn_ cruised for two years in the Atlantic and the Gulf of
Mexico. While on this cruise, Captain Farragut again visited New
Orleans, for he wished to see his brother who was on duty at the naval
station there. A sorrowful welcome awaited him, however, for his brother
had died just before his arrival. The captain sadly returned to his
ship, and soon afterward sailed home to Norfolk.