Rash's Surname Index
Notes for David Dixon PORTER
PORTER, David Dixon, naval officer, was born in Chester, Delaware county, Pa., June 8, 1813; son of David and Evelina (Anderson) Porter. He attended Columbian college, Washington, D.C., and in 1825 accompanied his father, then in command of the West India squadron, on a cruise on the Spanish Main. He was appointed midshipman in the Mexican navy, and served under his cousin, David H. Porter, on the schooner Esmeralda in 1826, and later on the brig Guerrero, which was captured off the coast of Cuba by a Spanish frigate, his cousin being killed. He was appointed a midshipman in the U.S. navy. Feb. 2, 1829, and served in the Mediterranean squadron on the Constellation, Congress and Delaware. He was promoted passed midshipman, July 3, 1835, and lieutenant, Feb. 27, 1841; served in the Mediterranean and Brazilian squadrons, 1841-45; was appointed to the naval observatory, Washington, in 1845, and in 1846 was sent on a confidential mission to report on the condition of affairs at Santo Domingo. On his return he was given command of the steamer Spitfire the flagship of the Mosquito fleet under Commodore Tattnall and served in every action on the east coast. He returned to the coast survey at the close of the war, and was captain of the Pacific Mail steamers Panama and Georgia, 1849-53; commanded a store ship in the U.S. navy in 1853; was on shore duty at the Portsmouth navy yard in 1858, and in 1861 was given command of the steamer Powhatan with troops for the relief of Fort Pickens. He was promoted commander, April 22, 1861, and remained in charge of the Powhatan in the Gulf blockading fleet until November, 1861, when he returned to Washington and endeavored to demonstrate to the navy department the advisability of an expedition to New Orleans. He joined the expedition under Farragut in March, 1862, having command of the mortar fleet consisting of twenty-one schooners and five steamers, and with the fleet bombarded Forts Jackson and St. Philip, compelling their surrender, April 28, 1862. He served under Farragut in all the operations between New Orleans and Vicksburg, supporting his advance when Farragut passed the Vicksburg batteries, and on Oct. 1, 1862, was given the rank of rear-admiral and ordered to relieve Admiral Davis in command of the Mississippi squadron. He organized and enlarged his fleet by casing river-steamboats with heavy iron plating and railroad iron, and adapting them to the narrow winding streams in which they were to operate. He cooperated with General Grant in the Vicksburg campaign and three times sent expeditions to force a passage for the fleet into the Yazoo delta. The third expedition, composed of five of Ida best iron-clads, he led in person, and after many difficulties reached the open country, where his progress was checked by the inhabitants, who blocked the stream with trees, obliging the fleet to retreat. He commanded the fleet that ran the fortifications of Vicksburg in April, 1863, and opened fire on the forts at Grand Gulf, April 29, 1863. During that night, the fleet having successfully ferried Grant's army across the river, he captured the forts at Haynes Bluff, and thus secured access to the Upper Yazoo. On July 4, 1863, Vicksburg surrendered, but Porter remained at the head of the Mississippi squadron until August, 1863. He was commissioned rear-admiral, July 4, 1863, and in the spring of 1864 commanded the naval force in the Red River expedition. After waiting to hear from General Banks, whose army was defeated at Mansfield, La., he withdrew his fleet, under a harassing fire from the troops on the river bank. On reaching the rapids above Alexandria, the Eastport was sunk by a hidden torpedo, and in order to pass the shallow rapids a dam was built by Lieut.-Col. Joseph Bailey (q.v.), from timber cut on the river bank. In October, 1864, Porter was transferred to the command of the North Atlantic blockading squadron, to conduct the movement against Wilmington. His fleet comprised five armored ships, including the New Ironsides, three of the great screw frigates, Colorado, Minnesota and Wabash, and the [p.368] side-wheelers, Powhatan and Susquehanna, besides fifty corvettes, sloops of war and gunboats. On Jan. 13, 1864, the fleet, mounting six hundred and twenty guns, opened a fire (which lasted for three days) on Fort Fisher, while under cover of his guns eight thousand troops were landed, and on Jan. 15, 1865, the works were captured by a combined attack of soldiers, sailors and marines. For this enterprise Admiral Porter received a vote of thanks from congress. He succeeded David G. Farragut as vice-admiral of the navy, July 25, 1866, and was superintendent of the U.S. Naval academy, 1866-69. In March, 1869, he was assigned to duty at the navy department in Washington, and on Aug. 15, 1870, succeeded Farragut as admiral, which rank ceased to exist on his death, and was re-created in 1899 for George Dewey. In 1874, when war with Spain was threatened, he was selected to command the fleet. He was president of the board of inspection for several years. He is the author of: Life of Commodore David Porter (1875); Allan Dare and Robert le Diable (1888), which was dramatized and produced in New York city in 1887; Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885); Harry Marline (1886), and History of the Navy in the War of the Rebellion (1887). He died at Washington, D.C., Feb. 16, 1891, and was buried with the highest military honors at the Arlington National cemetery.
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